Tag Archives: parent-teen relationships

Get a Grip by Alyson Shelton

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Victoria Waddle

This compact novel (186 pages) is narrated in free verse. It has wide appeal, but is an especially good purchase for librarians seeking work on sibling death and grief, competitive gymnastics, changes in friendships that take place as kids get older, and hi/lo literature for tweens and teens. Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book review, book reviews, books, family problems, fiction, friendship, hi-low reading, parent-teen relationships, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Sexism and Sensibility: Raising Empowered, Resilient Girls in the Modern World

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Virtually every girl and woman I see in therapy feels as if they got away with something when they experience success. They bring up the term ‘imposter syndrome’ and say, ‘that’s me exactly.’” Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Non-fiction | Tagged book reviews, family problems, parent-teen relationships, patriarchy, Sexism, Sexism and Sensibility, sexuality, Teen Issues, teen sexuality, teenage girls | Leave a comment

Keep Sweet is here! My YA Novel 😊

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

My novel Keep Sweet officially launched yesterday. I also have an essay in an anthology on sibling loss and grief, The Loss of a Lifetime, which launched on Tuesday. We had a very emotional reading by the authors on Wednesday. It was recorded. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Uncategorized, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, parent-teen relationships, siblings, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

I Have a Novel! Keep Sweet!

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

Fourteen-year old Elizabeth Warren lives in the “Community” with her father, four mothers, and sixteen siblings. Their prophet heads the cult, controlling all aspects of the community members’ lives. When he announces that Elizabeth must marry her older cousin, she joins forces with her twin brother, her older sister, and two good friends to alter her fate. Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, cults, family problems, friendship, misogyny, parent-teen relationships, patriarchy, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

Rift by Cait West: Christian Patriarchy

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

“This is a story of chaos, of fragmentation, hidden beneath the facade of a happy family. This is a story of escape and risk and making it all worth it. This is a story of psychological, emotional, financial, and spiritual abuse. This is my story of survival.“ Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, Cait West, family problems, fundamentalism (religion), memoir, parent-teen relationships, patriarchy, religion, religious hypocrisy, Rift, stay at home daughter movement | Leave a comment

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

Sapphic Romance: Enemies to Lovers She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen came to my attention through an article in the Sojourners newsletter. Sojourners is a left-of-center interdenominational Christian organization that works towards social and racial justice. I’m reading books … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged basketball, book reviews, cheerleading, friendship, LGBGTQ, parent-teen relationships, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

From Ash to Ashes

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

From Ash to Ashes by Krishna Tuli Arora is the story of an immigrant Sikh family in Long Island, New York during the 1990s. It moves through multiple POVs, but is centered on the life of protagonist Mira. I picked … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature | Tagged arranged marriage, book reviews, family problems, parent-teen relationships, Sikhs, suicide, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

No Place for Fairy Tales

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Victoria Waddle

By edd tello A transgender teen wants the quinceañera of her dreams No Place for Fairy Tales is a short novel in verse that will appeal to a diverse group of readers. I picked it up in my ongoing efforts … Continue reading →