Podcast appearances and mentions of adrienne kress

Comic Reviews: DC o        Gotham City Sirens 1 by Leah Williams, Matteo Lolli, Triona Farrell Marvel o        Blood Hunters 1 by Erica Schultz, Robert Gill, Rain Beredo o        Spider-Man: Black Suit and Blood 1 by J.M. DeMatteis, Elena Casagrande; Alyssa Wong, Fran Galan; Dustin Nguyen; J. Michael Straczynski, Sumit Kumar, Craig Yeung, Dono Sanchez-Almara o        Uncanny X-Men 1 by Gail Simone, David Marquez, Matt Wilson o        Venom War 1 by Al Ewing, Iban Coello, Frank D'Armata; Al Ewing, Carlos Nieto, Frank D'Armata o        Marvel Unlimited §  Dogpool 3 by Mackenzie Cadenhead, Enid Balam §  Savage Wolverine 1 & 2 by Tom Bloom, Devmalya Pramanik Boom o        Garfield 1 by Ryan Estrada, Sarah Graley, Axur Eneas o        Red Before Black 1 by Stephanie Phillips, Goran Sudzuka, Ive Svorcina Dark Horse o        Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time 1 by Cullen Bunn, Andrea Mutti, Valerio Alloro o        Prodigy: Slaves of Mars 1 by Mark Millar, Stefano Landini, Michele Assarasakorn IDW o        Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Manda by Jake Lawrence o        Monster High: New Scaremester 1 by Jacque Aye, Caroline Shuda Image o        C.O.W.L. 1964 1 by Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel, Rod Reis o        Cyber Force: Shootout by Billy Muggelberg, Bruno Abdias, John Starr o        Ore: A Starhenge Graphic Novella by Liam Sharp o        Power Fantasy 1 by Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard Mad Cave o        Kosher Mafia 1 by David Hazan, Sami Kivela Oni o        EC: Cruel Universe 1 by Matt Kindt, Kano; Corinna Bechko, Caitlin Yarsky, Michael Atiyeh; Chris Condon, Jonathan Case; Ben H. Winters, Artyom Topilin, Brittany Peer OGN Countdown o        A Phone Call Away by Rich Douek, Russell Olson o        Cat on the Run Vol 2: Cucumber Madness by Aaron Blabey o        Life in the Present by Liz Climo o        HoverGirls by Geneva Bowers o        Beneath by Steven DeKnight, Michael Gaydos, Toben Racicot o        Bendy: Dreams Come to Life by Christopher Hastings, Adrienne Kress, Alex Arizmendi o        We are Big Time by Hena Khan, Safiya Zerrougul o        Unico: Awakening by Samuel Sattin, Osamu Tezuka, GuriHiru o        Molly and the Bear: An Unlikely Pair by Bob Scott, Vicki Scott o        Loving, OH by Matthew Erman, Sam Beck o        How it All Ends by Emma Hunsinger o        Pet Wizards by Kirk Scroggs Additional Reviews: My Neighbor Necromancer, Legends of Tomorrow final season, surprise reality TV review (Blue Ribbon Baking Championship), Trap, Stephen King's Holly News: David Lynch retirement, HBO sneak peak, Box Office records, D23, Avatar 3 title, Inside Out spinoff series, Monster Trucks movie, Toy Story 5 plot, Hoppers, Incredibles 3 by Brad Bird, Zootopia 2 details and casting, DD s2 confirmed, Iron Heart, Marvel animation news for X-Men/Spidey/What If, Disney Parks announcements, new Transformers all-ages OGN from Skybound, Omninews, James Wan rebooting Creature From the Black Lagoon Ray pitches Inside Out 3 Trailers: Moana 2, Win or Lose, Agatha All Along, Skeleton Crew, Snow White, Mufasa Comics Countdown (07 August 2024): 1.     Deviant 7 by 2.     Birds of Prey 12 by Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, Sophie Campbell, Gavin Guidry, Jordie Bellaire 3.     Power Fantasy 1 by Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard 4.     Public Domain 7 by Chip Zdarsky, Rachael Stott 5.     Uncanny X-Men 1 by Gail Simone, David Marquez, Matt Wilson 6.     C.O.W.L. 1964 1 by Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel, Rod Reis 7.     Boy Wonder 4 by Juni Ba, Chris O'Halloran 8.     Space Ghost 4 by David Pepose, Jonathan Lau, Andrew Dalhouse 9.     Kosher Mafia 1 by David Hazan, Sami Kivela 10.  Doctor Strange 18 by Jed MacKay, Pasqual Ferry  

