Here's a blast from the past - a book written about the future that is now the present - the year 2015.

The Carbon Diaries 2015, by Saci Lloyd, plunges readers headlong into the not-too-distant future, when England has instituted strict carbon rationing in response to a "Great Storm" triggered by global warming.  Sixteen-year-old Laura Brown's diary relates a tale of frightening uncertainty, as Laura attempts to finish school, nurture a budding romance, and keep her punk rock band together while living under increasingly wretched circumstances. Struggling to get by on a prohibitive allotment of carbon points and dealing with wildly unpredictable weather, Laura's family begins to fall apart. When her father trades her mom's gas-deprived Saab for a large pig and a wheelbarrow full of gardening supplies, Laura knows the adults in her life are losing control. Read this humorous, thought-provoking novel and decide for yourself whether it's mere speculation or a realistic look at our world's shared future.
Mary Schneeberger, Youth Services, Peter White Public Library, Marquette, MI