Category Archives: Young Adult Literature

“Exit Point” and “Yellow Line”

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

I’ve just read a couple of novels from the Orca Soundings series–a series that I think of as high quality/quick reading. Pick up one of these for a fast page-turner. Exit Point by Laura Langston Logan can’t believe he’s dead. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Romance, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged American Indian, death, ghosts, hi-low reading, Orca Soundings Series, prejudice, Read 180 | 1 Comment

“How They Croaked”

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg; illustrated by Kevin O’Malley This wacky book is alternatelty gross and funny. It is always fascinating. Bragg looks at the terrible suffering involved in the deaths … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Non-fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, death, death and dying, Edgar Allan Poe, Galileo, George Washington, Henry VIII, James A. Garfield, King Tut, Marie Curie, Napoleon | 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

“Brothers in Arms” The Bluford series

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Brothers in Arms by Paul Langan and Ben Alirez (Bluford Series) It’s been a while since I’ve commented on a Bluford series book. Brothers in Arms is a good one for students looking for their next quick read. Martin … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Bluford series, gangs, hi-low reading, Paul Langan, reluctant readers, YA fiction | 1 Comment

Ontario Teens Read 2012-2013: Ms. Waddle talking up “The Fault in Our Stars”

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged cancer, JLG, john green, Junior Library Guild, romance, The Fault in Our Stars, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Quick Picks II–They’re easy to read and you can’t put them down.

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Check These Out! The book summaries are from the publishers–book flaps, etc. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged child abuse, hi-low reading, Orca Soundings Series, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“First Kill”: The Slayer series (companion to Vladimir Todd series)

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

First Kill by Heather Brewer (First book in The Slayer series, a companion series to the Vladimir Todd series) How would it affect your life if one night you awoke hearing noises from your little sister’s bedroom? You waited outside … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged hi-low reading, reluctant readers, Slayer series, vampires, YA literature | Leave a comment

The Fault in Our Stars: Poster and Bookmark Contest Winners

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Congratulations to all the winners in the poster and bookmark contests for The Fault in Our Stars, our ‘Ontario Teens Read 2-12-2013’ book. Some of the winners were selected by the Board of Library Teens, a club co-sponsored by Colony … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged adventure stories, illustration, JLG, john green, Junior Library Guild, Ontario Teens Read 2012-2013, romance, The Fault in Our Stars | Leave a comment

“Heroes Arise”

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

Heroes Arise by Laurel Anne Hill I was taking some friendly teasing the other day about how I always complain in reviews that fantasy books are too long and boring because they are repetitive. “Have you ever read a fantasy … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Fantasy fiction, Laurel Anne Hill, YA literature | 1 Comment