Category Archives: Grief

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 book review, book reviews, books, Canterbury Tales, family problems, fiction, friendship, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 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 book reviews, family problems, friendship, parent-teen relationships, siblings, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

Who are the Helpers, Anyway?

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

A review of “The Well-trained Wife” and book challenge/ban news A Well-trained Wife A Well-trained Wife details Levings’ descent from strict Baptist to Gothard woman (think the Duggars) to Calvinist following the model of Puritan Jonathan Edwards. Levings quotes “Sinners … Continue reading →

Posted in banned books, bullying, censorship, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Non-fiction | Tagged A Well-trained Wife, book bans, book challenges, book reviews, Calvinism, fundamentalism (religion), Gothard women, librarians, libraries, religion, Tia Levings | Leave a comment

From Ash to Ashes

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

From Ash to Ashes by Krishna Tuli Arora is the story of an immigrant Sikh family in Long Island, New York during the 1990s. It moves through multiple POVs, but is centered on the life of protagonist Mira. I picked … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged arranged marriage, book reviews, family problems, parent-teen relationships, Sikhs, suicide, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Meet the Moon

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

A teen girl’s journey through grief after her mother dies in a car accident. Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, death, family problems, grief, parent-teen relationships, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Happy Book Birthday: Dogs and Humans

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Victoria Waddle

In her chapbook memoir, The Mortality of Dogs and Humans, Victoria Waddle explores her (our) relationship with dogs, the joy and comfort of their companionship, and the lessons they can teach us about being better humans. Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Grief, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Non-fiction | Tagged book reviews, chapbook, dogs, large dogs, old dogs, quick read, small press publications | 1 Comment

Small Town Monsters: Book Review

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

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 book reviews, family problems, friendship, horror, monsters, parent-teen relationships, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

Serious Summer Reading

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

Want beach reads but summer is your only chance to read intellectually stimulating books? The solution: A ‘Serious Summer Reading’ list. Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Non-fiction, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, diverse stories, family problems, historical fiction, parent-teen relationships, poetry, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Tales of an Inland Empire Girl

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

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 Adult books for teens, book reviews, family problems, identical twins, parent-teen relationships, twins | Leave a comment

Inlandia Journeys Teen Issue is Live!

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Submerged by Shaina Boal I’m so excited about the latest teen issue of Inlandia, which is live now! “Despite the notion that we are voiceless, it seems to me that the challenge of a good creative writing instructor is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Grief, Non-fiction, Short Stories, Young Adult Literature | Tagged essays, fiction, Inlandia Journal, Inlandia Literary Journey, poetry, short stories, teen writers, teenage writers, writing advice, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment