by Mary Hogan; Delacorte Press/Random House Children’s Books, 2008; $8.99; www.randomhouse.com/kids. Susanna, a teen intern and celebrity reporter, is off to Hollywood for the Academy Awards.

Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life, by Linda Sivertsen and Tosh Sivertsen; Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2008; $10.99; www.simonsays.com. How can you contribute to saving the planet? This book outlines ways for each of us – young and old – to take action in small ways and with grand plans.

For more environmentally conscious fun, check out:
Globe Hugger Diaper Bag

by Tonya Hurley; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2008; $17.99; www.lb-kids.com. This beautifully packaged novel is oh-so-witty. Charlotte Usher, invisible in her high school, discovers that visibility and popularity are just as big a deal in the afterworld.

Wild Things, by Clay Carmichael; Front Street, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, 2009; $18.95; www.frontstreetbooks.com. 

The witty and knowing Zoë has seen too much for her 11 years. Her father left before she was born, her mentally ill mother has committed suicide, and now – after moving in with her artist uncle – she trusts no one. At first, she has more in common with the feral cat she’s trying to befriend than she does with the people in her new home in North Carolina. As the story unfolds, with the cat partly narrating it, Zoë starts attending school, living a normal life, finding mystery in an abandoned cabin in the woods, and appreciating kindness and compassion.

The highlight here is the way Zoë comes fully alive on the page, which will be appreciated by readers who admire The Golden Compass, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Great Gilly Hopkins.
 

Family Fun Winner! 

KidSpirit Magazine; $25/year; www.kidspiritmagazine.com. This quarterly magazine, written by and for young people ages 11 to 15, is an unusual and fresh attempt to talk about spirituality, sans affiliation. Through thought-provoking articles, kids explore mankind’s search for meaning from all angles.

 

 

Always Watching, by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins; Zondervan, 2009; $9.99 (paper); www.zondervan.com. 

Shaley O’Connor, the 16-year-old daughter of a rock star, is currently on tour with her mother’s band, Rayne. In this fast-paced murder mystery – and the first book in The Rayne Tour series – Shaley stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage at a concert, which leads to the arrival of frightening messages, creating a roller-coaster read. Written by a mother and daughter team who love music, and who have used that interest to develop the series. The publisher, in recognizing the demand for young adult Christian fiction that is entertaining and well-written, has addressed that need with this series: no violence or edgy dilemmas; just page-turning excitement – a combo that many teens want.
 

Been There, Survived That: Getting Through Freshman Year of High School, edited by Karen Macklin; Orange Avenue, 2008; $9.95; www.zestbooks.net. This collection of interviews with real teens offers humor, hope and perspective. Been There makes a great gift for a middle-school graduate.

by Tony Abbott; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2008; $15.99; www.lb-kids.com. Strange phone calls, old postcards and a grandmother that Jason has never met create a gripping, multilayered mystery within a mystery as he uncovers family secrets in St. Petersburg, Fla.