Author Archives: Victoria Waddle

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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.

“The Book That Changed My Life”

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

“The Book That Changed My Life: Interviews with National Book Award Winners and Finalists” edited by Diane Osen There are so many reasons to like this book! It will show you why writing matters and why reading matters. It will … Continue reading →

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“The Hunger Games” and “The Maze Runner”

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

    The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Maze Runner by James Dashner I’m curious about why so many YA books—popular ones anyway—are about dystopias, lousy futures worlds where everything is wrong, the opposite of utopias. In the YA … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Movie Tie-In, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

“My Brother”

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid “When I was young, younger than I am now, I started to write about my own life and I came to see that this act saved my life. When I heard about my brother’s illness … Continue reading →

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The Courage to Grieve by Judy Tatelbaum

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

The Courage to Grieve was donated to our library, and I became interested in it. I thought it might be helpful to students who are grieving over the death of a loved one.  It’s quite short and covers both the … Continue reading →

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“So Sexy So Soon”

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

“So Sexy So Soon” by Diane E. Levin, Ph.D. and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D. I don’t think the blurb on the book jacket—which uses examples straight out of the 1970s and 1980s for parent strategies to counteract the assault of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Non-fiction | Tagged | 1 Comment

Dear Author: Letters of Hope

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

Dear Author is a wonderful, compact book of letters from kids and teens to authors. The teens pour their hearts out, telling the authors how their books have helped them, how some books have even saved lives. You’ll recognize some … Continue reading →

Posted in Hi-Low/Quick Read, Non-fiction, Young Adult Literature | Leave a comment

Freshman Honors Summer 2009: “The Alchemist” and “The Secret Life of Bees”

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

Hello incoming Titans! Mrs. N. told me that she’d like to have you answer these questions. You may note that there are other blog entries on “The Alchemist” (one by me and one by a student) and “The Secret Life … Continue reading →

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“The Count of Monte Cristo” Student Reviews 2009

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

The following reviews by COHS students are on “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas. Genre: Historical Pages: 1312 Reviewer: Ron W. The story begins when the main character Edmond Dantes and Fernand Mondego land on the island of … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Classic Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Over 375 pages | 1 Comment

“The Man in the Iron Mask” Student Reviews 2009

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas Genre: Fiction Pages: 588 of the story, and 626 pages including explanatory notes. Reviewer: Christian I. The Man in the iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas is an excellent novel. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Classic Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Over 375 pages | Leave a comment

“Gulliver’s Travels” Student Reviews 2009

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

The following reviews by COHS students are on “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift. Genre:  Wild frontiers and exotic lands/ European historical fiction Pages: 271 Reviewer: Andrea Z. In the novel Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, the reader is introduced to … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Classic Fiction, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Fiction | Tagged | 6 Comments