The Kidlit Chronicles

Erika Lewis is a prolific author of fantasy books and graphic novels. The Kelcie Murphy series is her first venture into middle grade fantasy, and it's all about Celtic mythology! In this episode, we talk with Erika about the first book in the Kelcie Murphy series: The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. We ask her about her unconventional entrance into the publishing world, her passion for Celtic mythology, and how to write complex main & side characters. We also learn a LOT about Celtic mythology, and we make predictions for what will happen in book two! We had such a great time talking with Erika! Book two in the Kelcie Murphy series JUST came out, so there's never been a better time to check out Erika's work! ***Spoiler timecodes*** (31:19 - 35:45) (37:55 - 38:31) Check out our other episodes and social media: https://thekidlitchronicles.carrd.co/ Theme song by Ella Rowen: https://linktr.ee/holdshelf Erika's links: Website: https://www.erikalewis.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikaelylewis/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikaElyLewis Go buy the Kelcie Murphy series at your local bookstore!! Book one: https://bookshop.org/p/books/kelcie-murphy-and-the-academy-for-the-unbreakable-arts-erika-lewis/16719671?ean=9781250208248 Book two: https://bookshop.org/p/books/kelcie-murphy-and-the-hunt-for-the-heart-of-danu-erika-lewis/18410810?ean=9781250208309

We're back with the third installment of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan -- ominously titled, The Icebound Land. The series follows Will, apprentice to the ranger Halt, who works with a cast of characters to battle evil forces in the country of Araluen and beyond. In the third book, we follow Will and Evanlyn, aka Araluen's Princess Cassandra, as they try to escape their Skandian kidnappers, while Halt and Horace race through the land of Gallica to rescue them.  We talk about how Horace is a himbo, Halt is too OP, and Jarl Erak has a kinda good, kinda sucky redemption arc. We also dig into some thorny political messages, like how monarchs seem to always be great and Araluen, aka Medieval England, always seems to be better than other countries. Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay

"That's the real question: do they fight while wearing a dress, though?" Michelle Lam is the author and illustrator of Meesh the Bad Demon, her debut graphic novel. Michelle wears many hats; she has worked as a story artist in the animation industry, a YouTuber, a comic artist on Instagram, and is now a graphic novel author! In this episode, we talk with Michelle about her new novel. We get into her inspiration of magical girl manga and anime as well as the deeper themes present in the story, including racism and the demonization of femininity. We also make predictions for what will happen in book two! It was so fun and insightful to talk to Michelle-- we're so grateful she lent us her time! Go check out Meesh the Bad Demon and Michelle's other work if you enjoyed our discussion! Check us out on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekidlitchronicles/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKidlitChronicles Theme song by Ella Rowen: https://linktr.ee/holdshelf Michelle's links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mewtripled/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mewtripled Website: https://www.mewtripled.com/ Go buy a copy of Meesh the Bad Demon!! At your local bookstore: https://bookshop.org/p/books/meesh-the-bad-demon-1-michelle-lam/18600877?ean=9780593372876

Special guest Andy Hicks stops by to dish some hot takes about the third installment of the Percy Jackson series. In The Titan's Curse, Percy and his friends journey across the country to rescue the goddess Artemis, battle monsters along the way, and struggle against a prophecy of doom that could mean the end of the world as they know it. We discuss Artemis' band of Hunters and the gender binary, whether loyalty can be a fatal flaw, and what it really means to be a good hero. A warning: the ancient Greeks were NSFW, so we followed in their footsteps. Listen at your own peril! Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay Harp and Pad Fm Complicated Loop by f-r-a-g-i-l-e via Freesound.org

The crew is diving into the cringiest, angstiest, messiest parts of teenage life in this episode of the pod, which covers the LGBTQ coming-of-age novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. We also have a special guest from our own teenage years joining us -- our friend since middle school, Betty! We dig deep into the book's themes of love, vulnerability, complicated family dynamics, and toxic masculinity (our favorite topic). We also discover our first manic pixie dream guy and reminisce about our own embarrassing adolescent moments. Content warning: The book, and as a result this episode, includes mentions of violent homophobia. Below are timestamps for those mentions, if you'd rather avoid them: 8:15-8:35 26:12-26:18 31:10-31:17 Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay Guitar Loop performance by ValentinSosnitskiy via Freesound.org

We recently closed out our second full year of the podcast, and we wanted to celebrate! Join us for this special anniversary episode, where we reminisce about the books of yesteryear, guess our best and worst-rated selections, and share a glimpse of our podcast plans for the coming months. Also included in the episode is a special throwback version of our usual book trivia, as well as some reflections on our lives outside of kidlit. Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay

We're going on an adventure! Join Chelsey, Hannah, and a special guest on an unexpected journey across Middle Earth to slay the dragon Smaug. We talk comfy vibes, dwarf fan-fiction, and positive masculinity. We also talk about some of the darker implications of this jaunty tale; fat-phobia and fantasy racism being the main culprits. Grab your tea and seed cakes, and get cozy cause this is a long one! Our links: https://www.instagram.com/thekidlitchronicles/ https://twitter.com/kidlitchronicle https://www.youtube.com/@TheKidlitChronicles Sound credits: Theme song by Ella Rowen (https://www.instagram.com/ellarowensound/) School Bell Ringing Sound Effect by GFX Sounds https://gfxsounds.com/free-sound-effects No.3 Morning Folk Song by Esther Abrami Master of the Feast by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400019 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100340 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Buckle up for a classic cross-country adventure tale in this sequel to the Ruins of Gorlan. We return to the lives of Will, Horace, Halt, and Gilan, as well as meet some new (and mysterious) characters as they all try to avert a surprise attack from Morgarath. Topics at hand include comical sexism, Halt's love of violence, queer-coded villains, and our reactions to a shocking ending. Listen now to learn more! Music credit: Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm Discomfort 1N56c by Setuniman via Freesound.org

Listener, beware. You're in for a scare... We're celebrating spooky season with an episode about Coraline by Neil Gaiman! We talk about the book AND the movie, and compare and contrast the two. We talk about the different things that scare adults and children, mother-daughter relationships, the inherent horror of fairytales, and digress into talking about Criminal Minds and the satanic panic, somehow. But most importantly, happy Halloweeeeen!! Music credit: Our spooky intro was made by Ella Rowen! Let the Mystery Unfold by Geoff Harvey Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm

Our special guest Andy Hicks returns as we dive back into the Percy Jackson series. Join us as we discuss the merits of overthrowing Western civilization, argue about whether Circe is a man-hater or a radical feminist, and reveal our own fatal flaws. Who knew these books were so political? A warning: the ancient Greeks were NSFW, so we followed in their footsteps. Listen at your own peril! Music credit: "Elevator Music" by Lesfm via Pixabay "October Rose" by StephieQueen via Freesound.org

Get ready to pick your ̶H̶o̶g̶w̶a̶r̶t̶s̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶ apprenticeship! We dive into Hannah's all-time favorite kids' book series, Ranger's Apprentice, which features a young orphan named Will who trains to become an elite spy for his kingdom -- and saves the day along the way. Tune in to hear us talk about the importance of loving the career you're good at (which might not be the one you've always dreamed of), the ethics of taking revenge on your bullies, and the not-so-subtle fatshaming that occurs all too often in children's literature. That's right, this episode's a spicy one! Warning: Major spoilers for The Inheritance Cycle Music credit: "Elevator Music" by Lesfm via Pixabay "Epical Drums 06" by Grigoriy Nuzhny

India Swift is the author and illustrator and Michael Doig is the colorist of The Girl and the Glim, India's debut graphic novel! The pair has existed online for quite some time as animators and artists, and have worked on TV shows like Amphibia and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as animated music videos like Starlight Brigade (TWRP) and Magnum Bullets (Nightrunner). In this episode of The Kidlit Chronicles, we have a virtual discussion with India and Michael where we discuss The Girl and the Glim, their transition from the screen to the page, some of our favorite characters from the novel, and dive deeper into the themes of technology and communication that are present in the book. We had an amazing time talking with DoigSwift, and are so grateful for the opportunity! Go check out The Girl and the Glim and their other work if you enjoyed our discussion! Also, check out the video for this episode to see their charming animal avatars! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agP01NmTakY DoigSwift: All links: https://linktr.ee/doigswift India Swift: https://twitter.com/OldSwifty Michael Doig: https://twitter.com/michaeldoigart The Girl and the Glim: https://www.girlandtheglim.com/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/doigswift Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/doigswift Go buy a copy of The Girl and the Glim!! At your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781684057412 Discussed in this episode: Game Grumps: https://www.youtube.com/user/GameGrumps Frostblight Saga: https://frostblight.tumblr.com/tagged/page/chrono Kairos: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250209610 Klaus: https://www.netflix.com/title/80183187 Hilda: https://www.netflix.com/search?q=hilda&jbv=80115346 Natsume Yujincho: https://www.crunchyroll.com/natsume-yujin-cho

After months and months of anticipation, we finally finish the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. Tune in to see which of our predictions for the ending came true and to hear a new quiz show segment of our podcast! Plus convos about magical inequity, kinky dragons, and who the REAL villain is (hint: it's the establishment). Music credit: "Elevator Music" by Lesfm via Pixabay "piano loop 1E71" by Setuniman via Freesound.org

We're joined again by middle grade author Stephanie Cooke to talk about her favorite childhood book: The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman. In this spicy episode: Is it ok to include sexism, classism, and racism in fantasy books as worldbuilding, rather than theme or subject? What's the difference between critiquing organized religion versus spirituality itself? This is a deep one, folks. Not for the faint of heart! Stephanie Cooke is the author of the Oh My Gods! series and other books, which you can check out here. Music credit: striding background 0H_10m4 by Setuniman via Freesound.org

Stephanie Cooke is the co-author of Oh My Gods!, a middle grade graphic novel series. Oh My Gods! was her debut novel, but she has been writing, particularly for graphic novels, for quite some time now. In this episode of The Kidlit Chronicles, we sit down (virtually) with Stephanie and discuss the Oh My Gods! book series, with special emphasis on the first book. We talk about the trend of retelling stories from Greek mythology, the tragedy of Medusa's portrayal in media, and a kid named Wesley's love for the character Jeff, among other topics! We're so grateful for this chance to sit down and talk about Oh My Gods! with Stephanie, and we hope you'll check out her work if you enjoyed our discussion! Also, check out the video for this episode! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnsoO6tqUKo Stephanie Cooke: Website: https://stephaniecooke.ca/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/hellocookie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellocookie Insha Fitzpatrick: Website: https://www.ifitzpatrick.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/iinshagram/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/benwyyatt Juliana Moon: Website: https://www.julianamoon.com/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/julianamoon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/notjulianamoon Go buy a copy of Oh My Gods! books 1 & 2!! Book 1: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780358299523 Book 2: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780358299547 Discussed in this episode: The first version of The Odyssey translated by a woman: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780393356250 Raina Telgemeier: https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=raina+telgemeier

This episode, we revisit the most iconic manic pixie dream girl of our childhood with a special guest, Amber Yun! Who is Stargirl? What makes someone a an outcast or a nonconformist? Why does Stargirl even like Leo? Could Stargirl be Jesus??? Music credit: "Secret Garden" by Eugenio Mininni via Mixkit

