Tag Archives: poverty

Banned books and Sold by Patricia McCormick

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Victoria Waddle

I’m discussing the top banned books of the 2023-24 school year over at Be A Cactus. These are the top three: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult Looking for Alaska by John Green The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky You can … Continue reading →

Posted in "Banned Book", banned books, bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural | Tagged book reviews, child abuse, child sexual abuse, family problems, friendship, hi-low reading, Nepal, poverty, sex trafficking, sexual slavery, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

Girlz ’n the Hood

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

Girlz ‘n the Hood: A Memoir of Mama in South Central Los Angeles by Mary Hill-Wagner Hill-Wagner is one of eleven children who grew up with an often single mother in South Central LA. Though her mother worked as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Non-fiction | Tagged #AdultBooksForTeens, Adult books for teens, book reviews, family problems, Girlz ‘n the Hood, Mary Hill-Wagner, memoir, poverty, South Central Los Angeles | 1 Comment

“The Bully” and “The Gun”

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

The Bully by Paul Langan Darrell Mercer moves from Philadelphia, PA to California in the middle of his freshman year of high school. Although his neighborhood in Philly is not the best–even dangerous sometimes–he has a lot of good neighbors … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Bluford series, book reviews, bullying, friendship, guy books, hi-low reading, high school, high school students, life skills, parent-teen relationships, poverty, Read 180, reluctant readers, school problems, teachers, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“Not a Drop to Drink”

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis “Lynn was nine the first time she killed to defend the pond.” Those are the first words of Not a Drop to Drink, and they start you on a reading session … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged book reviews, child-parent relationships, coming of age, death and dying, drought, farms, future dystopia, Mindy McGinnis, murder, Not a Drop to Drink, Ohio, parent-teen relationships, ponds, poverty, rape, romance, water, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

Common Core: Nonfiction: “The Age of Acquiescence”

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power by Steve Fraser I picked up Age of Acquiescence because it was recommended as a companion work to Capital in the 21st Century. Age of Acquiescence … Continue reading →

Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Historical Fiction/Historical Element, Human Rights Issues, Non-fiction, Over 375 pages | Tagged Adult books for teens, Age of Acquiescence, book reviews, capitalism, Common Core, Common Core standards, critical thinking, economics, nonfiction, poverty, Steve Fraser | Leave a comment

“Ball Don’t Lie”

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Pena “Real life always comes whipping back around at you like a boomerang. But right now there’s one last game to play. And Stickey’s right here. In the zone. Flowing. Every shot … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Multicultural, Romance, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged basketball, biography, book reviews, bullying, child abuse, child-parent relationships, drug addiction, education, family problems, high school students, poverty, reluctant readers, sports book, Teen Issues, YA fiction | Leave a comment

“Gabi: A Girl in Pieces”

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Gabi: A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero “My mom says, ‘Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas.’ Eyes open, legs closed.” This advice, the total sum of Gabi’s sex education at home, gets more ironic (and darkly funny) as the book … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, death and dying, drug addiction, family problems, friendship, grief, grieving, high school students, Isabel Quintero, JLG, Junior Library Guild, LGBTQ, Morris Award, parent-teen relationships, poverty, rape, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 4 Comments

Sci-Fi: “Ship Breaker”

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi In the aftermath of environmental apocalypse, in the world of ship breaking on the Gulf Coast, Nailer survives by pulling copper wire from grounded oil tankers. He, like everyone else he knows, is looking for … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Environmental Issues, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Sci-Fi/Futuristic, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, clipper ships, drug abuse, drug addiction, drug dealers in literature, environmental issues, moral dilemmas, New Orleans, oil tankers, poverty, recycling, science fiction, The Gulf Coast, wealth, YA fiction, YA literature, yachts | Leave a comment

Bullying Books/Romance: “Eleanor and Park”

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell Eleanor and Park is already popular with some of our readers of realistic teen fiction, but before Valentine’s Day rolls around, I’d like to introduce it to the rest of you who are looking … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged 1980s, book reviews, child abuse, child-parent relationships, poverty, Rainbow Rowell, romance, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

That Used to Be Us–looking outward and forward III

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Victoria Waddle

That Used to Be Us—Links on looking to the future Last thoughts on how the book connects to educators Places to find more information I’ve created three posts on where to look while we think about how we are changing—guideposts … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-fiction | Tagged Common Core standards, education, educators, poverty, standardized testing | Leave a comment