Tag Archives: book reviews

“More Than This”

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

More Than This by Patrick Ness In a chilling prologue, a boy is drowning at sea. He tries over and over to save himself, but the water is too cold, the waves too rough, the craggy rocks too close. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Over 375 pages, Romance, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged adventure stories, book reviews, death, England, GLBT, GLBTQ, LGBTQ, life after death, Matrix readalike, More Than This, Patrick Ness, sci-fi, science fiction, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass”

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina You’d think that this was just a titillating title for a silly girl-drama book. But you’d be wrong. Yaqui Delgado wants to Kick Your Ass is a really good … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Multicultural, Read 180, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullies, bullying, Cuban Americans, family problems, friendship, gangs, high school girls, Latinas, Meg Medina, Mexican Americans, YA fiction, YA literature, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass | 3 Comments

“Ask the Passengers”

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Ask the Passengers by A. S. King Astrid Jones isn’t sure that her love is acceptable to anyone. She has a lot of it to give, but to whom? While she’s deciding—and deciding takes many months—she spends her odd free … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged A. S. King, airplane passengers, book reviews, drug abuse, family problems, GLBT, GLBTQ, gossip, lesbians, reputations, romance, small towns, small towns in fiction, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Summer Classic Reread: “The Turn of the Screw”

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Summer Classic Reread: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Why I wanted to reread it: I loved it long ago. I know that many teachers recommend it for students because it is a horror story, and they hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Fiction, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, classic fiction, Henry James, horror, literary fiction, novellas, scary stories, The Turn of the Screw | Leave a comment

Common Core: Nonfiction: “Death’s Acre”

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Death’s Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales by Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson A number of students ask for forensic science books because their interest has been piqued by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, Anthropology Research Facility, Bill Bass, Body Farm, book reviews, Common Core, Common Core standards, crime laboratories, Death's Acre, Dr. Bill Bass, forensic anthropologist, forensic anthropology, forensic science, forensic science books, murder, murder victims, nonfiction, University of Tennessee | Leave a comment

Common Core: Nonfiction: “Brainstorm”

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. There are four qualities of adolescence—the period between ages 12 and 24—that adults must try never to lose: novelty seeking social engagement emotional intensity creative … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, brain science, Brainstorm, Common Core standards, Daniel J. Siegel, mindfulness, nonfiction, science, teenage brain, YA literature | Leave a comment

Horror: “The Curse of the Wendigo”

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey Book 2 in the Monstrumologist series Because I am always looking for new series that I can recommend to teens, I don’t always get to read past the first book. But it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, Curse of the Wendigo, horror, Monstrumologist trilogy, Rick Yancey, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Guy books: “Grasshopper Jungle”

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith Austin Szerba loves history and so has decided to record the events at the end of the world, events that he has participated in along with his best friend Robby and his girlfriend Shann. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Andrew Smith, book reviews, Grasshopper Jungle, guy books, sci-fi, science fiction, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Historical Fiction: “Rose under Fire”

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Rose under Fire by Elizabeth Wein This is another great one by the author of Code Name Verity. It’s a companion piece to that book and begins in Great Britain, 1944, just about where Code Name Verity let off. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein, fighter pilots, France, Germany, Great Britain, historical fiction, pilots, Rose Justice, Rose under Fire, women air pilots, women's issues, World War II, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Ontario Teen Book Fest–May 17, 2014

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Posted in Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Romance, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Supernatural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, John Corey Whaley, Katie Alender, Lauren Kate, Ontario, Ontario Teen Book Fest, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment