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

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Grief, Humor, Multicultural | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Girl Made of Stars

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 , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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Acts of Contrition: Short Stories on Pre-Sale Now

I Have a Book! My book of short fiction Acts of Contrition: Short Stories is now available on pre-sale from Los Nietos Press. The official publication date is March 15, 2021. Yeah, the Ides of March! Thankfully, I’m not superstitious. … Continue reading

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Short Stories | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

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

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

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Communist Rule in South Vietnam: Behind the Red Curtain

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 , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

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