Category Archives: bullying

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

FREE: “Beyond Magenta” and “Loveless”

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out is free through this coming Wednesday, June 28. Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", Biography/Memoir, bullying, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Alice Oseman, AudioFile, Beyond Magenta, free audiobooks, Loveless, Sync Audiobooks for Teens, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Girl Made of Stars

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

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 | Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, parent-teen relationships, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

A Face for Picasso

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

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 | Tagged book reviews, Crouzon syndrome, friendship, identical twins, memoir, parent-teen relationships, Teen Issues, twins, YA literature | 1 Comment

Gender Fluidity: Symptoms of Being Human

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin Gender fluid teenager Riley Cavanaugh starts an anonymous blog at the suggestion of their therapist. Even this anonymous version of coming out takes Riley some time—as well as a major crisis and a … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged gender fluidity, Jeff Garvin, Orange County, Symptoms of Being Human, Teen Issues, teen sexuality, YA fiction, YA literature | 5 Comments

LQBTQ+: “Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda”

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Although Simon believes that coming out as gay isn’t going to be a big problem in his life, he is hesitant to do it. His family will still love and support … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book review, book reviews, coming out, cyberbullying, Georgia, humor, LGBTQ, romance, theater arts students | 4 Comments

“All the Bright Places”

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven We meet Violet Markey and Theodore Finch out on the ledge of their school’s clock tower. They haven’t gone there together, but rather accidentally run into one another as they as both … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, child-parent relationships, death and dying, family problems, friendship, grief, high school students, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

“Bone Gap”

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby Finn, the teen oddball in the tiny country town of Bone Gap, is both loved for his quirky personality by most of the town and bullied by the family of Rudes–a common scenario in … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, family problems, Fantasy fiction, friendship, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 3 Comments

Adult Fiction: “Skippy Dies”

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray Skippy Dies has been described by more than one professional reviewer as ‘hilarious and horrifying.’ I would say that it is hilarious for a very long time, and then suddenly horrifying. This is true … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Humor, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, bullying, Catholic boarding schools, child-parent relationships, death, death and dying, family problems, friendship, grief, Ireland, parent-teen relationships, Paul Murray, romance, school problems, Skippy Dies, Teen Issues | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Teens: “Girls and Sex”

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Girls and Sex by Peggy Orenstein For adults who really want to be honest with teens about sexuality, this is the books we’ve been waiting for. For teens–guys as well as girls–who are having trouble navigating teen sexual culture, … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, bullying, child-parent relationships, family problems, gay teens, high school students, nonfiction, parent-teen relationships, romance, Teen Issues, teen sexuality, teenage boys, teenage girls | Leave a comment