A Conversation with Climate Author Claire Datnow
Thank you for joining me for this conversation, Claire.
Ashley Harris: What inspired you to write “In A Changing World?” Book 3 of The Four Elements Climate Trilogy?
Claire Datnow: I’m fascinated by new scientific discoveries, especially what scientists are learning about our changing planet. Every day, researchers gather new evidence about how climate change is affecting wildlife, ecosystems, communities, and what those changes may mean for the future.
Ashley Harris: I like the way that you weave science together with story telling. Why did you choose to do that?
Claire Datnow: Scientific facts alone don’t always make us feel what is happening. Stories through novels, movies, television, and science become personal and emotionally meaningful. That’s what I strive to do when I write climate fiction for upper elementary and middle grade readers ages 10-14, and even all ages. That’s why I weave nature adventure and scientific mystery together to make it more compelling.
Ashley Harris: Yes, you show young readers something astonishing: the natural world is already responding and adapting to climate change in different ways.
Claire Datnow: And that we can and should learn from nature how to help protect our planet for future generations.
Ashley Harris: Our planet is changing as it heats up often resulting in hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, the death of species, and conflicts between humans and animals. These are scary, ongoing events. How do you envision addressing this issue?
Claire Datnow: For teachers, librarians, families, and young readers, these stories offer an exciting and adventurous way to explore climate science, wildlife, adaptation, conservation, and the positive choices that they can make to protect our changing world.
Ashley Harris: Why do animals and wildlife play such an important role in your books?
Claire Datnow: Whether set on a tiny island, in a vast desert, an Alaskan forest, or a Mexican butterfly sanctuary, wildlife always finds its way into my stories. I’m constantly reading about animals, ecosystems, conservation, and new scientific discoveries that I can weave into my eco-adventures.
Ashley Harris: In “In a Changing World”, young readers encounter monarch butterflies, Kodiak brown bears, anole lizards, and Joshua trees. Each story begins with a mystery that leads to a quest to solve it by gathering real scientific data?
Claire Datnow: That’s right! The Josh, Dana, Marie, Alvin, and April characters in my story are curious, young characters. They ask questions, important questions:
What happens when familiar monarch butterfly migration routes shift, and what are the consequences of that shift?
Why might Kodiak bears change what they eat, and what are the consequences?
How can tiny lizards survive increasingly powerful hurricanes, and what are the consequences?
And what happens when a Joshua tree can no longer move its seeds into a changing habitat?
These real-world mysteries allow me to explore not only the effects of climate change, but also adaptation, resilience, biodiversity, and successful conservation efforts.
Ashley Harris: I know young readers will keep turning the pages to solve these mysteries. How would you describe your climate fiction?
Claire Datnow: My stories are part climate fiction, part mystery, and part nature adventure.
Ashley Harris: Climate change is such a serious subject that it can feel overwhelming, especially for young readers. How do you approach this issue?
Claire Datnow: Instead of beginning with the enormity of the problem, I begin with something they can see and wonder about.
Why are there fewer butterflies this summer?
Why are bears changing their diets?
How could a tiny anole lizard survive a monster hurricane?
These questions turn climate science into mysteries young characters and young readers can investigate. Through adventure and discovery, the larger picture gradually emerges.
My goal is to help children understand the seriousness of climate change without overwhelming them with fear.
Ashley Harris: How do you write hopeful climate-action stories?
Claire Datnow: I focus on two things: solutions and young heroes.
My protagonists are curious, determined young people who ask questions, investigate mysteries, make mistakes, discover evidence, and ultimately find ways to help. Just as importantly, I want young readers to imagine a future in which solutions are possible - communities restoring habitats, scientists and citizens working together, renewable energy becoming part of everyday life, and young people contributing ideas of their own.
Children hear plenty about what could go wrong with our planet. They also deserve stories that help them imagine what could go right. Climate hope doesn’t mean pretending the problems aren’t serious. It means showing that knowledge, creativity, conservation, and collective action can make a difference.
Ashley Harris: So, climate mysteries inspire kids to become part of the solution?
Claire Datnow: I believe stories can plant that first seed. Over twenty-five years as a published author, I’ve seen how deeply young readers can connect with fictional characters. When they care about what happens to a character, an animal, or a place, complicated environmental issues suddenly become personal.
Learning about climate science has changed me, too. The more I understand, the less helpless I feel. Instead of seeing only problems, I can see choices, possibilities, and solutions. That is what I hope readers ages 10–14 take away from “In a Changing World”. Nature is changing. Wildlife is adapting. People are finding solutions, and young people can help shape what happens next.
Ashley Harris: Your trilogy is for readers ages 10-14, and teachers, librarians, homeschool educators, parents and grandparents, nature centers, and youth outreach. Young readers most of all?
Claire Datnow: Yes! These are adventures filled with hurricanes, bears, butterflies, lizards, mysteries, danger, discovery, and young people determined to find answers. The stories can spark discussions about climate science, biodiversity, wildlife adaptation, conservation, resilience, and problem-solving, while giving students mysteries and adventures they actually want to read. Four climate mysteries. Four young heroes. Real science. One hopeful message: nature can adapt and so can we.
Explore: In a Changing World: Teacher Discussion Questions.
Be on the lookout for “In A Changing World” (coming September 2026):
From monarch butterflies searching for new migration routes, to hurricane-surviving anoles in the Caribbean, brown bears adapting in Alaska, and mysteries hidden among the Joshua trees of the desert, these interconnected adventures explore how wildlife - and people - respond when the world around them changes.
Filled with mystery, science, courage, and hope, In a Changing World invites readers ages 10-14 to become EcoDetectives, discovering that even young people can make a difference when they work together to protect the natural world.
Climate change isn't just a story about challenges; it's a story about resilience, adaptation, and the power of hope.
Four species. One planet. A future still worth fighting for.
Claire Datnow was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, which ignited her love for the natural world and diverse cultures. Claire taught creative writing to gifted and talented students in the Birmingham, Alabama, public schools. She earned an MA in Education for Gifted and Talented and a second MA in Public History. Her books for middle schoolers include The Adventures of the Sizzling Six, an eco-mystery series, and Edwin Hubble, Discoverer of Galaxies. Claire’s most recent novel, Red Flag Warning: An Eco Adventure, weaves in the theme of global climate change. Claire’s books for adults include a memoir, Behind The Walled Garden of Apartheid, and The Nine Inheritors. Claire has received numerous scholarships and awards, including the Alabama Conservancy Blanche Dean Award for Outstanding Nature Educator, a Beeson Samford Writing Project.