Category Archives: Fiction

“Daughter of Smoke & Bone” Fans

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Look what arrived in both our libraries–book 2: Days of Blood & Starlight Come on over and check it out!

Posted in Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Over 375 pages, Romance, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged angels, Daughter of Smoke & Bone series, demons, devils, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

2014 California Young Reader Medal Nominees

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

What’s cool about the California Young Reader Medal is that the books are selected by young readers. So, teens select the winner of the young adult category. In order to vote, you have to read all three of the nominated … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages, Romance, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged awards, California Young Reader Medal, CYRM, France, future dystopia, King Louis Charles, music, musicians in literature, running | Leave a comment

Movie Tie-In: “Beautiful Creatures”

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Ethan’s family has lived in Gatlin, South Carolina, “the epicenter of the middle of nowhere,” for generations. The town is full of history and superstition, as Ethan believes can only happen in the South. The neighbors are obsessed with … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Movie Tie-In, Over 375 pages, Romance, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Gothic romance, movie tie-in, the South, witches, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

Zoms: “Dust & Decay”

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry So, I know this isn’t a real review because it’s a labor of love and I’m a bit overwhelmed (or not feeling the love—or something) BUT— Still the best zombie apocalypse ever! Before … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Over 375 pages, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Benny Imura series, future dystopia, Rot & Ruin series, zombies | Leave a comment

Movie Tie-In: The Help

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Movie Tie-Ins: The Help by Kathryn Stockett As I mentioned earlier, I read Worth Dying For because I wanted to try a Jack Reacher novel. If you read my post, you know I didn’t like it very much. As I … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Movie Tie-In, Multicultural, Over 375 pages | Tagged books to film, civil rights, Civil Rights Movement, Jackson_Mississippi, literature, maids, oscars | Leave a comment

Movie Tie-In: Jack Reacher

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Knowing that the Jack Reacher movie was coming out, I decided to try one of the novels—Worth Dying For—just to see if it was something our students would like. I’d never read a Jack Reacher book before and was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Mature Readers, Movie Tie-In, Over 375 pages | Tagged Jack Reacher novels, movie tie-in, movies in literature | Leave a comment

“Wave Warrior”

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Wave Warrior by Lesley Choyce Another Orca Soundings adventure for teens working on their reading skills. Ben Currie lives in Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia. (For those of us Southern Californians with little knowledge of geography—think far to the east, … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged death and dying, friendship, hi-low reading, Read 180, surfers, surfing | Leave a comment

“Riley Park”

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Riley Park by Diane Tullson Here’s another super-quick Orca Soundings novel that I liked: Corbin and his best friend Darius are both attracted to the same girl, Rubee, who works at the local Safeway grocery store as a checker. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged friendship, hi-low reading, Orca Soundings Series, Read 180, reluctant readers | Leave a comment

“Exit Point” and “Yellow Line”

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

I’ve just read a couple of novels from the Orca Soundings series–a series that I think of as high quality/quick reading. Pick up one of these for a fast page-turner. Exit Point by Laura Langston Logan can’t believe he’s dead. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Romance, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged American Indian, death, ghosts, hi-low reading, Orca Soundings Series, prejudice, Read 180 | 1 Comment

“The Ask and the Answer”

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness Another can’t-put-it-down, page-turner from Patrick Ness, The Ask and the Answer is the second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy. We find Viola and Todd once they’ve reached Haven—the town they had … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Chaos Walking series, Patrick Ness, science fiction | 2 Comments