Category Archives: Fiction

The Warbler School Chronicles by Stephanie Barbé Hammer

Posted on August 20, 2026 by Victoria Waddle

The Warbler School would also be great to have on a display spinner at the middle school and high school libraries. A quick read packed with relatable emotions. Continue reading →

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Sometimes We Tell the Truth

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Sometimes is, in fact, a modern telling of Chaucer’s tales with teens as the pilgrims. Except that these pilgrims are not making a commitment to the Almighty. They are going to Washington D.C . on a six-hour bus trip with their Civics class teacher. Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Literary Read Alike, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Keep Sweet is here! My YA Novel 😊

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

My novel Keep Sweet officially launched yesterday. I also have an essay in an anthology on sibling loss and grief, The Loss of a Lifetime, which launched on Tuesday. We had a very emotional reading by the authors on Wednesday. It was recorded. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Uncategorized, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I Have a Novel! Keep Sweet!

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Fourteen-year old Elizabeth Warren lives in the “Community” with her father, four mothers, and sixteen siblings. Their prophet heads the cult, controlling all aspects of the community members’ lives. When he announces that Elizabeth must marry her older cousin, she joins forces with her twin brother, her older sister, and two good friends to alter her fate. Continue reading →

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Banned books and Sold by Patricia McCormick

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

I’m discussing the top banned books of the 2023-24 school year over at Be A Cactus. These are the top three: You can look back at the post on Perks and at this one on Alaska if you want to see why I think those books … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", banned books, bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic by Yi Shun Lai

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic is a fictional work that takes inspiration from the adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew on the Endurance. Its protagonist is Clara Ketterling-Dunbar, an eighteen-year-old American suffragist. Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, bullying, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

Sapphic Romance: Enemies to Lovers She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen came to my attention through an article in the Sojourners newsletter. Sojourners is a left-of-center interdenominational Christian organization that works towards social and racial justice.  I’m reading books … Continue reading →

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Why is ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ banned?

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

I thought you’d be interested in my most recent Substack post concerning Utah’s statewide ban of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Below, I’m excerpting the part of that post discussing this topic. I also always … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", banned books, censorship, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

The following is part of my post for this week over at “Be a Cactus” on Substack. Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is not a YA book. However, it does have some teen characters, one of whom incites the … Continue reading →

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Whatever is Mentionable is Manageable

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

I wanted to share the link from my Substack this week because it comments on YA literature and censorship. If you’ve been here with me, you know I’m worried about book censorship in general. And that a good percentage of book … Continue reading →

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