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On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are taking a look back at their favorite reads of 2020. This year we read the most we had ever read up. to that point, and we had a hard time narrowing down our favorites! Most of these books should be available for you to grab if any interest you after hearing us rave about them four years ago! Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . 10:10 - El Deafo by CeCe Bell (Meredith) 11:20 - Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West (Kaytee) 11:27 - Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 12:23 - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (Meredith) 15:07 - With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (Kaytee) 16:11 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (Meredith) 17:27 - Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (Kaytee) 17:54 - Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi 19:12 - Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Meredith) 21:04 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (Kaytee) 22:50 - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Meredith) 23:05 - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 24:21 - Know My Name by Chanel Miller (Kaytee) 26:15 - The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi (Meredith) 27:55 - The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (Kaytee) 28:29 - Kaytee's minisode interview with Abi Dare 28:57 - All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (Meredith) 30:55 - Lobizona by Romina Russell Garber (Kaytee) 32:42 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Meredith) 34:39 - Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (Kaytee) 36:27 - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (Meredith) 39:45 - Here for It by R. Eric Thomas (Kaytee) 40:52 - Greenwood by Michael Christie (Meredith) 43:33 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Kaytee) 43:36 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. December's IPL is a recap of the 2024 year! Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
Bianca Schulze is the founder and editor of The Children's Book Review—a resource devoted to children's literature and literacy—and the host of The Growing Readers Podcast. Bianca is also the author of DON'T WAKE THE DRAGON which has been translated into 20 languages and is now a six-book series, as well as 101 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU GROW UP which is an Amazon Editors' pick for Best Nonfiction for Kids. She also a wife and the mother of three kids! In our conversation today we discussed:* How to raise readers in your household* How to foster a love of reading within your family* Her Top 5 book recommendations for 2024* The Children's Book Review journey from blog to important literary resource* How she came to write her earliest books* Classic holiday stories for families* How parents can work with kids who are struggling to find reading enjoyable—Where to find Bianca Schulze* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancaschulze/* Website: https://www.biancaschulze.com/* The Children's Book Review: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/Where to find Adam Fishman* FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/—In this episode, we cover:[1:38] Welcome[2:19] Professional background[4:05] Family[5:13] Children's book review evolution[8:11] How does being an author inform your work?[10:25] Don't Wake the Dragon Series[14:27] Inspiration for 101 Books to Read[17:25] Top book recommendations by age[27:55] New releases you're excited about?[29:08] Where to buy all your books[31:41] Classic holiday book recommendations[33:24] How do you choose age level books?[35:29] Using Children's Book Review as a resource[37:05] Trends in children's literature right now[39:17] How to encourage children to love reading[44:24] Diversity/representation in literature[46:45] Growing Readers Podcast[48:44] What's next?[49:46] Advice on how to juggle work & family[53:25] Lightning round[58:43] Thank you—Show references:Children's Book Review: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/Growing Readers Podcast:https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/thegrowingreaderspodcast/Bianca's Published Works: https://www.biancaschulze.com/#published-worksCU Boulder: https://www.colorado.edu/Dragons Love Tacos : https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragons-love-tacos-adam-rubin/1107389326Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, Ashley Mackenzie (Illustrator): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impossible-creatures-katherine-rundell/1143746993The Poisoned King (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Impossible Creatures #2) by Katherine Rundell: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-poisoned-king-katherine-rundell/1146144609Kate DiCamillo: https://www.katedicamillo.com/Priya's Kitchen Adventures: A Cookbook for Kids by Priya Krishna: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/priyas-kitchen-adventures-priya-krishna/1142903399The Yellow Bus by Loren Long: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-yellow-bus-loren-long/1143921425Where Is Koketso?: A Search, Seek & Find by Nyasha Williams, Anna Abl (Illustrator): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/where-is-koketso-nyasha-williams/1144786418The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-remarkable-journey-of-coyote-sunrise-dan-gemeinhart/1128564272Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coyote-lost-and-found-dan-gemeinhart/1143297511BookShop: www.bookshop.orgBarnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-outsiders-s-e-hinton/1100458329Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twas-the-night-before-christmas-clement-clarke-moore/1102050730Stick Man by Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler (Illustrator): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stick-man-julia-donaldson/1015184424Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #1) by Jeff Kinney: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-jeff-kinney/1100714716Dog Man (Dog Man Series #1) by Dav Pilkey: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dog-man-dav-pilkey/1123324195Harry Potter: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:(Harry Potter Series #1) by J. K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-j-k-rowling/1143017727The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set by C. S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes (Illustrator): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-chronicles-of-narnia-box-set-c-s-lewis/1100542419Noise canceling headphones: https://www.bose.com/c/holiday-saleInside Out: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2096673/Inside Out 2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22022452/Edward Scissorhands: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099487/—For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.com Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com
