Category Archives: Family Problems
Small Town Monsters: Book Review
Joan of Arc at the stake couldn’t have sounded like she was in more pain. Continue reading
Tales of an Inland Empire Girl
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
Girlz ’n the Hood
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
A Rescue Plan Containing Multitudes
“Gomer knew what coming out was. He had taken the sex-ed classes, and there were gay people in his town, but they tended to come for weekends and the summer, because they had jobs in the city. They were rich … Continue reading
Great Storytelling: The Perfectly Constructed YA Novel
Meg Medina’s Burn, Baby, Burn is an example of great storytelling. This didn’t surprise me as I’d loved Medina’s Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. I’d recommend Burn to any teen looking for a good read. I’d also recommend … Continue reading
Teen Voices and The Poet X: Keep a Journal
Note: This is a YA book review as well as a comment on teen writing, so I added it here from my personal blog A recent experience with a teen writer had me going back to The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. … Continue reading
Parameters of the YA Novel: Is Bridge of Clay Still YA?
Bridge of Clay and YA Novels What are the parameters of the YA novel? Is Markus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay still YA? I asked myself this as I read this gorgeous novel. If you’re writing a novel that focuses on … Continue reading