It's a Green Thing — Melody Carlson

For the first time that she can remember, Maya Stark is beginning to feel like a “normal” teenager. Even with her mother in jail for drug possession and her pop-star father away on his comeback tour, Maya's new life with her uncle Allen and cousin Kim is coming together. Summer vacation's just beginning, and with a new job, a new boyfriend, and a new car (hybrid, of course), things are finally starting to look up.

But that doesn't mean life is about to get any easier. Maya's still devoted to living Green, and her uncle offers her a Green column in his newspaper. With the opportunity to make a difference in the town's attitude toward the environment, Maya wonders how this fits with her newfound commitment to Christ. And if she can really consider herself a Christian when her feelings toward a fellow youth group member are anything but loving…