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.
Joan of Arc at the stake couldn’t have sounded like she was in more pain. Continue reading →
Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature
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Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, horror, monsters, parent-teen relationships, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature
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Want beach reads but summer is your only chance to read intellectually stimulating books? The solution: A ‘Serious Summer Reading’ list. Continue reading →
Posted in Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Non-fiction, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature
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Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, diverse stories, family problems, historical fiction, parent-teen relationships, poetry, YA fiction, YA literature
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It’s the story of loving but dysfunctional parents, of being one of a pair of ‘Wonder Twins’ who use their superpowers to defeat the forces of disruption and poverty. Continue reading →
A realistic portrayal of how people react to learning about the rape of a classmate. Continue reading →
Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Young Adult Literature
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Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, parent-teen relationships, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature
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Three Young Women on the John Muir Trail As a college graduation gift to themselves, the author, Suzanne Roberts, and her friend Erika decide to hike the John Muir Trail. They cover the 211 miles from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite, … Continue reading →
This little book is full of hope for teens who are not succeeding in high school. It’s a reminder that their futures are not set yet. Continue reading →
Ariel looks less and less like herself, a circumstance that makes her feel her identity is being stripped. Eventually, she describes her face as a mask she can’t remove. Continue reading →
Posted in Biography/Memoir, bullying, Human Rights Issues, Over 375 pages
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Tagged book reviews, Crouzon syndrome, friendship, identical twins, memoir, parent-teen relationships, Teen Issues, twins, YA literature
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Girlz ‘n the Hood: A Memoir of Mama in South Central Los Angeles by Mary Hill-Wagner Hill-Wagner is one of eleven children who grew up with an often single mother in South Central LA. Though her mother worked as a … Continue reading →
Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Non-fiction
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Tagged #AdultBooksForTeens, Adult books for teens, book reviews, family problems, Girlz ‘n the Hood, Mary Hill-Wagner, memoir, poverty, South Central Los Angeles
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An article in yesterday’s LA Times about the ‘Groveland Four’ being exonerated (they are all dead) caught my eye. I happened to have just finished reading a great book about the case: Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland … Continue reading →
Join Me to Chat about Acts of Contrition Tonight “I couldn’t call my parents. Believe me, I was not alone in my willingness to risk being murdered on the street before admitting to them my shame. A violent death was … Continue reading →
School Library Lady 