Category Archives: Human Rights Issues

Summer Reading: Bullying Books

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Summer Reading One of my reading goals this summer is to read and select some books about bullying—both the cyber sort and the in-person attacks. I hope to recommend two bully-themed books per month in the 2013-14 school year. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged bullying, cyberbullying, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Adult Books for Adults and Teens: “Team of Rivals”

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin I know this is a long shot, but I’m hoping there’s a student who will take me up on this. Summer reading for the truly motivated! While the focus of Team of Rivals … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Movie Tie-In, Non-fiction, Over 375 pages | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, book reviews, Civil War, Dred Scott case, Edwin Stanton, Emancipation Proclamation, Frances Seward, Kansas Nebraska Act, Kate Chase, Mary Todd Lincoln, Missouri Compromise, movie tie-in, Salmon Chase, slavery, Thirteenth Amendment, US History, William Seward | Leave a comment

Solitary: Escape from Furnace, book two

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Solitary: Book Two of the Escape from Furnace series by Alexander Gordon Smith Just a quick heads up on this series. I reviewed the first book, Lockdown here. I thought it was great entertainment and a perfect choice for guys … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Read 180, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Escape from Furnace series, guy books, Read 180, reluctant readers, science fiction, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, Book 1

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, Book 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith Beneath heaven is hell. Beneath hell is Furnace. So begins the Escape from Furnace series, now complete at five books. Lockdown is a great ‘guy read,’ full of injustice, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Read 180, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged criminals in literature, Escape from Furnace series, guy books, juveniles in prison, prison, science fiction, YA fiction, YA literature | 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

“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

“Rikers High”

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Rikers High by Paul Volponi The author’s note hooked me: “The overwhelming majority of incidents that occur in this book really happened. I witnessed them firsthand during the six years I worked as a teacher on Rikers Island. The fiction … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged prison, reluctant readers, YA fiction | Leave a comment

Banned Books: The Top Ten of the Last Year

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

I want to say goodbye to Banned Books Week with the most recent list of books that are challenged in schools and communities. Here are the top ten of 2011. I’ve read many and think they are pretty good books. … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", Classic Fiction, Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Multicultural, Romance, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged banned books, censorship | 1 Comment

Adult Books for Teens: “Fahrenheit 451”

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Wall-sized televisions that simulate interaction and communication with the person existing within the confines of the ‘living’ room don’t seem much like science fiction anymore, but when Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in the late … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", Classic Fiction, Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Sci-Fi/Futuristic | Tagged book burning, censorship, Ray Bradbury, science fiction | Leave a comment

More new biography and memoir

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

So–I’m defining biography and memoir a little loosely here, but I think teachers would love to have you read any of these books. And you’ll find empathy, outrage, inspiration and courage through your reading. Enjoy! We All Fall Down by … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Controversial Issue/Debate, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Over 375 pages | Tagged Adult books for teens, civil rights, drug addiction, entrepreneurship, inspiration, small business | Leave a comment