It’s Not Easy Being Green
Books for teens about protecting the environment

In honor of Shannon, who takes bugs outside and sets them free
compiled 12/31/02

FICTION

Hands Around Lincoln School by Frank Asch
YA F ASCH
When Lindsay creates the Save the Earth Club at school, her radical methods of enlightening the student body jeopardize her friendship with best friend Amy.

Pulse : a novel by Joe Cardillo
YA F CARD
Jason and his girlfriend Kris spearhead a movement to save a wilderness area from being replaced by a mall.

Lostman's River by Cynthia DeFelice
YA F DEFE
In the early 1900s, Tyler encounters vicious hunters whose actions threaten to destroy the Everglades ecosystem, and as a result joins the battle to protect that fragile environment.

The Kingfisher's Tale by Mark Delaney
YA M DELA
The discovery of dead birds in a national forest leads the four teenaged members of Misfits, Inc. to investigate a mystery involving logging, militant environmental groups, congressional campaign contributions, and revenge.

The Exchange Student by Kate Gilmore
YA SF GILM
When Daria’s mom agrees to house an exchange student from the planet Chela, Daria is intrigued by the student’s interest in Daria’s project to breed endangered animals.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
J HIAA
Roy Eberhardt is the new kid in town. Even though he is trying to keep a low profile, he ends up becoming acquainted with two kids, both of them bullies. Which is more dangerous, standing up to Dana Matherson, or being friends with Beatrice Leep?

The Maze by Will Hobbs
YA F HOBB
An angry teen escapes a detention center and finds himself in “The Maze”, a labyrinth of deep canyons and tall spires in Utah's Canyonlands National Park. Taken in by a naturalist, the boy learns about hang gliding, the endangered condor and responsibility.

California Blue by David Klass
YA F KLAS
A high school junior’s discovery of a rare butterfly in a California logging town pits concerns about the environment against the local economy.

The Beasties by William Sleator
YA F SLEA
When Doug and his younger sister Colette move with their parents to a forested wilderness area, they encounter some weird creatures whose lives are endangered.

The Last Lobo by Roland Smith
YA F SMIT
Jake is out west as an endangered Mexican grey wolf is killing the local livestock. Jake knows the only way to save the wolf is to capture it live. The only person who can do that is Uncle John, who never recovered fully from his stroke. As in the previous two books (Thunder Cave and Jaguar), it's up to Jake to save the day.

The Weirdo by Theodore Taylor
YA F TAYL
Chip Clewt fights to save the black bears in the Powhaten National Wildlife Refuge.

Green Thumb by Rob Thomas
YA F THOM
Grady spends the summer as a scientist’s assistant in the Amazon rain forest, uncovering both a secret language used by the trees and the dark side of the scientist’s experiments.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
YA F VAND
A charming romance between two long antagonistic neighbors, this book by the author of the Sammy Keyes mystery series also features a subplot about saving a beloved sycamore.

Up A Creek by Laura Williams
YA F WILL
Miracle Bott is always involved with saving something - whales, ozone, things like that. But when her daughter, Starshine, needs her, Miracle is up a tree, trying to save it! Will Miracle come down from her tree soon enough to save her relationship with Starshine?

Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster by Tim Winton
YA F WINT
Australian surfer dude Lockie strikes up an unlikely friendship with the Heavy Metal fan Egg, and the two boys spearhead a crusade to stop local factories from polluting the harbor.

NONFICTION

The Cartoon Guide to the Environment by Larry Gonick
YA 363.7 GO
The Cartoon Guide to the Environment covers the main topics of environmental science: agriculture, human population growth, sources of energy and raw materials, waste disposal and recycling and much more. And all of this is explained in an easy-to-understand comic book format.

Save Our Planet : 750 everyday ways you can help clean up the earth by Diane MacEachern
YA 363.7 MA
This guide offers simple suggestions on how to conserve the Earth's resources with ideas about organic gardening, saving water, community recycling, and preserving the rainforests.

Act Now, Apologize Later by Adam Werbach
YA 363.7 WE
Adam Werbach was the youngest president of the Sierra Club, the country’s largest grass-roots environmental organization. This book shares Werbach’s thoughts on a variety of environmental issues, and is a call to arms to a war that we must win.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
363.7384 CA
Written over the years 1958 to 1962, Silent Spring was a groundbreaking look at the effects that insecticides and pesticides had on songbird populations throughout the United States. While not an easy read, this classic is essential reading for those interested in environmental preservation.

Last of the Wild : vanished and vanishing giants of the animal world by Robert M. McClung
YA 591.68 MC
Profiles threatened animals around the world and discusses why they are in danger and what is being done to save them.

Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
YA 599.7773 MO
The Canadian Wildlife Services assigned Farley Mowat to collect information on the wolves that were accused of decimating the caribou population. Instead of the bloodthirsty killers that the government tells Farley he's going to find, he discovers a loving, playful family.