Reviewer: Amy Lignor
Title: It's a Green Thing - 2nd in the Diary of a Teenage Girl series
Author: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Multnomah Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-60142-118-0
Release Date: February 2009
Genre/Sub-genre: Young Adult Inspirational
Publisher’s Age/Grade Recommendation: 14 and up
OUAR’s Age/Grade Recommendation: 14 and up
Year/Setting: Present day
Overall Rating: 4.0
Sexual Content Rating: None
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: None
Violent Content Rating: None
Melody's Website: www.melodycarlson.com
Dear Readers:
As many of you know, I tend to stay away from young adult fiction because it reads, usually, as a bad ABC After school special. That being said, you also know that I have always enjoyed this series that Melody Carlson offers. This is book #2 in the Maya Stark series and I was fortunate enough to have read all the offerings of her characters: Caitlin O’Conner, Chloe Miller, and Kim Peterson.
In Maya Stark’s world, she is a "green" girl. This topic is especially close to my heart because my own lovely daughter wants to grow up and save our planet. In Maya’s world she signs up, in her art class, to do a community project for her town. She and others are going to paint a mural at a downtown youth center to offer the town a "face-lift."
Marissa Phillips becomes Maya’s friend. She doesn’t care about beautifying the neighborhood - she is assigned to the project by her dad, a local policeman, as penance for driving with alcohol in her vehicle.
Brooke and Amanda are two others who want to aide. However, they are your classic bible thumpers who preach a lot but don’t practice any of what they spew forth. In fact, in one shockingly un-‘green’ moment they pour excess paint down into a sewer drain. We also meet Eddie Valdez who is the new boy in town and we are reunited with Caitlin O’Conner (another in the teen diary series as I mentioned above). Maya goes to Caitlin to talk about God, her neighborhood, her problems, friends and other issues. Their talks are the brightest spot of the novel.
In another great offering, as always, the author puts a "Green Tip of the Day" at the end of every chapter. Pay close attention to them, everyone. She is absolutely right and we should be taking care of the world God was kind enough to give us.
I have nothing, as always, but praise for Melody Carlson and I will look forward to book #3 for Ms. Maya Stark.
Until Next Time...Amy
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