Category Archives: Family Problems

Communist Rule in South Vietnam: Behind the Red Curtain

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

The Fall of Saigon Behind the Red Curtain by Hong-My Basrai details the life of a Vietnamese family during and after the 1975 fall of Saigon. As the book opens, Hong-My is a thirteen-year-old girl with typical concerns about puberty. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural | Tagged Behind the Red Curtain, Communist Vietnam, Fall of Saigon, Hong-My Basrai, immigrants, refugees, Saigon, South Vietnam | 1 Comment

Parameters of the YA Novel: Is Bridge of Clay Still YA?

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

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 →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Over 375 pages, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Bridge of Clay, brothers, death, grief, Markus Zusak, siblings, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

One Important Secret: Balance. Character, Emotion, and Story in Far from the Tree

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Since I am on a YA fiction jag, I want to have a quick look at why National Book Award winning Far from the Tree by Robin Benway is so good. Happily, all the things that make this novel work … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged adopted children, Far from the Tree, foster children, Robin Benway, teen pregnancy, teen sexuality, writing advice, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Being a Teen=Lack of Control Over Life Smack in the middle of his junior year of high school, Norris Kaplan has to move from Montreal, Canada to Austin, Texas when his mom secures a professorship at the University of … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Humor, Multicultural, Romance, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Austin, Black youth, book reviews, Canada, coming of age, friendship, Haitian immigrants, Montreal, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, Texas, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Ontario Teen Book Fest // Submission Deadline

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Victoria Waddle

Inlandia Submissions Deadline for Teen Issue is Days Away! March 15! Submit Now! If you are a teen living in the Inland Empire, don’t miss your chance for publication in the online journal Inlandia: A Literary Journey. The deadline is … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Non-fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged #OntarioTBF, Inlandia Literary Journey, submissions, YA literature | Leave a comment

Memoir: Educated

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Victoria Waddle

Tara Westover, the author of Educated, grew up in the country, in view of Buck’s Peak, in Idaho. Previous books I’ve read about the ‘heartland’ and its ‘real American’ inhabitants—whatever that is supposed to mean to those that use the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems | Tagged child abuse, Educated, family problems, fundamentalism (religion), Idaho, inspiration, memoir, Tara Westover | 2 Comments

Horror: The Haunting of Hill House

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

This is actually a post from my blog about authors and writing. I thought it would be helpful to some here as it has links to a lot of good horror. Please have a look: http://victoriawaddle.com/2018/10/30/horror-the-haunting-of-hill-house/

Posted in Family Problems, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural | Tagged fiction, H P Lovecraft, horror, Shirley Jackson | Leave a 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

The Ballad of Huck and Miguel

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

A friend who has a daughter working with Friends of the LA River took a few of us on an LA River tour for our birthdays. It was odd to see the sections of the river that have a soil, … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Classic Fiction, Family Problems, Fiction, Multicultural | Tagged Adventures of Huckleberry Fiin, books, humor, The Ballad of Huck and Miguel, Tim DeRoche | 2 Comments

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Victoria Waddle

I was excited to learn that Isabel Quintero wrote a new YA book because my students had enjoyed Gabi: A Girl in Pieces so much. (I only use the past tense because I retired; they are most likely still enjoying it.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Young Adult Literature | Tagged creativity, Graciela Iturbide, graphic nonfiction, hi-low reading, Isabel Quintero, nonfiction, photography, YA literature, Zeke Pena | 2 Comments