Poison Town
“The crow had fallen out of the sky. But it hadn’t hit anything. It was fine, then it couldn’t breathe…after it had flown directly over the smokestacks through the smog. I looked back at the smelter—the smog still rising from its stacks—and frowned.”
Fourteen-year old Addison Woods and her family have just relocated for her dad’s new job as an environmental scientist at the town’s smelter. This factory town, where her mother grew up and grandfather still lives, claims to be a safe place for its citizens. However, when Addison begins to observe ill animals, odd smells, and yellow-tinged puddles, she starts to suspect that the alleged changes to the smelter in the “1997 Upgrade” were not truthfully represented. A science project gives Addison the perfect opportunity to pursue her inquiry—that is, if she can withstand a less-than-ideal partner and local politics in the process.
Poison Town is a thoughtful, research-driven take on the long-term effects of a smelter on a small town. By pairing Addison with her classmate bully, Priya, the novel not only explores relational issues, but it also helps to present a multifaceted approach to the topic. Addison believes that the smelter is harming the community; Priya assumes the opposite. But with both their fathers working at the factory, they learn to work together to find the truth. The novel introduces a number of climate science concerns in a straightforward yet intelligent way. Readers learn about acid rain, industrial pollution, slag heaps, lead exposure, and, relatedly, environmental health risks, as they follow Addison’s investigation into how these issues factor into her and her family’s living conditions.
Addison’s commitment to finding out the truth about her new home is commendable, and it may encourage youth to get engaged in participatory action research in their own local communities—especially as it pertains to environmental justice. Moreover, the throughline, which is Addison’s science project, is a valuable launchpad for inspiring students to pursue their own research questions—such as, what is my town’s air quality and why?—and thereby increase their environmental awareness.
©2025 ClimateLit (Anelise Haukaas)
More. The Author’s Note includes details about the real towns that inspired this story, and the “Sources, and Further Reading” page points readers to more information on the subject of smelters.
Publisher: James Lorimer and Company Ltd., Publishers, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1748-9
Pages: 104
Lexile Score: HL670L
Format: Novels
Topics: Animals, Climate Science, Environmental Awareness, Environmental Health Risks, Environmental Justice, Industrial Pollution, Participatory Action Research, Smog
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