Paula's Biography Review of Julia Butterfly Hill Saving the Redwoods by Dawn Fitzgerald

Dawn Fitzgerald's,  Julia Butterfly Hill Saving the Redwoods is a fascinating,  high interest memoir that is easily read for a higher third grade readers and up. I plan on checking out more Gateway Biographies as I found this one to be readable and highly engaging.   Fitzgerald begins by catapulting us into Julia's state of crisis and despair as she endures being alone 185 feet in a giant redwood.  She then briefly takes us back to her early childhood to show how Julia could be attracted to this situation.  She was born in a bakery truck and homeschooled in a camper as her father was a traveling preacher.  The biography is well written and intriguing throughout.  The majority of the book transports us into Julia's experiences of harassment from the loggers, the support of fellow environmentalists and the trials and dedication of being in the upper branches of Luna for 738 days.  The photos strongly add to the unique experiences and emotions of Julia during this unforgettable, historic protest.  She ends with Julia's words when she finally descends Luna, "I ask myself sometimes whether the destruction has gone too far, whether we can really do anything to save our forests and our planet. ... Yes, one person can make a difference.  Each one of us does."  Julia continues to devote herself to working on environmental issues.