I see nothing but teens day in and day out
so I'm hoping I'm semi-qualified to answer this question...
A journal. Specifically, one with black paper and a cool cover that comes with at least one brightly-colored gel pen
Of course, the answer I have to give: BOOKS. Some great not-too-serious titles are:
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (hence my sn)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
What My Mother Doesn't Know by the very fabulous Sonya Sones
Bobbi Brown's Teenage Beauty: Everything You Need to Look Pretty, Sexy, Natural, and Awesome by Bobbi Brown
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and the sequel
On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison, the funniest books I have seen in a long time
If she likes Harry Potter, she may also like
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, an absolutely wonderful fantasy adventure from an Irish author
books from the
Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
If she likes a good scare, try the
Cirque du Freak novels by Darren Shan
The camera is a GREAT idea! I got one when I was about that age and got really into photography.
Gift certificates to places like Barnes and Noble or clothing stores like American Eagle Outfitters or Forever 21?
CD's of her favorite bands.
When I was that age I loved anything that had my name on it, especially jewelry...should be pretty easy to come by unless her parents named her something like Carlisle (gee Mom and Dad, who would ever name their kid that?
)
Does she like Hello Kitty stuff? Sanrio has stores all over the place.
The birthstone ring is a great idea, too. March's birthstone is the aquamarine, it's beautiful and not too expensive.
Good luck, let us know what you choose.