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.

Whatever is Mentionable is Manageable

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

I wanted to share the link from my Substack this week because it comments on YA literature and censorship. If you’ve been here with me, you know I’m worried about book censorship in general. And that a good percentage of book … Continue reading →

Posted in banned books, censorship, Fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Adult books for teens, book banning, book challenges, book reviews, family problems, librarians, libraries, school libraries, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

From Ash to Ashes

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

From Ash to Ashes by Krishna Tuli Arora is the story of an immigrant Sikh family in Long Island, New York during the 1990s. It moves through multiple POVs, but is centered on the life of protagonist Mira. I picked … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged arranged marriage, book reviews, family problems, parent-teen relationships, Sikhs, suicide, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Book Challenge and Ban Updates

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

About half of my weekly Substack posts are on the latest news in book challenges and bans in the U.S. Please find the last two weeks at the links below and consider subscribing: https://victoriawaddle.substack.com/p/primed-to-be-cultish https://victoriawaddle.substack.com/p/sympathy-for-the-devil-oops-antagonist My Substack is called “Be … Continue reading →

Posted in banned books, censorship, Human Rights Issues | Tagged banned books, book banning, book reviews, censorship | Leave a comment

Book Bans Roundup

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

Links to articles I’ve written about libraries and librarians Over on Substack, I post weekly on topics of interest to readers and writers. Often, those posts are about my experience in the library. Pretty much every week, I also include … Continue reading →

Posted in banned books, censorship, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book bans, book challenges, censorship, gay teens, LGBTQ | Leave a comment

No Place for Fairy Tales

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

By edd tello A transgender teen wants the quinceañera of her dreams No Place for Fairy Tales is a short novel in verse that will appeal to a diverse group of readers. I picked it up in my ongoing efforts … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, child-parent relationships, coming of age, family problems, friendship, gay teens, hi-low reading, high school students, LGBTQ, parent-teen relationships, reluctant readers, Teen Issues, YA fiction | 1 Comment

Librarian as Superhero

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

I think I’ll write a librarian underground resistance novel I’ve switched to writing almost all my content on my Substack “Be a Cactus: thoughts on resistant writers and how we bloom.” It’s a weekly post delivered on Sunday morning. It’s: … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book" | Tagged banned books, book banning, school librarians, school libraries, Substack | Leave a comment

Bucking Expectations: Breaking Pattern

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

Rodeo is at the heart of Breaking Pattern, with great visual detail, fast-paced action, intense emotionality, and fabulous horses. Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, horses, parent-teen relationships, rodeo, rodeo competition, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Unheard Witness: The Life and Death of Kathy Leissner Whitman

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

Five years after she graduated from high school, Kathy Leissner Whitman was stabbed to death by her husband Charles Whitman after he killed his mother and before he committed a mass shooting from the tower at the University of Texas, Austin. Unheard Witness is the story of how Kathy became a victim of domestic violence and then murder. Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, bullying, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, Charles Whitman, domestic abuse, Jo Scott Coe, Kathy Leissner Whitman, Unheard Witness, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas tower shootings | Leave a comment

Freedom of Expression Prize for Teens

Posted on October 28, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

I saw this link on LitHub and wanted to share. “Penguin Random House launches high schoolers’ award to combat book bans: The publisher’s $10,000 Freedom of Expression prize invites teens to write about a banned book that changed their life, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Journey to Merveilleux City by Stephanie Barbé Hammer

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

When Mack Macdonald Flores takes a train from the Northeastern US to Canada, a passenger goes missing. Magic is afoot as Mack teams with Allison to find the disappeared man. Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Movie Tie-In | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, Journey to Merveilleux City, mystery, novella, Stephanie Barbe Hammer, trains in fiction | 1 Comment