Tag Archives: Teen Issues

A Rescue Plan Containing Multitudes

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

“Gomer knew what coming out was. He had taken the sex-ed classes, and there were gay people in his town, but they tended to come for weekends and the summer, because they had jobs in the city. They were rich … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Young Adult Literature | Tagged cancer survivor in fiction, gay teens, LGBGTQ, novelette, quick read, swimming, Teen Issues, teen sexuality, teenage boys, YA fiction, YA literature | 1 Comment

Teen Voices and The Poet X: Keep a Journal

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Note: This is a YA book review as well as a comment on teen writing, so I added it here from my personal blog A recent experience with a teen writer had me going back to The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged Elizabeth Acevedo, family problems, journal writing, journaling, Teen Issues, teen writers, The Poet X | Leave a comment

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

Gender Fluidity: Symptoms of Being Human

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Victoria Waddle

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin Gender fluid teenager Riley Cavanaugh starts an anonymous blog at the suggestion of their therapist. Even this anonymous version of coming out takes Riley some time—as well as a major crisis and a … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Young Adult Literature | Tagged gender fluidity, Jeff Garvin, Orange County, Symptoms of Being Human, Teen Issues, teen sexuality, YA fiction, YA literature | 5 Comments

“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

“Bone Gap”

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby Finn, the teen oddball in the tiny country town of Bone Gap, is both loved for his quirky personality by most of the town and bullied by the family of Rudes–a common scenario in … Continue reading →

Posted in bullying, Fable/Fairy Tale/Fantasy, Family Problems, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, bullying, family problems, Fantasy fiction, friendship, romance, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 3 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

Drug Abuse “In Ecstasy”

Posted on June 5, 2016 by Victoria Waddle

In Ecstasy by Kate McCaffrey Fifteen-year-old Sophie and Mia are longtime best friends, who, as the novel opens, are getting ready for a big party. Sophie is more outgoing. Mia is socially awkward and just hopes to get through … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Read 180, Young Adult Literature | Tagged book reviews, drug abuse, drug addiction, drug dealers in literature, drug use, drugs, family problems, friendship, hi-low reading, In Ecstasy, Kate McCaffrey, parent-teen relationships, Read 180, Teen Issues, YA fiction, YA literature | 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