Readalikes
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In a futuristic world, teenage Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.
Maze Runner by James Dashner
Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.
Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne
French horn virtuoso Elsie Wyatt resents having to join her high school's marching band playing a melliphone, but finally finds a sense of belonging that transcends the pressure she has always felt to be as good as her father, principal french horn player in the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.
Our Changing Planet: The View from Space Edited by Michael D. King
Examines what orbital imagery tells us about the atmosphere, land, ocean, and polar ice caps of our planet and the ways that it changes naturally, and in response to human activity.
Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd
In 2015, when England becomes the first nation to introduce carbon dioxide rationing in a drastic bid to combat climate change, sixteen-year-old Laura documents the first year of rationing as her family spirals out of control.
Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives by Albert Marrin
A history of the slick and foul-smelling substance that drives our existence and that becomes scarcer as our dependence on it grows.
Birth Marked by Caragh O’Brien
In a future world baked dry by the sun and divided into those who live inside the wall and those who live outside it, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone is forced into a difficult choice when her parents are arrested and taken into the city.
Ten Miles Past Normal by Francis O’Roark Dowell
Because living with "modern-hippy" parents on a goat farm means fourteen-year-old Janie Gorman cannot have a normal high school life, she tries joining Jam Band, making friends with Monster, and spending time with elderly former civil rights workers.
As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins
A teenage boy encounters one comedic calamity after another when his train strands him in the middle of nowhere, and everything comes down to luck.
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat by Michael Pollan
In a smart, compelling format with updated facts, plenty of photos, graphs, and visuals, this book encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices.
Green Careers in Energy edited by Jill Schwartz
Explores career choices in energy, environmental, and earth sciences
Generation Green : The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life by Linda and Tosh Siversten
This book lays out the inside scoop on the biggest issues affecting our planet, such as global warming and overflowing landfills; offers dozens of tips on how to shop, dress, eat, and travel the green way; includes interviews with teens like you who are involved with fun, innovative green causes; shows that being environmentally conscious can be a natural part of your life -- and your generation's contribution to turning things around.
Growing a Garden City : How Farmers, First Graders, Counselors, Troubled Teens, Foodies, a Homeless Shelter Chef, Single Mothers, and More are Transforming Themselves and Their Neighborhoods Through the Intersection of Local Agriculture and Community—and How You Can, Too by Jeremy Smith
Fifteen people—plus a class of first graders—tell how local food, farms, and gardens changed their lives and their community...and how they can change yours, too.
All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin
In a future where chocolate and caffeine are contraband, teenage cell phone use is illegal, and water and paper are carefully rationed, sixteen-year-old Anya Balanchine finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight as heir apparent to an important New York City crime family.
Videos
Food Inc.
Lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing how our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profits ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. Reveals surprising - and often shocking truths - about what we eat, how it's produced and who we have become as a nation.
Fuel
A powerful portrait of America's overwhelming addiction to, and reliance on, oil. Having been born and raised in one of the USA's most oil-producing regions, Josh Tickell saw firsthand how the industry controls, deceives, and damages the country, its people, and the environment, and after one too many people he knew became sick, he just couldn't idly stand by any longer.
A rock-solid argument that the era of cheap oil is in the past. Goes deep into the uncomfortable realities of a world that is both addicted to fossil fuels and blissfully unaware of the looming "peak oil" crisis. Debunks the conventional wisdom that oil production will continue to climb, and instead stares bleakly at a planet facing economic meltdown and conflict over its most valuable resource.
A sumptuous documentary journey featuring the people inside a movement to bring personal and economic health back to our communities. Spanning four seasons, "Ingredients" illustrates what's good about food in America." Includes footage from across the U.S., from the diversified farms of the Hudson River and Willamette Valleys to the urban food deserts of Harlem and to the kitchens of celebrated chefs Alice Waters, Peter Hoffman and Greg Higgins.