Category Archives: Family Problems

Bullying Books: “Bruiser”

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman If you loved someone, how much would you be willing to do for him or her? If someone loved you, would you allow him to suffer so that you could succeed? There are a lot questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, divorce, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

Adult books for teens: Biography: “Until Tuesday”

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalvan Montalvan returned from two extended tours in Iraq a wounded warrior. Two Iraqis attempted to assassinate him because he was working hard to stop bribery and a thriving black market of US … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, autobiography, biography, book review, golden retrievers, Iraq, Iraq War, memoir, military service, PTSD, Puppies Behind Bars, service dogs, soldiers, war, Wounded Warriors | Leave a comment

Bullying Books: “Rotters”

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Rotters by Daniel Kraus Such a weird story! The combination of bullying and horror story compelled me to finish the book, and I think it will appeal to anyone who likes really quirky stuff. Joey Crouch has lived … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Over 375 pages, Young Adult Literature | Tagged bullying, Chicago, grave robbers, horror, scary stories, small towns in fiction, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Teens: Memoir: “Wild”

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Wild by Cheryl Strayed In her prologue, Strayed describes losing her hiking boots—yes, really losing them , knocked over the side of a mountain—in the middle of her quest to hike 1,100 of the 2,663 miles of the Pacific … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Biography/Memoir, Environmental Issues, Family Problems, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, backpacking, book reviews, hiking, memoir, Oprah Book Club, Pacific Crest Trail | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Teens: Memoir: “My Beloved World”

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor Sonia Sotomayor is one of the first women (the third) and the first Hispanic to become a Supreme Court justice. Her memoir, My Beloved World, is not quite an autobiography because she stops the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, children of alcoholics, Hispanic Americans, Hispanics, Puerto Ricans, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court justices | Leave a comment

Bullying Books: “Shooter”

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Shooter by Walter Dean Myers Myers does his usual good job with a tough topic. The book opens as an investigation of a school shooting ‘last April.’ Various adults (psychologist, police personnel) interview the two best friends of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged reluctant readers, school shootings, school violence, Walter Dean Myers, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Teens: Inspiring Biographies: Unbroken

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand Unbroken is the incredible, nearly mythic, story of Louis Zamperini, an army air forces bomber whose plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean in 1943. Before the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Biography/Memoir, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction, Over 375 pages | Tagged Adult books for teens, Allen Phillips, book reviews, guy books, Louis Zamperini, POWs, soldiers, survival, war, World War II | 1 Comment

Summer Reading: Bullying Books

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Summer Reading One of my reading goals this summer is to read and select some books about bullying—both the cyber sort and the in-person attacks. I hope to recommend two bully-themed books per month in the 2013-14 school year. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged bullying, cyberbullying, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Adults and Teens: “Team of Rivals”

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin I know this is a long shot, but I’m hoping there’s a student who will take me up on this. Summer reading for the truly motivated! While the focus of Team of Rivals … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Movie Tie-In, Non-fiction, Over 375 pages | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, book reviews, Civil War, Dred Scott case, Edwin Stanton, Emancipation Proclamation, Frances Seward, Kansas Nebraska Act, Kate Chase, Mary Todd Lincoln, Missouri Compromise, movie tie-in, Salmon Chase, slavery, Thirteenth Amendment, US History, William Seward | Leave a comment

Road Trip! “Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour”

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson Three months ago Amy’s dad died in a car accident, and Amy hasn’t driven since. Because, after all, she was driving then. She knows she’s responsible for his death. So when Amy’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged death and dying, grief, road trip, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment