I am a recently retired 5th/6th grade teacher. Author Lee Welles has done 2 wonderfully engaging presentations at my former school,encouraging students in creative writing. If I were still teaching, I would definitely develop an ELA/Science unit with Gaia Girls Enter the Earth. The novel lends itself to many themes, especially ecology. It has inspired me to develop a children's program focused on the novel and ecology at our local nature center this summer. 5 stars to Lee Welles for her creative work on such an important topic!

The Gaia Girls is a new series that follows in the footsteps of social responsibility fiction series for middle grade children like the Gifted Girls Series, which is used in my classroom and includes a fiction series and a non-fiction Activity Guide Book (Gifted Girls Activities Guide for 365 Days of the Year). The Gifted Girls Series books all have discussion questions toward the end or on the site, giftedgirls.net, which lends well to a group/classroom discussion. There are many similarities in the two series including strong girl heroines, a consciousness of others and how we relate to each other on Earth, respect for one another, and a fantastical tale. Since I already use the Gifted Girls Series for my classroom, I will give Lee Welles' book series a try in my class, especially as a tie to ecological preservation.