Author Archives: Victoria Waddle

About Victoria Waddle

Victoria Waddle is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer and has been included in Best Short Stories from The Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest. Her books include a collection of feminist short fiction, Acts of Contrition, and a chapbook on grief, The Mortality of Dogs and Humans. Her YA novel about a polygamist cult, Keep Sweet, launches in June 2025. Formerly the managing editor of the journal Inlandia: A Literary Journey and a teacher librarian, she contributes to the Southern California News Group column Literary Journeys. She discusses both writing and library book censorship on her Substack, “Be a Cactus.” Join her there for thoughts on defiant readers and writers as well as for weekly library censorship news.

Summer Classic Reread: “The Turn of the Screw”

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Summer Classic Reread: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Why I wanted to reread it: I loved it long ago. I know that many teachers recommend it for students because it is a horror story, and they hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Fiction, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, classic fiction, Henry James, horror, literary fiction, novellas, scary stories, The Turn of the Screw | Leave a comment

Common Core: Nonfiction: “Death’s Acre”

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Death’s Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson A number of students ask for forensic science books because their interest has been piqued by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, Anthropology Research Facility, Bill Bass, Body Farm, book reviews, Common Core, Common Core standards, crime laboratories, Death's Acre, Dr. Bill Bass, forensic anthropologist, forensic anthropology, forensic science, forensic science books, murder, murder victims, nonfiction, University of Tennessee | Leave a comment

Common Core: Nonfiction: “Brainstorm”

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. There are four qualities of adolescence—the period between ages 12 and 24—that adults must try never to lose: novelty seeking social engagement emotional intensity creative … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, brain science, Brainstorm, Common Core standards, Daniel J. Siegel, mindfulness, nonfiction, science, teenage brain, YA literature | Leave a comment

Horror: “The Curse of the Wendigo”

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey Book 2 in the Monstrumologist series Because I am always looking for new series that I can recommend to teens, I don’t always get to read past the first book. But it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, Curse of the Wendigo, horror, Monstrumologist trilogy, Rick Yancey, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Guy books: “Grasshopper Jungle”

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith Austin Szerba loves history and so has decided to record the events at the end of the world, events that he has participated in along with his best friend Robby and his girlfriend Shann. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Andrew Smith, book reviews, Grasshopper Jungle, guy books, sci-fi, science fiction, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Teens: Common Core: “Blur”

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel “Some people observing the media landscape today have wondered whether truth even matters anymore. Perhaps, they speculate, in the new information … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, broadcast news, CCSS, Common Core standards, critical thinking, evaluation, information literacy, Internet news, journalism, journalists, news, news reporting, newspapers | Leave a comment

Have a Listen: “Feed”

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Feed by M. T. Anderson “Everyone is supersmart now. You can look things up automatic, like science and history, like if you want to know which battles of the Civil War George Washington fought in and shit.” I know … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental Issues, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Feed, future dystopia, M. T. Anderson, science fiction, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Historical Fiction: “Rose under Fire”

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Rose under Fire by Elizabeth Wein This is another great one by the author of Code Name Verity. It’s a companion piece to that book and begins in Great Britain, 1944, just about where Code Name Verity let off. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein, fighter pilots, France, Germany, Great Britain, historical fiction, pilots, Rose Justice, Rose under Fire, women air pilots, women's issues, World War II, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz When they meet and Dante teaches Aristotle to swim, they laugh over their classical names—their pocho names, they think, because are real Mexicans named after philosophers … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged family problems, gay youth, GLBTQ, LGBTQ, love, Mexican American youth, Mexican Americans, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, romance, Vietnam veterans | Leave a comment

Ontario Teen Book Fest–May 17, 2014

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Posted in Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Romance, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, John Corey Whaley, Katie Alender, Lauren Kate, Ontario, Ontario Teen Book Fest, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment