Tag Archives: school problems

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Being a Teen=Lack of Control Over Life Smack in the middle of his junior year of high school, Norris Kaplan has to move from Montreal, Canada to Austin, Texas when his mom secures a professorship at the University of … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Humor, Multicultural, Romance, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Austin, Black youth, book reviews, Canada, coming of age, friendship, Haitian immigrants, Montreal, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, Texas, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“My Kind of Crazy”

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul Hank Kirby comes up with a great idea for asking popular Amanda Carlisle to the prom. How then does he manage, with just a box of sparklers, to light up Amanda Carlisle’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Humor, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, high school students, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“All the Bright Places”

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven We meet Violet Markey and Theodore Finch out on the ledge of their school’s clock tower. They haven’t gone there together, but rather accidentally run into one another as they as both … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Grief, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, child-parent relationships, death and dying, family problems, friendship, grief, high school students, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

Adult Fiction: “Skippy Dies”

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray Skippy Dies has been described by more than one professional reviewer as ‘hilarious and horrifying.’ I would say that it is hilarious for a very long time, and then suddenly horrifying. This is true … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Humor, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, bullying, Catholic boarding schools, child-parent relationships, death, death and dying, family problems, friendship, grief, Ireland, parent-teen relationships, Paul Murray, romance, school problems, Skippy Dies, Teen Issues | Leave a comment

Nonfiction: “Code Talker”

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WW II by Chester Nez with Judith S. Avila Chester Nez was one of the original 32 (some say 29, but Nez informs the … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Historical Fiction/Historical Element | Tagged Adult books for teens, American Indians, book reviews, Code Talkers, Common Core standards, friendship, memoir, Navajo Indians, nonfiction, prejudice, school problems, World War II | Leave a comment

More Than Romance: “Love and Other Theories”

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Love and Other Theories by Alexis Bass After freshman year of high school, Aubrey and her three best friends are on to an important reality: high school relationships don’t often last; in fact, given that high school students move … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Alexis Bass, book reviews, boy-girl relationships, friendship, Love and Other Theories, mean girls, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, Teen Issues, teen sexuality, YA fiction, YA literature | 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

Adult Books for Teens: “The Harder They Come”

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

The Harder They Come by T. C. Boyle A cruise to Central America and a stop in Costa Rica sound like a vacation dream for a middle class retired couple. After all, Costa Rica is supposed to be a … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Controversial Issue/Debate, Environmental Issues, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Mature Readers, Over 375 pages | Tagged Adult books for teens, book reviews, child-parent relationships, Common Core, Costa Rica, death, drug addiction, drug cartels, drug dealers, family problems, grief, Mendocino, mental depression, mental illness, murder, parent-teen relationships, schizophrenia, school problems, small towns in fiction, T. C. Boyle, The Harder They Come | Leave a comment

“Send”

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Send by Patty Blount “A punch to the jaw wasn’t how I imagined starting my first day at another new school, but fate had a warped sense of humor.” So begins Send, with Daniel (and/or Ken) making the decision … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Controversial Issue/Debate, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, child-parent relationships, critical thinking, cyberbullying, death, death and dying, duty to respond, family problems, friendship, high school students, reluctant readers, romance, school problems, suicide, suicide in literature, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

“It’s Kind of a Funny Story”

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini When he’s only fifteen years old, Craig Gilner is so depressed that he makes a plan to kill himself–he’s going to throw himself off the Brooklyn Bridge. Thankfully, Craig has … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Over 375 pages, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, family problems, friendship, high school students, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Ned Vizzini, parent-teen relationships, romance, school problems, suicide, suicide in literature, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments