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.

Trouble

Posted on September 17, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

“Trouble” by Gary D. Schmidt No matter what a person does to avoid it, trouble can find him. That’s what Henry Smith learns although his father has always said that staying away from Trouble was easy enough. The Smiths are … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fiction, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature | Leave a comment

Out of War

Posted on September 17, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

“Out of War: True Stories from the Front Lines of the Children’s Movement for Peace in Columbia” by Sara Cameron Nine chapters of “Out of War’ each discuss one of the child leaders of the Children’s Movement for Peace in … Continue reading →

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

“The Glass Castle”

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

“The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls  Yes, memoirs of dysfunctional families and abused children are quite popular among adults now as they are among teens. “The Glass Castle” could be grouped into this genre, but it is set apart by … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir | 1 Comment

“Running with Scissors” and “A Wolf at the Table”

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

“Running with Scissors” and “A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father” by Augustine Burroughs As I watch students pick out biographies for class assignments, it always occurs to me that there are books you’d like better if … Continue reading →

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Year of Impossible Goodbyes

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

“Year of Impossible Goodbyes” by Sook Nyul Choi I guess August was the ‘month of impossibly short reads’ for me because here’s another little book that I thought was deeply moving. It’s shelved with children’s fiction in the library, but … Continue reading →

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“Bad Boy: A Memoir”

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers Another quick book that I read this summer was “Bad Boy: A Memoir” by Walter Dean Myers. Myers is a well-known (and well-loved) author of young adult fiction and has written several … Continue reading →

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Jip: His Story

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

Jip: His Story by Katherine Paterson Jip is a quick novel that packs, if not a punch, at least quite a few surprises at the end. I read it this summer and think that it could work for some Junior … Continue reading →

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Armageddon Summer

Posted on September 15, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

“Armageddon Summer” by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville I’ve been reading many books lately that touch on religious themes—fiction, non-fiction, Christian, Buddhist, religion in politics, and more. “Armageddon Summer” is one that I think COHS students will enjoy—and one that … Continue reading →

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Reading Lolita in Tehran

Posted on July 12, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

  Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi The subtitle of this work—“A Memoir in Books”—shows us that Nafisi plans to discuss not only her life in post-revolutionary Iran under Islamic rule and the Ayatollah Khomeini, but also the books … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Multicultural | 1 Comment

“The Secret Life of Bees”

Posted on June 24, 2008 by Victoria Waddle

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Well, normally I write up a little review of the book, but since I know that this entry is primarily for those of you who are reading “The Secret Life of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Junior Project, Literary Read Alike, Multicultural | 434 Comments