It's a Green Thing: Maya: Book 2

The Diary of Teenage Girl series is, in my opinion, one of the best series out there for teens, Christian or not. There have been four girls spotlighted throughout the series and each has been different yet enjoyable to read. Some girls I've liked more than others and I will have to say that Maya's series is my favorite. I like Maya because she asks the questions that challenge Christians who think they know everything and isn't afraid of what others might think of her. In this book Maya feels that she's starting to become a normal teenager and is able to escape the jumbled life she used to live. I really liked Maya's reactions to the Christian girls from her youth group. I have felt that Amanda and Brooke represent a good deal of real Christians teens who are two faced. They act like they are the perfect Christians while they are at church but then in real life they condemn everyone but back down when challenged. They also seem to throw themselves at boys a lot. I've experienced this treatment myself and the way Maya reacted was realistic. If she had just immediately forgiven the girls and let them walk over her, I would have been very disappointed in this book and would stop reading. However, she challenges them, gets irritated and tries to seek justice for the wrongs they caused. I really liked the way that everything got worked out involving the incident between Brooke and Maya. It's not neat and tidy and obviously Brooke needs to work on her attitude but it's an ending that I can accept because it's not sugar coated with fake Christianity. Also the situations with her and her boyfriend were handled tastefully and realistically as well. Throughout the book Maya shares tips on saving the planet. Maya's green tips are great and I've tried several of them myself (although the tip about the car and not using the air conditioner or even opening the windows won't really work during summer). They really make you think about saving the environment but they are not trying to push an agenda. The only thing I would have liked would have been a response from Caitlyn to Maya's questions about being green and being vegan. It would have just been interesting to see what she would have to say or what most Christians think about that subject. This series is a favorite of mine and I'm looking forward to the rest of Maya's adventures.

Melody Carlson hits the mark again with the second installment in her Diary of a Teenage Girl series featuring Maya Stark, who was introduced to readers in A NOT-SO-SIMPLE LIFE. Maya's new adventure is to live a normal life, and in this current offering, IT'S A GREEN THING, this lovable fresh-to-Christianity teen is bursting over with questions and concerns on how to live the faith life with moral and ethical standards. To top off her inner probing, Maya also tries to find balance between going "green" to the extreme and adjusting her pre-conceived theories about how to best use and take care of our environment. She explores both her newfound faith tenets and the actual living out of them with equal zeal. Maya wisely takes time to consistently meet with her youth pastor's wife, Caitlin, who offers Maya much insight into how to pair truth with life. Caitlin is not only a great mentor to Maya, she's young enough (and cool enough) to really get where Maya is coming from. But the best attribute Caitlin brings to Maya is abject honesty. Caitlin admits many Christians fail miserably to live and speak and think as Jesus taught, and it's no wonder that the glaring disjoint between the two confuses and discourages Maya. As Maya adjusts to living with her widowed uncle Allen and cousin Kim, she tries to be as independent as possible realizing they are still dealing with the grief of losing a wife and mom. So Maya gets involved in a community art project where she takes issue with her friend Marissa as they discuss life and faith, partying and relationships. Soon, though, these minor differences don't even cast a shadow in comparison to the injury resulting in a bogus lawsuit by fellow churchgoing Christian Brooke Marshall. It's unbelievable that Brooke could and would lie about her fall and then blame it on Maya. Then again, once these teens found out that Maya's father is a famous pop star, it made way more sense. As Maya figures out how to forgive Brooke, she is also trying to determine the ins and outs of having a boyfriend and all the unspoken rules of dating. It doesn't take long before the physical part of the relationship has both Maya and Dominic struggling on multiple levels, and once again Maya goes to Caitlin for counsel and advice. Circumstances continue to edge up the not-so-normal life of Maya as she takes on newspaper column writing on environmental concerns. With these three challenges, Maya is learning how much her faith fits into the entire scheme of life, and though she still feels unsure about some of the details of her future (and her relationships), she is absolutely confident that God will stick with her all the way. As a bonus for readers, Melody Carlson includes Maya's Green Tip of the Day at the close of every chapter. Each of these tips is practical, enlightening and easy to put into practice. --- Reviewed by Michele Howe

It's a Green Thing is more than an eco-friendly book for young adults. It's a powerful story of a mature sixteen year old girl who is struggling with defining her belief in what God really wants for her life and the effects of the choices she makes. Maya grew up with a famous rock-star dad and a drug addict mom who's in prison for her escapades. Maya now lives with her uncle and cousin and is determined to emancipate herself before her mom's next parole hearing. Being a new Christian, Maya is faced with different challenges that set her apart from being "normal" and she soon learns that what's important to God is important to her. The author, Melody Carlson has written a series of diary perspective stories for teens in the first person vernacular and in doing so reaches a depth that would otherwise be overlooked. She lays some basic principles of the Bible out for the readers but in a way that will spark their own definition of inner self, desires and beliefs. In addition to all this, Maya ends each chapter of her diary with a Green Tip reminding all to do our part for the environment. Brilliantly thought out and written. Reviewed by M. Chris Johnson

It's a Green Thing: Diary of a Teenage Girl, by Melody Carlson, is a wonderful book for teens. This novel is about the main character, Maya Stark, who has parents that have not always been there fo her. However, things are looking up for Melody. Summer vacation is here, along with a new job, a new boyfriend and a new car. Maya is devoted to "being green" and is given the opportunity of a life-time. Can she be a Christian and still be able to keep her commitments? Get your copy now. This is a great read!

Written in the form of a diary, this Christian teen novel will delight teenage girls. The protagonist, Maya, is a modern day Cinderella. Her alcoholic mother is in prison for possession, while her famous father is touring Europe with his band. She lives with her Uncle Allen and cousin Kim, who are still grieving over the loss of Kim's mother. Although it sounds grim, it's not; rather, it's upbeat and written in a flippant style. Maya wrestles with some interesting life questions. When the reader first meets her, she's a vegan and an environmentalist. In addition, she tackles dating, forgiveness, premarital sex, and the theme question: Since Christians are told to "love one another," is it okay for one Christian to not like another Christian? Caitlin, one of the youth leaders at church, acts as Maya's mentor and serves as her sounding board. Because she's deep into recycling, every chapter ends with Maya's Green Tip for the Day. A Readers Group Guide is included. This one is a thumbs up for any teenage girl you know.