Episode Notes S4E24 -- Join us as we dive into the mind of Actress Adrienne Kress & Director Scott Leaver. As they take us on their journey for "The Devil Comes at Night" Adrienne Kress - is an actor and author residing in Toronto, Canada. She has an honours BA in theatre from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of LAMDA's post-graduate classical acting programme in the UK. Scott Leaver -- Scott Leaver is an Actor, Writer & Director known for The Devil Comes at Night (2023), Murdoch Mysteries (2008) and Fare Trade (2017) NEWS FLASH You can now purchase Toking with the Dead full novel here https://a.co/d/7uypgZo https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../toking.../1143414656... You can see all your past favorite episodes now streaming on https://redcoraluniverse.com/ OR Show your support by purchasing FB stars. Send stars to the stars fb.com/stars This episode is sponsored by Deadly Grounds Coffee "Its good to get a little Deadly" https://deadlygroundscoffee.com ————————————————— https://www.stilltoking.com/ Check out Toking with the Dead Episode 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awhL5FyW_j4 Check out Toking with the Dead Episode 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaUai58ua6o Buy awesome Merchandise! https://www.stilltoking.com/toking-with-the-dead-train https://teespring.com/stores/still-toking-with Sponsorship Opportunities https://www.stilltoking.com/become-a-sponsor or email us at bartlett52108@gmail.com thetokingdead@gmail.com ————————————— Follow our guest Scott Leaver: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1993983/ https://ca.linkedin.com/in/scott-leaver-076273180 https://twitter.com/scottleaver7?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/scottleaver/?hl=en Adrienne Kress: http://www.adriennekress.com/ https://www.instagram.com/adriennekress/ https://twitter.com/adriennekress https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058313603703 ———————— Follow Still Toking With and their friends! https://smartpa.ge/5zv1 https://thedorkeningpodcastnetwork.com/ ————————————— Produced by Leo Pond and The Dorkening Podcast Network https://TheDorkening.com Facebook.com/TheDorkening Youtube.com/TheDorkening Twitter.com/TheDorkening Dead Dork Radio https://live365.com/station/Dead-Dork-Radio-a68071 MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS: Adrienne Kress: She's the author of the award winning and internationally published children's novels Alex and the Ironic Gentleman and Timothy and the Dragon's Gate (Scholastic). She has also published several YA novels: Outcast (Diversion Books), her quirky paranormal romance, the Steampunk adventure The Friday Society (Penguin), and Hatter Madigan: Ghost in the H.A.T.B.O.X., an exciting collaboration with NY Times bestselling author Frank Beddor. Most recently she completed her absurdist adventure trilogy The Explorers (Random House) and is the author of the horror YA novel Dreams Come To Life (Scholastic), based in the world of the Bendy and the Ink Machine video game. She also wrote, produced and directed the play A Weekend in the Country for both the Summerworks Festival in Toronto, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. And is also the co-writer/director/producer of the webseries Ryan Gosling Must Be Stopped. Some of her recent TV/Film acting credits include the horror flicks Neverknock (SyFy), The Devil's Mile (Grover's Mill) and Wolves (directed by David Hayter), and the television shows American Gods (Starz) and Lost Girl (SyFy). Find out more at https://still-toking-with.pinecast.co

Originally Aired: 06/09/23 – We review Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. We talk with actor Jewel Staite of Family Law and also with writer/actor Adrienne Kress & writer/director Scott Leaver of The Devil Comes at Night The post Geek Hard Episode 678 – Transformers Break the Law at Night appeared first on Geek Hard.

Originally Aired: 06/09/23 – We review Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. We talk with actor Jewel Staite of Family Law and also with writer/actor Adrienne Kress & writer/director Scott Leaver of The Devil Comes at Night The post Geek Hard Episode 678 – Transformers Break the Law at Night appeared first on Geek Hard.

Adrienne Kress & Scott Leaver, 2/3 of the creators behind the upcoming The Devil Comes at Night, join Andy to talk about finding ways to shut off, horror's ability to work with a low budget, and Edward Gorey. Intro music is "String Anticipation" by Cory Gray.

She's baaaacck!! Niki has come back to us to give us a book report, despite having some studying to still do, she wanted to bring us a heavy hitter! This week, Niki brings you Bendy and The Ink Machine: Dreams Come True by Adrienne Kress. Tyler then follows in with a new trilogy, starting with Borderlands (the first one of course!) We are so excited to be reunited and bring you this episode! We hope you love this one!! Sources: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2K_games https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderlands_(video_game) Linktree: https://linktr.ee/pageandbuttonspodcast --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pageandbuttonspodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pageandbuttonspodcast/support

Adrienne Kress is a writer and an actress born and raised in Toronto. She is the daughter of two high school English teachers, and credits them with inspiring her love of both writing and performing. She is the author of The Explorers series, including the new book The Explorers: The Quest for the Kid. She also has a second book coming out this month called Bendy and the Ink Machine: Dreams Come to Life. To find out more about Adrienne, visit AdrienneKress.com and follow @AdrienneKress on Twitter and Instagram.

Adrienne Kress is a writer and an actress born and raised in Toronto. She is the daughter of two high school English teachers, and credits them with inspiring her love of both writing and performing. She is the author of The Explorers series, including the new book The Explorers: The Quest for the Kid. She also has a second book coming out this month called Bendy and the Ink Machine: Dreams Come to Life. To find out more about Adrienne, visit AdrienneKress.com and follow @AdrienneKress on Twitter and Instagram.

For the holiday season I decided to make a super cut of answers to the final question I ask "If you could have everyone in the world realize, accept or understand one thing, what would it be?"  I used 12 answers and kept them pretty short, but I hope it's a little inspiration heading into the New Year! We have answers from: Graham Clark, Shawn Hogan, Adrienne Kress, Boomer Phillips, Erin Keaney, Shaun Proulx, Courtney Gilmour, Jay Brody, Rebecca Kohler, Illvibe, Tiffany Pratt, and Jon Dore!

- Did you know that one in four Canadians is a family caregiver? Canada Cares Founder Caroline Tapp-McDougall tells us about some interesting stats relating to health risks when it comes to caregiving, and an event celebrating family caregivers from coast-to-coast. Canada Cares and the Alzheimer Society of Toronto presents: Jukebox Beatles Tribute Band - Enter to win 2 tickets here: http://www.whatshesaidradio.com/what-she-said/contest-canada-cares-and-the-alzheimer-society-of-toronto-presents-jukebox-beatles-tribute-band - Award winning author Adrienne Kress​ on her book being adapted into a Disney film ​by Michael​ ​De​ ​Luca. Get 'The Explorers:​ ​The​ ​Door​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Alley​’ here: http://www.adriennekress.com - Movie/TV reviews with film critic Anne Brodie - http://www.twitter.com/annebrodie - Pay with #Masterpass for a fast, simple & secure online checkout! Listen to Lena​ tells us more - https://masterpass.com/en-ca/ - Stephanie Ray on her Toronto-based e-commerce retailer Grayes​ that is providing women with trendy workwear essentials, all of which is designed, cut and sewn in factories in the Greater Toronto Area. Learn more: http://www.grayes.com - Singer/songwriter Melissa Bel​ performs 'Big Boys Don't Cry' in our LIVE #StudioSessions - get the track here: http://melissa-bel.com SUBSCRIBE to What She Said and watch interviews & more: http://www.youtube.com/WhatSheSaidTalk Miss a show? Stream & download full shows for free on iTunes: http://www.apple.co/1U700c0 Follow us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @WhatSheSaidTalk Website: http://www.whatshesaidtalk.com What She Said! with Christine Bentley & Kate Wheeler airs Saturday and Sunday at 10-11PM ET on Jewel 88.5 Toronto. Listen LIVE on the APP: http://www.streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/CKDX

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between podcast! If you are a middle grade teacher, a librarian, a parent of a child between 8 and 12 - or anyone who just loves to chat about kids’ books - then you are in the right spot!  Our focus is generally middle grade books but occasionally we veer into picture books or YA.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher and enjoying our Spring Break! It’s been low key but relaxing. This is Episode #22 and Today I am welcoming author Adrienne Kress to the show and then chatting about three fantastic books featuring famous people or people who should be famous. Main Topic - Interview with Adrienne Kress Today I am honored to welcome Adrienne Kress. She is the author of the newly released action-adventure mystery called The Explorers: The Door in the Alley. And in our conversation we chat about traveling, the difference between writing Young Adult vs. Middle Grade, and high tea. Take a listen. A few weeks ago as I was preparing to read The Explorers and I knew we would be chatting, I hopped on your website and whoa! You are a woman of many talents - not only an author but an actor, a playwright, producer/director… How do those roles all work together? What is your day like? I was reading your bio section in the back of the book and you mention that both of your parents are English teachers and yet I read an article where you described yourself as a reluctant reader as a child. What was that like for you? Let’s talk about The Explorers ! Your middle grade book is coming out Tuesday, April 25th. Tell us what it’s about! I am excited to get the final version and see the artwork - not only how the artist envisioned the characters and setting, but I was really intrigued by the placement on the pages… Can you tell a bit about that process? One of the things that fascinated me about The Explorers Society with the huge multi-floor library built around this giant tree and rooms dedicated to the interests of the explorers. One person explores deserts and one focuses on leaves and another one is interested in sewers. If you were to join the Explorers Society, what would you dedicate your life to exploring? You ended this novel with one heck of a cliffhanger!!! When is Book 2 coming out? Do you know yet? Not only do you write middle grade books, but you also have YA books out as well. When you set out to write a book, do you already know ahead of time whether it will be Young Adult or Middle Grade? What is that process like for you? Coffee or Tea? What is your reading life like now?  What have you read lately that you’ve really liked? If people wanted to follow you and find out more about your work , where should they go?   Book Talk - Three Books Featuring Famous People or People Who Should Be Famous In this section of the show, I share with you three books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week we are focusing on stories about amazing people - both historical and modern. They are Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, Who Wins? 100 Historical Figures Go Head-to Head, and Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls This week I’ll start with Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls. I’m almost embarrassed to admit where I saw this book first. Umm… it was a Facebook ad. I guess that tells you two things - 1) I spend too much time on Facebook and 2) Facebook knows me disturbingly well!  And - and I guess I’ll add a third - sometimes Facebook ads really do work. I saw Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls scroll across my feed and thought - “Yes! I want that book for my daughters. But - I also want it for me.”  So, let me tell you about it. It is 100 tales of extraordinary women illustrated by 60 female artists from all around the world. It’s written by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo - both women entrepreneurs whose idea for this book stemmed from the fact they wished they had grown up with more female role models. The book became the most funded book in crowdfunding history. Here are three things to love about Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls: How each one-page biography is written like a mini fairy tale. It’s such a different take on a biography compilation. Let me give you a few examples: “Once there was a little girl who didn’t speak for five years. She thought her words could hurt people and promised herself to never make a peep again. Her name was Maya.” That’s Maya Angelou.  Here’s another one. “Once there was a girl who wanted to drive a car. She lived in Saudi Arabia, a country where religious rules forbid women from driving. One day she decided to break the rules.” - That’s Manal Al-Sharif, the women’s rights activist. I just love them - and there’s something about telling these women’s stories like this that elevates them to a heroic level and makes you feel like you can slay your own dragons. The variety of stories and the women you get to learn about. For instance, the book includes artists like Frida Kahlo and Coco Chanel but also tattoo artist Maud Stevens Wagner. There are well-known political figures like Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Evita Peron but we also get know about Somali politician Fadumo Dayib and Indian Queen and Warrior Lakshmi Bai. There are mathematicians, and surgeons, and drummers, and spies, and chefs, and mountaineers, and one elementary school student - Coy Mathis, born in 2007. And I’ll leave her story for you to discover. And finally - at the very end there is a place to write your own story and draw your own portrait. How powerful is that?   Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls would be a great gift - especially for girls, but could absolutely be enlightening for boys as well. As I was reading some to my daughters, I had my teacher hat partially on and was thinking that this would be great for Women’s History Month next year. We could read one brief story every day and expand our knowledge of some women who should be known and celebrated for their accomplishments. Who Wins? 100 Historical Figures Go Head-to Head Next up this week is 100 Historical Figures Go Head-to Head created by Clay Swartz and illustrated by Tom Booth. This is an awesomely fun mix-and-match flip book set up as a game where we imagine important historical figures competing in a variety of interesting scenarios. It’s a really sturdy spiral bound book made up of three panels. On the left and on the right are the people. The bottom half features a drawing of that person facing inward toward their opponent and some quick descriptors. For example, we have Harry Houdini (Mr. Magic: Entertainer, Illusionist, Adrenaline Junkie) facing off with Cleopatra (Queen of the Nile: Pharaoh, Feminist, Diva). And  - the bottom lists how each person rates across 7 categories: Wealth, Fitness, Wisdom, Bravery, Artistry, Leadership, and Intelligence. For example, Houdini rates as a 7 for wealth and Cleopatra is a 9. Houdini is a 10 for fitness while Cleopatra is only a 6. So you have some basis for debate. Then the top of each side includes a short biography of each person and a couple “Little Known Facts”.  Then - the middle describes the battle scenario. There are things like: Summiting Everest, Slam Dunk Contest, Rap Battle, Brain Surgery, Wrestlemania, Selling the Most Girl Scout Cookies. On this page, Houdini and Cleopatra are going head to head about who could Sneak Into Area 51! Hmmmm….  I don’t know. Houdini’s really good at escaping from places, and didn’t Cleopatra sneak into see someone rolled up in a rug? Or am I just thinking of the Elizabeth Taylor movie and that is actually a myth.  That’s a tough one. But that’s what’s fun about this book!  If you’re not already sold, here are three more awesome reasons to love 100 Historical Figures Go Head-to Head: You - and your kids - are never going to get bored with this book! There are 100,000 possible combinations, and I can attest that with my own kids, the conversation starts with the match-up and then spirals into discussing other situations. And did I mention? It’s full color!! It’s gorgeous and really designed well. The three panels are not just basic rectangles - they are done in a zig-zag pattern that somehow keeps the pages from sliding over each other too much. They nestle together. The potential to springboard some cool projects and discussions off this book! Again, I’ve always got my teacher hat on and I kept thinking that it would be really cool to act some of these out. Thomas Edison vs. Mother Teresa in a Hot Dog Eating Contest! Or… if your school is like mine, we often have a biography unit. Perhaps your students could take their biography subject and give them a rating in a few categories and have them face off in different situations. And it doesn’t have to be a lengthy thing, maybe just a quick find a partner and “Okay, Who would do better living on a desert island? You’ve got two minutes to chat and back up your ideas.”  Or - for your own children, this would be the perfect book to stash in your car. Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring Our last book this week is Spy on History: Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring by Enigma Alberti with illustrations by Tony Cliff.  This is an interactive historical narrative about an African American spy, Mary Bowser, who infiltrated the Confederate administration. She posed as an illiterate slave in Jefferson Davis’ White House during the Civil War and sent information to Union Generals. Truly an unsung hero of American history. This is based on true events and the history is accurate, but it is dramatized into a suspenseful story.  Here are three things to love about Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring: The interactive part. Readers actually get to solve a mystery in this book! It comes with spycraft materials like a cipher wheel, red acetate paper, and a white vellum sheet that when you line it up correctly can be used to help crack the code on certain pages.  It is SO cool! And comes with a sealed answer key if you get stuck. How this book angles history from the perspective of a black enslaved woman. History is told by those in power and for far too long, we have been denied the point of view of most women and most people of color, and I am so glad children get a chance to meet and know Mary Bowser. And finally, what I liked most about this book was that I couldn’t read it. Now, what I mean by that is that I attempted to read it, but it very quickly got snatched out of my hands. I started reading on the couch and as soon as the words, “OOOoooo...there’s codes in this…” came out of my mouth, my daughters were huddled behind me reading over both my shoulders. Then… they climbed over the back of the couch and into my lap to “help” me flip through the pages. And then they saw the grid of letters and snatched it away to go solve it without me! Argh! Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring is a little bit like a combination of a Mail order Mystery and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. If you know a kid who loves a mystery, who loves cracking a code, who loves a suspenseful story - then this one is a winner. A couple quick announcements before we close today. I’ve skipped the Question & Answer segment the last couple of weeks mainly because I didn’t want to have the episodes run too long. I know several of you have sent questions. Thank you! And I’ll be back on track answering those next time. Also - I discovered new website for you to check out! It’s teacherswhoread.blogspot.com It just launched a few weeks ago and it’s a great site if you’re looking for more middle book recommendations or engaging literacy ideas to try out in your school. Closing Alright - that’s it for our show this week. If you have a question about how to connect middle grade readers to books they will love or an idea about a guest we should have or a topic we should cover, I really love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of the show along all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks again and see you in two weeks!  Bye! http://teacherswhoread.blogspot.com http://www.adriennekress.com

Intro   Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a 5th grade teacher, a mom of two daughters, and happy to be DONE with 2016 and onward to 2017! Typically we have a New Year’s Eve party at our house - last year was a disco theme - but this time my kids were not feeling so great and instead we had a quiet night. I set up my new bullet journal with my reading goals, played canasta with my kids, crocheted, and just cuddling on the couch under the heating blanket. I know - NOT a very cool New Year’s Eve celebration. But - it was wonderful and I hope yours was as well. So - hello to 2017!   This is Episode #14 and today we are discussing some fun reading challenge ideas to kick off your new year, the most anticipated middle grade books coming out in 2017, and I’ll answer a question about what books to recommend for a 5th grader who has a high school reading level.   Main Topic - Reading Challenges for the New Year   One of the best things about the New Year is the reset that happens when December flips over into January and you have a full twelve months laid out in front of you with all the possibilities in the world! You’re past the indulgences of the holidays and ready to refocus, make some resolutions, build better habits, and set some goals.  So today I’m going to talk about a few fun ideas for reading challenges this year that can help you connect with your community, keep you motivated, and maybe spur you to stretch yourself as a reader in 2017.   Now our conversation today is geared toward personal reading goals for you, but these same ideas can be shared with the students and the children in your life. And as the lead reader in your library or classroom or home, sharing your own reading goals shows that you take your reading life seriously and that we’re all in this reading community together. I know that my first day back with my class, I’ll be sharing my Reading Challenge list with my students and helping them set up their own. So - if you are thinking about doing a reading challenge this year, here are a few ideas for you:   Challenge Idea #1 - Set a number goal.  Maybe that’s forty books or sixty books or a hundred books! Something that’s a bit of a stretch but still doable for you.  Last year, I participated in the #SixtyBooks Challenge  - I happened to see the hashtag last January and I thought, “I can do that!” And it’s been fantastic. One thing that kept me motivated was connecting to others doing the same challenge on Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. So - if you decide to do any kind of challenge, connecting with other readers through social media helps keep you stay excited about it through the year. And if you want to join me this year, just check out #SixtyBooks and we can support each other!   Challenge Idea #2 - Set a goal based on type of book.  These can be found all over the internet this time of year. They are usually focused on adult books but you can easily read middle grade books within those categories and maybe make just a couple adjustments.  A really great one is Book Riot’s yearly Read Harder Challenge which this year features tasks like read a debut novel, read a travel memoir, read a superhero comic with a female lead, or  read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative.  Those last two are definitely going on my list.  I’ll leave a link to that in the show notes and what’s nice about the Book Riot challenge is that they have suggestions for each category, a Goodreads group, and in-person meetups throughout the year.     Another Reading Challenge that my friend Emily told me about is the one from PopSugar. They feature 40 book categories with this year’s theme of diversifying and expanding your reading - love it! Some of their reading prompts are a book involving a mythical creature, a book recommended by a librarian (I love that one), a book by or about a person who has a disability, a book with a main character who is a different ethnicity than you, and some fun ones like a book with a red spine or a book set in a hotel. PopSugar also has an extra twenty prompts for those hardcore readers who finish early. They also have a Goodreads group and printable lists, and I’ll link to their site too so you can check that out.   Another 2017 Reading Challenge that I discovered last week is one hosted by a site called Modern Mrs. Darcy. (Now - already with that name - I’m in!) What I really like about this challenge is that there are two paths you can follow: Reading for Fun or Reading for Growth.  Each have just 12 tasks so they are doable and you might even have time to do both! On the Reading for Fun list are topics like a juicy memoir, a book you chose for the cover, and a book by a new favorite author. Those all sound comfy and great. On the other hand, if you want to stretch yourself and go for the Reading for Growth path there are options like a book that addresses current events, a book by an #ownvoices or #diversebooks author, or a Newbery Award winner or Honor book.  That all sounds exactly what I need this year.   Challenge Idea #3 - Create a Reading Time Capsule for the year.  I wish I could remember where I saw this so I could give them proper credit, but this idea is similar to the practice of families jotting down happy memories throughout the year and tucking them into a jar to read on New Year’s Eve. This idea is to jot down favorite quotes and inspiring ideas from the books you’ve read throughout the year. I’m thinking that a nice adaptation would be instead of putting it in a jar, write it down in a journal or if you want to go more 21st century - challenge yourself to post on social media one inspiring quote or idea about every book you’ve read this year.  And that could also make a very cool classroom project.   Challenge Idea #4 - Do a Library Crawl!  Unlike a pub crawl, which is typically done in one night and you can’t bring your kids. Or well, you really shouldn’t bring your kids. A Library Crawl can span the whole year, the summer, or maybe just Spring Break. And it’s way better when you bring your kids!  Basically you challenge yourself to visit a set number of libraries in a set amount of time. Last summer, I was looking for some inexpensive things to do with my girls that would be fun, educational, and get us all out of the house and away from the electronics. So we challenged ourselves to visit 16 libraries during the summer of 2016. And we almost made it! I have a lot more to share with you about Library Crawls, how to do them, some fun ideas, and the unexpected benefits that I think I need to do a whole episode on it.     Challenge Idea #5 - Little Free Library Challenge.  Oh how I love Little Free Libraries!  They are popping up all over my community, my friends are all getting them, my school is putting one up this spring, and that is our family summer project. There are a couple ways you could go about doing a Little Free Library Challenge. One idea is to simply visit as many as you can this year and maybe document your travels on social media. If you go to the Little Free Library website, you can find listings of all your local registered libraries shown right on a map.  If you wanted to extend that into a Pay it Forward challenge, you could donate one book to each Little Free Library you visit.   Challenge Idea #6 - Design Your Own Reading Challenge!  Think of it as a 2017 Choose-Your-Own-Reading-Adventure.  Take the best ideas of the options out there and create something for yourself. And these ideas are easy to layer.  So you can set a number goal, participate in say, the Book Riot challenge or pick your own categories to read from the options you like, and maybe pick up those books while you do your library crawl.     Whatever you decide, get your kids and students involved, too and I’d love to see what you’ve got planned for the year!  You can send me an email at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect on Twitter or Instagram with the handle @Books_Between.   Book Talk - Most Anticipated Middle Grade Books of 2017   In this segment, I share with you a few books centered around a theme. This week I’m highlighting some of the most anticipated books of the upcoming year.  Some are new books in favorites series. Some are by favorite authors. Some are by debut authors. And some just sound fantastic! So, get ready to add to your wish list. And just a reminder - that you can find every book mentioned here AND a picture of the covers AND a link to pre-order them right through the Books Between Podcast link at AlltheWonders.com.  So, no need to scurry and write things down. I’ve got your back, I know you’re busy, so it’s all right there for you.   One quick note before I start - publication dates do change, so while I’ve mentioned the month each book is expected to release - things sometimes change.   All right - let’s get to it!   http://www.readbrightly.com/middle-grade-books-2017/ https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/74235.Middle_Grade_Novels_of_2017   Coming in January…   Scar Island - a new action adventure by Dan Gemeinhart. So if you liked his other novels The Honest Truth or Some Kind of Courage (which I know you did!) , definitely get this one. A new Jerry Spinelli novel - The Warden’s Daughter. It’s set in 1959 Pennsylvania and oh it looks fantastic! Also in January, we’ll get the third Terrible Twos book - The Terrible Two Go Wild by Mac Barnett & Jory John. And the second Audacity Jones Book - Audacity Jones Steals the Show.  AND another Victoria Coe Fenway & Hattie book - the Evil Bunny Gang! If you were a fan of Counting by 7s, like I am - then look for Holly Sloan’s new novel called Short - it’s about a small-for-her-age girl who gets cast as a Munchkin in a production of The Wizard of Oz. So fans of Oz will have something to love in this book, too! One book I’ve been really looking forward to this year is the short story collection put together in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. It’s called Flying Lessons & Other Stories and features authors like Grace Lin, Matt de la Pena, Jacqueline Woodson and so many others. If you’re like me, and part of your Reading Challenge this year is to read more nonfiction and to read more diversely, then there’s two books to look for this January Pathfinders: The Journeys of 16 Extraordinary Black Souls by Tonya Bolden Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Powell.  It’s the story of the civil rights case set up as a novel in verse. That should be amazing. Coming in February …   This time I’ll start with nonfiction: We have Bats: Learning to Fly - the newest volume in the nonfiction graphic novel series called Science Comics. Then we have Kwame Alexander’s latest called The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life. A great nonfiction pairing for fans of Booked and The Crossover. Also in February, the highly anticipated Judd Winnick graphic novel Hilo 3 - huzzah!   And the debut middle grade novel by picture book author and All the Wonders friend Carter Higgins. It’s called A Rambler Steals Home and it’s about baseball, and family, and friendship, and sweet potato fries - it’s incredible - you absolutely need to get this one!  In fact, if you preorder A Rambler Steals Home from the Once Upon a Time Bookstore, Carter has offered to sign it for you before they ship it out to you. It’s a win-win-win! You get a signed copy of an awesome book, you support an independent bookstore, and you support an author you know and love. So, I’ll include that link in the show notes for you. In March, there are four books I am really looking forward to: Gone Camping: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Wissinger, which is the companion book to the 2015 book Gone Fishing. Forget Me Not by debut middle grade author  Ellie Terry featuring a science-loving main character, Calliope, who has Tourette syndrome. A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold This one is about a kid who ends up caring for a baby skunk and tried to convince his mom to let him keep it.  What could go wrong? And - we get a new Nathan Hale book this year!  It’s not a Hazardous Tale’s book. In fact, it’s almost the opposite of that. It’s set in the future and Earth is being attacked by aliens who suck up the energy from electrical devices leaving our civilization under threat. And there’s a robot pony. It’s so different from Hale’s work that I’m familiar with, but it looks original and fresh and amazing and I can’t wait to read it.   In April we have: The first book in a new mystery series by Adrienne Kress called The Explorers: The Door in the Alley. My students are really loving mysteries this year so this will make a great addition to my classroom library. Tito the Bonecrusher by Melissa Thomson. This is the story of a boy who seeks out the help of his favorite lucha-libre wrestler / action star to save his father from being deported to Mexico. That sounds fantastic and funny and... timely!   May is going to be a stellar month for reading: Georgia Rules by Swing Sideways author Nanci Steveson And a new Lisa Graff novel called The Great Treehouse War.  So if you liked Absolutely Almost or Lost in the Sun, look for this one this spring. A new Gordon Korman stand-alone novel called Restart about boy who was a bully who loses his memory and gets a fresh start. What an interesting premise! Another May release that I am so so excited about is Posted by Ms. Bixby’s Last Day author, John David Anderson. I loved Ms. Bixby so much - I can’t wait to see what Anderson has in store for us next! Then there’s a nonfiction book about Hamilton! It’s called Alexander Hamilton: How the Vision of One Man Shaped Modern America by Teri Kanefield And finally - mark your calendars and pre-order Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder because this book has been getting all the buzz. This novel keeps popping up everywhere I look!   In June we have: A 6th Ranger in Time book called Escape from the Great Earthquake   The third book in Phil Bildner’s Rip & Red series!  This one is called Tournament of Champions. My students are going to psyched about this one!   And a second book from A Distance to Home author Jenn Bishop called 14 Hollow Road. It’s about a 6th grade girl whose town is torn apart by a tornado and her family ends up living with the family of her crush, Avery, after both their houses are destroyed.   A fun book in a new non-fiction series called Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive! So, basically the reader is presented with three stories about the natural world and you have to guess which one is the lie. Sounds fun - and good practice for life.     It’s a good thing I have July off from school, because there are some seriously awesome books being released that month: Including a new Comics Squad!  Comics Squad #3: Detention I love these! They’re fun, they’re quick, and they introduce kids to new writers. Another book to look forward to in July is Our Story Begins : Children’s Authors and Illustrators Share Fun, Inspiring, and Occasionally Ridiculous Things They Wrote and Drew as Kids Oh - now that should be good! And also in July, we’ll get Spirit Hunters - the first middle grade novel by Ellen Oh - this one is the first of a new ghost story series. Can’t wait for that! And - I am also excited for July because that’s when Abby Cooper’s second novel, Bubbles, comes out!   In this one, the main character can see other people’s thoughts. Oh god - can you imagine?   August August is going to be fabulous because we get a new Cassie Beasley book. If you liked Circus Mirandus, her new novel is called Tumble & Blue and it’s about a curse, a swamp, and a golden alligator.   So after August, publication dates get a little hazy. BUT - I hear there’s a new Katherine Applegate book coming called Wishtree.  Also - there’s a fourth Al Capone at Alcatraz book coming out in the fall called Al Capone Does My Dishes.   And the Rick Riordon’s third Magnus Chase book: The Ship of the Dead . And the third Mr. Lemoncello's Library - the Great Library Race   And of course - I’ll keep you posted about all the amazing books headed our way so we can stay up to date. Those were some upcoming titles to look forward to in 2017. But. If I had to guess - the one book that you fall in love with this year, that one new book that your kids can’t put down. Is one that isn’t on this list and isn’t even on your radar right now. Most of my favorites of last year, I wasn’t even aware of them this early. And that’s exciting! There is so much to look forward to!   Q & A Our final segment this week is Question & Answer time.   Question: After sharing our Top 20 Middle Grade Books of 2016 list last week, I got this question from Jane: “Do you have an idea what book to get a 10-yr-old boy who reads on a 12th grade level?” And she added, “He is currently into the Warriors series.”   Answer: That can be a tough situation. He CAN read Young Adult or Adult books, but you’ve got to be careful of the content, which might not be okay for a 5th grader.     A quick example / horror story about that: when I used to teach 6th grade in a middle school, one of the reading assessments we gave was a computer program that would determine a reading level and would then print out a recommended list of titles for each kid. Sounds great, right? Well. I noticed that the kids who scored the highest were being recommended A CLOCKWORK ORANGE! I never ripped a piece of paper out of kid’s hand so fast! (Can you imagine if that went home?)   So - anyway - just because the reading level is a good match, does not mean the book is a good fit.   But - there are lots of middle grade books that have a higher reading level. And if he likes Fantasy, then there are some great books that I think he’ll like.  I might try the Wings of Fire series. It has some similarities to Warriors - there are clans and battles and shifting alliances - but it’s dragons instead of cats.  He might really like The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz or maybe The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin or even The Lord of The Rings which is more “high” fantasy.  Another option that a friend recommended is The Riverman Trilogy by Aaron Starmer.   So, Jane - let us know how things go and if you’ve found something that hits the mark.   Closing   Alright, that’s it for the Q&A section this week. If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And when you are there, check out Matthew’s interview with Cozy Classics creators Jack and Holman Wang. I cannot stop reading and rereading these adorable little board books. And, if you are liking our show, I’d love it if you took a second to leave a rating or review on iTunes or Stitcher.   Thanks, Happy New Year, and see you in two weeks!  Bye!

