Green Jolene: Green Jolene and the Neighborhood Swap

Ages 6 to 8, Grades 1 to 3

Meet Green Jolene: a green, clean, climate-conscious heroine.

This illustrated chapter book series by New York Times best-selling author Wendy Mass is perfect for kids who are inspired by Greta Thunberg and love Beverly Cleary's Beezus and Ramona and other classics like Ivy & Bean and Clementine.

It all began (as the best stories do) with a very stinky backpack!

Jolene wouldn’t have guessed that the first day of summer vacation would start with her trying to figure out if the squishy object smelling up her backpack was a half-eaten tuna sandwich or a six-month-old plum! (It was both!) While dumping old food in the trash and bringing out the recycling, Jolene sees the huge boxes of stuff her new neighbors got delivered. She realizes how many of her own belongings she doesn’t use anymore. 

Horrified by the idea of contributing to overflowing landfills and trash-filled oceans, Jolene hatches a big plan to not only deal with her own stuff, but her whole neighborhood’s unwanted items as well. Of course, big plans never work out quite the way we think they will!  

Clad in her favorite rain boots, Jolene is ready to save the world. Or, at least, to tackle her own neighborhood’s stuff and find some surprising new allies along the way. For fans of Ivy & Bean and Clementine comes Jolene, a can-do new hero who is discovering how to take an Earth-first approach to every problem she encounters.

This book is part of the Disney Planet Possible Books program, aiming to inspire and empower young readers to take care of planet Earth through amazing stories and kid-friendly environmental activities.

Story Locale:Pacific Northwest

About the Author

Wendy Mass is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty novels for young people, including EVERY SOUL A STAR, PIE IN THE SKY, and A MANGO-SHAPED SPACE. Her books have been translated into 26 languages and nominated for 91 state book awards. She lives with her family in northwest New Jersey. Visit her at WendyMass.com.

Author Residence: New Jersey

Billy Yong lives in Singapore, where he loves drawing the sweet, the brazen, and the nonsensical. When he’s not doodling around, he’s busy surviving parenthood or fighting against his addiction for bubble tea. Find him online at www.billyyongdraws.com or on Instagram @billyyongdraws.

Illustrator Residence:Singapore