Category Archives: Over 375 pages

Stieg Larsson Books: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Victoria Waddle

I enjoyed reading all three books in this series. What made me think of them today was something that may seem unconnected: I read an article stating that a new version of the classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Movie Tie-In, Over 375 pages | Leave a comment

“The Women”

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

The Women by T. C. Boyle Yes, this is an odd book to include in a blog of book reviews for high school students. But when the CHS seniors were looking for works of (loosely historical) fiction to read before … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Over 375 pages | Leave a comment

“Angle of Repose”

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

  This is California Writers’ Month–and to celebrate, we read books by California authors.  I’m very excited because, as part of the celebration, on Thursday night, I’ll be reading aloud a few pages from the new book Tattoos on the Heart … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Over 375 pages | Tagged | Leave a comment

“The House of the Scorpion”

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer     I was looking for a ‘guy’ book to read and found a book for everyone. A future gone very wrong, suspense, greed, the corruption of absolute power, questions about science (genetics) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Over 375 pages, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Leave a comment

“The Satanic Verses” and “Midnight’s Children”

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

Salman Rushdie—Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses The publication of The Satanic Verses brought on a fatwa (Islamic judicial decree) from the Iranian religious ruler Ayatollah Khomeini that Rushdie as well as anyone involved in the publication of the book … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", Controversial Issue/Debate, Fiction, Over 375 pages | Leave a comment

“Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins If you’ve read the reviews of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire on this blog, you already know that I love this series. The first day Mockingjay was available in bookstores, I bought it. Now I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fiction, Over 375 pages, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Leave a comment

“Fast Food Nation”

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser Though I’d read several books about food in the last few years, I missed this one. So when it came up as a choice for summer reading in the English II Honors class, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction, Over 375 pages | Leave a comment

“Graceling”

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

As a fantasy book for teens, especially for girls, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, is nearly perfect. The heroine, Katsa, has just the kind of power in life that girls often dream about. (The first time a man tries to grope … Continue reading →

Posted in Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Fiction, Over 375 pages, Romance, Young Adult Literature | 1 Comment

“Skulduggery Pleasant”

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Victoria Waddle

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy Stephanie Edgley is brokenhearted over the death of her Uncle Gordon, who, in a surprise move, has left Stephanie his estate. He was a bestselling author of fantasy and magic, and hung out with what … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Over 375 pages, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , | Leave a comment

“Dracula”

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Victoria Waddle

Dracula by Bram Stoker As vampire tales are so popular lately, I decided this summer that I would read one of the original vampire novels—Dracula. The author, Bram Stoker, created the character of Dracula by pulling together lots of myths … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Fiction, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Over 375 pages, Supernatural | Tagged | 2 Comments