Adrienne is an actor, director and author. Her latest book, The Explorers, was optioned by Disney before it even hit bookshelves!  To find out more about Adrienne, go to her website www.adriennekress.com or check her out on social media: FB, Twitter and Instagram are all @AdrienneKress.

In Episode 3 of Fireside Chat, we dish on the latest movie news and daydream about marrying potential Haymitches Robert Downey, Jr., and Hugh Laurie. (Adam uses this time to examine the steamy photos of Jennifer Lawrence in GQ.) We also chat with Sam Cushion, composer of an unofficial Hunger Games score (see www.districttribute.com) and Adrienne Kress, author of "The Inevitable Decline of Decadence," one of the essays in The Girl Who Was on Fire. Lastly, we get the scoop on the open casting calls in North Carolina from three Hunger Games hopefuls who were in attendance.  

Continuing with our "Sounds of BEA" theme, Lee and I met up with Adrienne Kress while in New York. While Book Expo America proved to be a wonderful time for networking with authors and publishers, as heard here it was also a time for creating new friendships. Adrienne was a blast to interview and also to hang out with for the day. While we could have recorded the entire trip to Central Park and the Empire State Building, and all of it would have been interesting, we chose these fifteen minutes to share. You can find out more about Adrienne here: http://www.adriennekress.com/author.html And you can read her experiences at BEA here: http://ididntchoosethis.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-expo-of-america-2010.html