Two Degrees

Two Degrees

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade realistic
• Originally Published: 2022
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 770L; grades 5-9
• Structure/Length: 4 parts, 108 chapters; approx. 384 pages; approx. 9 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Four young teens fight for survival as the impact of climate change causes disaster in three distinct locations: the Sierra Nevada, California; Churchill, Manitoba; and Miami, Florida.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Disasters (wildfire and hurricane); death; violence; detailed descriptions of burned and drowned bodies

Alan Gratz, Author

• Bio: Born 1972; holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee; currently lives in the mountains of North Carolina; member of the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame; awarded the National Jewish Book Award, the Young Hoosier Book Award, and the Malka Penn Award for Human Rights Honor (2017) for his novel Refugee.
• Other Works: Prisoner B-3087 (2013); Projekt 1065 (2016); Refugee (2017); Allies (2019); Ground Zero (2021)
• Awards: National Council for the Social Studies-Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Trade Books List (2023); Junior Library Guild selection

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Human Connection and the Natural World
• Coming of Age in a Changing World
• Survival and Resilience in Disaster

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social, scientific, and historical contexts regarding climate change for increased comprehension of the main characters’ conflicts.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of
• Human Connection and the Natural World, Coming of Age in a Changing World, and Survival and Resilience in Disaster.
• Determine a question about climate change or related environmental concerns to investigate; share new information with peers.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding youth leadership, the relationship between humans and animals, and other topics.