Category Archives: Grief

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

Communist Rule in South Vietnam: Behind the Red Curtain

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

The Fall of Saigon Behind the Red Curtain by Hong-My Basrai details the life of a Vietnamese family during and after the 1975 fall of Saigon. As the book opens, Hong-My is a thirteen-year-old girl with typical concerns about puberty. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural | Tagged Behind the Red Curtain, Communist Vietnam, Fall of Saigon, Hong-My Basrai, immigrants, refugees, Saigon, South Vietnam | 2 Comments

Parameters of the YA Novel: Is Bridge of Clay Still YA?

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Bridge of Clay and YA Novels What are the parameters of the YA novel? Is Markus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay still YA? I asked myself this as I read this gorgeous novel. If you’re writing a novel that focuses on … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Over 375 pages, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Bridge of Clay, brothers, death, grief, Markus Zusak, siblings, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“My Kind of Crazy”

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul Hank Kirby comes up with a great idea for asking popular Amanda Carlisle to the prom. How then does he manage, with just a box of sparklers, to light up Amanda Carlisle’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Humor, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, high school students, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“All the Bright Places”

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven We meet Violet Markey and Theodore Finch out on the ledge of their school’s clock tower. They haven’t gone there together, but rather accidentally run into one another as they as both … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, child-parent relationships, death and dying, family problems, friendship, grief, high school students, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

Sports Books: “The Final Four”

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

The Final Four by Paul Volponi The hoop action between the Michigan State Spartans and the (underdog) Trojans of Troy University is nonstop, heart-pounding excitement. While the semifinal NCAA championship game is played, the novel focuses on four players: … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Multicultural, Read 180, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged basketball, book reviews, death, family problems, Final Four, friendship, grief, hi-low reading, NCAA semifinals, Read 180, reluctant readers, sports, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“I Will Save You”

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

I Will Save You by Matt de la Peña I Will Save You opens with a startling scene as Kidd Ellison appears to throw himself and his old frenemy, Devon, into wild danger in an irrational attempt to save Olivia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, hi-low reading, I will Save You, Matt de la Pena, parent-teen relationships, reluctant readers, 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: “Between the World and Me”

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” Often books have an opening sentence–or … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Non-fiction | Tagged #AdultBooksForTeens, #AfricanAmericanWriters, #BetweenTheWorldAndMe, #bookReviews, #Ta-NehisiCoates, #YALiteraure, Adult books for teens, African Americans, American History, book reviews, death, United States, US History | 1 Comment