Two Degrees

Two Degrees by American author Alan Gratz is a thriller for young readers set in the contemporary world of climate-change related disasters. Gratz is well-known for his survival and adventure stories that take place in modern settings. His previous books include Ground Zero, about a young boy’s survival story during the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, and Refugee, which tells the stories of young escapees from Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba, and 21st-century Syria. Like many of Gratz’s books, Two Degrees was an immediate success upon publication in 2022, reaching the #1 spot on The New York Times bestseller list. Gratz's other well-known works include Heroes (2024), Ground Zero (2021), Ban This Book (2017), Refugee (2017), and The Brooklyn Nine (2009).

Content Warning: This book includes detailed descriptions of drowned and burned bodies.

Plot Summary

Two Degrees is split into three different storylines, all taking place simultaneously. The first six sections occur over a single October day, while the seventh section takes place several months later.

The first storyline follows Akira Kristiansen, a Japanese Norwegian American teenager who lives in a rural valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.