Tag Archives: small towns in fiction

Mystery/Humor: “Croak”

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Croak by Gina Damico For no reason she can figure out, sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby is one crazy angry girl. Previously normal and a good student, the high school junior can barely get through a day of school without punching … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Adirondacks, book reviews, Crtoak, Gina Damico, horror, humor, mystery, small towns in fiction, 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

Quick Reads: “Dead End in Norvelt”

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Victoria Waddle

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos What an entertaining mix of fact and fiction about growing up in a small town. Founded by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt during the Great Depression, by the early 1960’s, Norvelt is dying … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Stories, Family Problems, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Dead End in Norvelt, death, death and dying, Eleanor Roosevelt, fiction, hi-low reading, history, Jack Gantos, Norvelt PA, PTSD, reluctant readers, small towns in fiction, tweens, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment

“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

Teen Book Fest Author: “Where Things Come Back”

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Victoria Waddle

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley Cullen Witter must identify the body of Oslo, his teen cousin, who has just died of a drug overdose. The experience in the morgue leads Cullen to reflect on his life in … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Arkansas, book reviews, brothers, family problems, John Corey Whaley, kidnapping, religion, small towns, small towns in fiction, Where Things Come Back, YA fiction, YA literature, zealotry, zealots | Leave a comment

“Stupid Fast”

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach Felton Reinstein has never had it easy. Only five years old, he was the one who found his father dead, hanging in the garage. His mother decided the best thing to do was to burn … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Sports, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, football, high school students, humor, small towns in fiction, suicide, track and field, YA fiction, YA literature | 2 Comments

Bullying Books: “Rotters”

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Victoria Waddle

Rotters by Daniel Kraus Such a weird story! The combination of bullying and horror story compelled me to finish the book, and I think it will appeal to anyone who likes really quirky stuff. Joey Crouch has lived … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Horror/Mystery/Suspense, Over 375 pages, Young Adult Literature | Tagged bullying, Chicago, grave robbers, horror, scary stories, small towns in fiction, YA fiction, YA literature | Leave a comment