In our third installment reviewing the fantasy series, we talk about Christopher Paolini's writing of women characters, investigate twists upon twists, dig into many, many characters' sexual awakenings (NSFW), and give our predictions for the final book. Music credit: "Easy Times" by Ahjay Stelino via Mixkit

We explore a picturesque wintry landscape, discuss the ethics of romance between a girl and a boy-turned-150-year-old-bear, and argue pointlessly over a miniscule plot point for far too long. Music credit: "hmm.wav" by Xythe via Freesound.org

A little more than a year after our very first episode, we reflect on our favorite episodes, look at some surprising past ratings, and hold an awards ceremony for our beloved books. Audio Credit: VS_Short Whoosh 4.mp3 by Vilkas_Sound via Freesound.org Long TV Bleep.m4a by ChunaawChika09 via Freesound.org

Eragon goes off to train with the elves (and gets Yassified, according to Nikki), Roran gets the main character treatment, and Nasuada becomes a girlboss. Join us as we dive deep into the second book of Christopher Paolini's famed fantasy series. Music credit: "Medieval" guitar loop by User391915396

We celebrate the spooky season with classic children's horror, featuring special guest Seth Appleton. Join us as we talk about twist endings, mortality, middle-class suburban hell, and what exactly the shadow realm is.

This episode: Chelsey's favorite childhood book series! Get ready for dragons, elves, bloody battles, and evil kings galore as we begin to explore the fantasy world created by Christopher Paolini. Music credit: "Medieval" guitar loop by User391915396

Special guest alert! Elli Clippard joins us to discuss the joy of tropes, author William Goldman's fake life, why we hate the sequel, and more in this episode about the book that inspired the iconic 1987 movie. Background music credit: "Orchestral Adventure Theme" by Theo Teravainen via Freesound "jazz_music_loop.mp3" by anechoix via Freesound

Ho, listeners! On this episode, we explore a sci-fi classic about a group of genius children who try to save the world from aliens. Tune in to hear our thoughts on the book versus movie, whether or not Ender is a good person, and how much the author's beliefs should impact how we read stories. Background music credit: "Slow Trail" by Ahjay Stelino via Mixkit

Endings are always bittersweet. Cloudpelt, Shadowsong, and Bearclaw talk about fascism, cat on cat violence, and why Firestar STILL can't get over Spottedleaf in this episode on the last book of the original Warriors Series. Music credits: "Epical Drums 01" by Grigoriy Nuzhny via Mixkit "A Love Theme" by Eugenio Mininni via Mixkit

We wrote our own fanfiction for this episode. It's a must listen. Music credits: "Epical Drums 01" by Grigoriy Nuzhny via Mixkit "Beautiful Dream" by Diego Nava via Mixkit https://freesound.org/people/ERH/sounds/131903/ https://freesound.org/people/Bruno_ph/sounds/109409/ https://freesound.org/people/EKVelika/sounds/553821/ https://freesound.org/people/Migfus20/sounds/560446/

Cloudpelt, Nightpelt, and newly-named Bearclaw mark the halfway point of the Warrior Cats series. There's love, death, betrayal, and above all...loyalty to the Clan.

Life, death, time travel, and the insurmountable challenge of making friends in middle school. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead has it all. Featuring special guest Mary Fouts!

It turns out that Narnia is like, really religious. Who knew?

Grab your trustiest watchdog and join us on our journey through Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. We talk about our favorite puns, which wacky character would best represent us, and whether or not the book has imperialist undertones(!).

*DISCLAIMER* This episode on Percy Jackson is not suitable for kids. We dive into the origins of the Greek myths featured in the book, which often have violent and/or sexual themes. There may also be some cursing because Chelsey got carried away. Enter if you dare...

Hey there, Cloudpelt (aka Chelsey) speaking. Put your paws together for this fun (and furry) episode on the first book of the Warrior Cats series.

This is our first podcast episode woohoo! Shoutout to Professor Melissa Jensen for inspiring this project, and Ella Rowen for the theme song music.