Category Archives: Fiction

“The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon”

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Last Good Place of Lily Odilon by Sara Beitia Eighteen-year-old Lily Odilon has been in trouble before. When Albert Morales meets her, there are plenty of rumors swirling around her–she had been a party girl, but isn’t anymore; she … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, child abuse, child sexual abuse, family problems, high school students, parent-teen relationships, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Mystery, Romance: “Period.8”

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Period.8 by Chris Crutcher The problem with having too great a time span between reading Chris Crutcher books is that I forget how good they are. Forget how the fast-talking, conscience-driven teens can connect with teachers who care about them. … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Mature Readers, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, Chris Crutcher, family problems, friendship, hi-low reading, high school students, JLG, Junior Library Guild, parent-teen relationships, Period.8, Read 180, reluctant readers, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

Mystery: “The Girl Who was Supposed to Die”

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

The Girl Who was Supposed to Die by April Henry A teen girl comes to consciousness on the floor of a cabin in the woods. She can’t remember anything. She’s sore and when she touches her fingers to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, hi-low reading, Read 180, reluctant readers, thriller, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Romance: “Forever for a Year”

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Forever for a Year by B. T. Gottfred Fans of romance, teen angst, realistic fiction, child-parent relationship issues–this is your next read! Yes, all of you. I’m so glad I went to the Ontario Teen Book Fest and found … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged B.T. Gottfred, book reviews, family problems, Forever for a Year, friendship, high school students, parent-teen relationships, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Supernatural: “Frozen Fire”

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler Fifteen-year-old Dusty picks up her phone to find that a strange boy is calling her to say that he is dying. She tells him to call the police, but he refuses. As they talk … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, death, family problems, Frozen Fire, grief, parent-teen relationships, Tim Bowler, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“How to be Brave”

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

How to be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras Georgia Askeridis defines herself through her fears, which are many. She has every right to remain the girl in the shadows. Her severely overweight mother has recently died of complications of … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, diabetes, E. Katherine Kottaras, grief, How to be Brave, romance, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Teens: “The Meursault Investigation”

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

The Meursault Investigation by Kamel Daoud Many teens read Albert Camus’s The Stranger in high school. From what they tell me, it’s a book they like. Algerian journalist Kamel Daoud has given us Albert Camus’s The Stranger from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Fiction, Family Problems, Fiction, Multicultural | Tagged Adult books for teens, Albert Camus, Algiers, book reviews, death, existentialism, guilt, Kamel Daoud, Meursault Investigation, philosophy, The Stranger readalike | 1 Comment

“The Alex Crow”

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith Andrew Smith has another novel that will easily become a hit with teens and YA librarians. The publisher describes it as the interweaving of four stories–that of “of Ariel, a Middle Eastern refugee … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Humor, Mature Readers, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Andrew Smith, book reviews, family problems, parent-teen relationships, rape, refugees, reluctant readers, sci-fi, science fiction, Teen Issues, The Alex Crow, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

“The Girl on the Train”

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Rachel Watsons might be able to stop obsessing over her ex-husband,–who is now remarried and has a child–if she could stop drinking, stop envying the new wife, and most of all, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, murder, mystery, Paula Hawkins, psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train | 1 Comment

“Scars”

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield It’s clear from the cover of Scars that the novel is about a girl who cus herself. It isn’t the first book I’ve read about cutting, but what pulled me into this one was the … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, Cheryl Rainfield, child molestation, family problems, ritual abuse, Scars, YA fiction | Leave a comment