Summer reading list: Green reads for teens and tweens

Older kids can deepen their knowledge and discover new ways to go green.

Thu, Jun 11 2009 at 1:00 PM EST

Photo: michael andreas k/Flickr

This morning, I wrote about the best green books for kids to read this summer. The books on that list are perfect for little ones, but way too young for tweens and teens. For older kids, there are plenty of books that go into more detail about the complexities of our environment, the people who have worked to protect it, and the best ways for tweens and teens to go green. Here is a summer reading list that will help green tweens and teens expand their knowledge and understanding about the planet.

Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David: Down to Earth is an irreverant and empowering book that is filled with facts about global warming and its disastrous consequences, loads of photos and illustrations, as well as suggestions for how kids can help combat global warming in their homes, schools and communities.

Gaia Girls by Lee Wells: Gaia Girls is an awesome new fiction series that weaves the tale of young women who work with nature to protect the planet. The first book, Gaia Girls: Enter the Earth, follows the story of a young girl who must go up against a giant factory farm in order to save her family and the land they live on. In the second book, Gaia Girls: Way of Water, another young girl must use her connection to the marine environment to save the creatures of the sea.

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming by Lynne Cherry: This no-nosense book takes a close look at the "facts vs. myths" when it comes to global warming. But despite the no-nonsense approach, this book does not come across as frighteningat all. Rather, it empowers kids to become "citizen scientists," that bring about positive change in their own communities.

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns: Tracking Trash tells the tale of Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, an oceanographer who started to track trash (flotsam) that washed up on the shore near his Seattle home. Through floating sneakers and bath toys that accidentally fell off container ships and a computer program named OSCURS, Ebbesmeyer tracked the currents of the ocean. These experiments led to a discussion of how debris is polluting our oceans and causing harm to marine life. Burns introduces the work of several scientists who are working to clean up ghost nets and other dangerous debris.

Up Close: Rachel Carson by Ellen Levine: This book takes a close look at the life and work of the environmental pioneer, Rachel Carson. Up Close shows how Carson's determination helped her overcome many obstacles, including financial struggles, gender discrimination and family crises, and describes her long and courageous battle with the cancer that ended her life. Levine also analyzes how the woman's work contributed to a greater public understanding of the dangers of pollutants and became the impetus for the environmental movement and related federal laws.