On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: utilizing AI and getting back into the library swing of things Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: our most huggable books The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . . 1:29 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 4:01 - Lake Travis Community Library 5:52 - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson 7:01 - Our Current Reads 7:22 - The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao (Kaytee) 7:35 - The King's English Bookshop 9:28 - The Change by Kirsten Miller 10:21 - The Unrelenting Earth by Kritika H. Rao 11:15 - The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (Meredith) 13:00 - @thewilltoread on Instagram 15:54 - The Stand by Stephen King 17:13 - Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Kaytee) 19:14 - World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukamatathil 21:25 - The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (Meredith) 22:35 - Final Girls by Riley Sager 24:37 - Currently Reading Patreon 25:22 - Faebound by Saara El-Arifi (Kaytee) 25:32 - The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory 29:16 - Fairyloot 31:26 - We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer (Meredith) 35:31 - @booktalketc on Instagram 35:32 - Book Talk, Etc podcast 37:32 - Deep Dive: Our Most Huggable Books 38:28 - All The Only People by Mike Gayle 38:29 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 38:30 - The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin 39:12 - Sipsworth by Simon Van Booey 39:25 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher 39:51 - The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 40:05 - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 40:36 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart 40:38 - Charlotte's Web by E.B White 41:18 - The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan 41:28 - The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili 41:53 - Babel by R.F. Kuang 42:35 - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara 42:29 - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 42:56 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 43:28 - Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan 43:56 - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 44:14 - Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley 45:06 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker 45:19 - The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese 45:46 - All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker 46:03 - Happy Place by Emily Henry 46:29 - Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 46:32 - Matrix by Lauren Groff 48:48 - Meet Us At The Fountain 48:55 - I wish that we always live in a world where women are celebrated (Kaytee) 56:37 - I wish everyone would try a book flight (Meredith) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. August's IPL comes to us from The King's English Bookshop in Utah! Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
Dan Gemeinhart is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the middle-grade novels The Midnight Children, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, The Honest Truth, Some Kind of Courage, Scar Island, and Good Dog. A former elementary teacher-librarian and lifelong reader, he lives with his wife and three daughters in a small town in Washington state.https://dangemeinhart.com/index.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/dangemeinhartbooks/https://www.instagram.com/dangemeinhart/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dan Gemeinhart is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the middle-grade novels The Midnight Children, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, The Honest Truth, Some Kind of Courage, Scar Island, and Good Dog. A former elementary teacher-librarian and lifelong reader, he lives with his wife and three daughters in a small town in Washington state. https://dangemeinhart.com/index.html https://www.facebook.com/dangemeinhartbooks/ https://www.instagram.com/dangemeinhart/
On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Mary are discussing: Bookish Moments: book recs that land with non readers and Kaytee meeting an octopus! Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: how we recommend books to readers outside our own wheelhouses The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) . . . . . Season 6, Episode 45 1:27 - Our Bookish Moments of the Week 1:50 - Happy Place by Emily Henry 6:52 - Our Current Reads 6:59 - Ready or Not by Cara Bastone (Mary) 10:41 - Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery (Kaytee) 10:50 - The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht (Fabled link, not available on Bookshop) 11:14 - Secrets of the Whales by Brian Skerry 11:16 - Secrets of the Elephants by Paula Kahumbu and Claudia Geib 11:33 - The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery 13:45 - Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (Mary) 15:51 - Boswell Books 16:55 - Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart (Kaytee) 17:01 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart 17:13 - Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love by isthisselfcare 22:25 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Mary) 25:51 - Drowning by T.J. Newman (Kaytee) 25:57 - Falling by T.J. Newman 26:02 - CR Season 5: Episode 41 30:12 - Deep Dive: How To Recommend Books Outside Your Wheelhouse 32:21 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 32:23 - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gayle Honeycutt 36:24 - This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel 36:30 - The Guncle by Steven Rowley 36:44 - Starter Villain by John Scalzi 36:46 - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 36:52 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 39:31 - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty 39:55 - All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle 41:19 - Breathless by Amy McCulloch 41:43 - The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer 44:29 - Drowning by T.J. Newman 48:55 - Meet Us At The Fountain 48:59 - I wish people would give slow and steady reading a try. (Mary) 49:35 - Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 51:30 - I wish everyone would keep a readerly profile. (Kaytee) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. June's IPL comes to us from our anchor store Schuler Books in West Bloomfield, Michigan. All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the special insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!
Dan Gemeinhart talks with guest host Joel Brigham about his latest book, Coyote Lost and Found, and the process of creating a companion book to The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. He emphasizes the importance of voice in writing and the challenges of capturing a unique voice for each character. Dan shares his experience as a writer, discussing the challenges and joys of the writing process. Dan encourages writers to keep trying and not get discouraged by rejections, and to focus on the love of storytelling rather than just the goal of getting published. I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm. For the same price as other major audiobook providers, you can find all your favorites as well as curated lists of audiobooks written by or recommended by guests of the Middle Grade Matters podcast. Click here to learn more! Consider buying your books from the Middle Grade Matters Bookshop, where proceeds support this podcast as well as independent bookstores everywhere. For bonus content and info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow Middle Grade Matters on Instagram and Twitter.If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to follow us and please leave us a review.
In this insightful interview, acclaimed middle-grade author Dan Gemeinhart discusses his highly anticipated standalone companion novel Coyote Lost and Found, the follow-up to his beloved bestseller The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. Gemeinhart reflects on the evolution of the complex relationship between his resilient protagonist Coyote and her grief-stricken father Rodeo while also exploring the poignant themes of loss, healing, and finding one's place in the world that are woven throughout both narratives. The #1 New York Times-bestselling author also offers a glimpse into his creative process, from drawing inspiration from his lifelong love of reading to the challenges of seamlessly incorporating timely elements like the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Gemeinhart discusses his upcoming picture book Once Upon a Friend and the distinct approaches required for crafting middle-grade novels versus picture books. With his signature blend of heart, humor, and authenticity, Gemeinhart provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at his acclaimed body of work and the powerful messages he aims to impart to young readers. This episode is a must-listen for fans of Gemeinhart's beloved stories as well as anyone interested in the craft of writing impactful children's literature. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review (coming soon). Order a Copy: Coyote Lost and Found on Amazon and Bookshop.org. Once Upon a Friend on Amazon and Bookshop.org. Resources: Find Dan Gemeinhart online at http://dangemeinhart.com. Dan Gemeinhart Talks About: His writing process and influences as an author of middle grade novels The evolution of the relationship between the main character Coyote and her father Rodeo across the two books The themes of grief, healing, and finding one's place in the world that are central to the narratives Dan's upcoming picture book Once Upon a Friend and the differences between writing middle grade novels versus picture books The potential for the first Coyote book to be adapted into a film --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thechildrensbookreview/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thechildrensbookreview/support
Welcome back to the KPL podcast 2024. We begin the new year with author and fellow librarian Julie Chavez and talk about her memoir, Everyone But Myself. An elementary school librarian and mother of two boys, shines a light on motherhood and mental health by sharing an unflinchingly honest account of her experiences with panic and anxiety—and her path to finding her way back from the edge.Author Recommendations1. Shark Heart by Emily Habeck2. If You Want to Make God Laugh by Bianca Marais3. Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll4. These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant5. Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth6. The Seven Husbands for Evelyn Reid by Taylor Jenkins Reid7. The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber8. The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley9. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley10. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart11. After the Fall by Dan Santat
SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon!I'm thrilled to introduce you to our new contributor voice to the Book Gang podcast. Jessica Bearak is likely a familiar voice to you because she is such a loyal participant in so many book club spaces around the web. It was such a treat to meet her IN PERSON earlier this year, and after having the best time discussing our books together, I asked if she could picture herself sharing the microphone with me. Learn more about Jessica's reading life and the surprising destination I took her to when she visited that kickstarted our year together. We brainstormed many fun ideas for the days ahead but knew we needed to start things off with a magical hook. What could be better to celebrate this occasion than a book stack filled with found family? Today, we will dive into the concept of the found family trope and its significance in literature and our lives, especially around the holidays. From insights from past guests to the trivia we discovered about some of our favorite beloved stories, there is something for everyone in today's introductory episode. I hope you feel compelled to share this episode and support our new voice today. Check out our BONUS “found family” book list that includes our favorite historical fiction, middle-grade novels, and even a dark psychological thriller with this theme. EDITOR'S NOTE- Thank you to Lynda Cohen Loigman for the gorgeous chat on The Matchmaker's Gift (accidentally missing from this morning's intro!!)Meet Jessica BearakJessica is a lifelong book lover who embarked on her literary journey at three, immersing herself in childhood classics like "The Velveteen Rabbit" and "The Phantom Tollbooth." Jessica actively participates in two in-person book clubs and many online discussions regularly. She has been an invaluable member of the MomAdvice Book Club and joins us as a regular contributing voice.Mentioned in this episode:Joining the Patreon community is an affordable way to support the show and gain access to a wealth of resources, including access to our 2024 MomAdvice Book Club, the FULLY BOOKED buzzy new release show, exclusive author interviews, music playlists, and more! The 2023 MomAdvice Book Club Books (thank you to EVERY AUTHOR who participated!)The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian MillerThe 2024 MomAdvice Book Club Books AnnouncedFound Family Trope Books to Read Now (BONUS BOOK LIST)The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery WilliamsFrom The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E.L KonigsburgThe Phantom Tollbooth by Norton JusterEncyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints by Donald J Sobol (includes the story Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Fighter Kite)Public Library of Saint Joseph CountyWhat Chosen Family Means and How to Build Your OwnMatt Cain's Publishing Journey: The Secret Life of Albert EntwistleThe Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt CainThe Magic of Old Hollywood BooksThe Sunshine Girls by Molly FaderThe Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda SkenandoreBest Books About Hollywood to Get Swept AwayMoloka'i by Alan BrennertDaughter of Moloka'i by Alan BrennertVera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q SutantoStrange Sally Diamond by Liz NugentHow to Use the Storygraph App For a Better Reading Life2023 Summer Reading GuideThe Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan GemeinhartCoyote Lost and Found by Dan GemeinhartThe Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen OakleyThe Spectacular Life Lessons from Books About Road TripsMosquitoland by David ArnoldThe Best Prime Reading Guide (FREE books, including The Second Life of Mirielle West)Amy's Interview with Nathaniel Ian MillerThe Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh Shop the above (Amazon) links or through my Book Gang Bookshop Page!! They pay a 10% commission on every sale and match 10% to independent bookstores.Connect With Us:Get My Happy List NewsletterConnect with Amy on Instagram, TikTok, or MomAdviceConnect With Jessica on InstagramJoin the MomAdvice Book ClubShop Our Bookish Shirts to support the showBuy Me a Coffee (for a one-time donation)
Rhody Recommends brings you a short segment on our off weeks where we tell you what we're reading, watching, and listening to. Everything you hear about in this segment is available at your local library, or freely available online. The teen volunteers at Cranston Public Library recorded book recommendations at the OneCranston Health Equity Zone farmers market this summer. Here's what Cranston has been reading in 2023! Featured in this Episode: OneCranston Health Equity Zone Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith Dog Man by Dav Pilkey The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Ethiopia: Recipes and Traditions from the Horn of Africa by Yohanis Gebreyesus The Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia Postcards From Summer by Cynthia Platt Bittersweet In the Hollow by Kate Pearsall Check out something from the segment? Be sure to let us know what you think! Theme song: Fashion Chill by Coma-Media --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rhodyradio/message
SUPPORT MY WORK through Patreon!Hit the open road with these books about road trips. Let's hop in the getaway car and learn what it takes to write a great Thelma and Louise story with Colleen Oakley.Do you love road trip books? In today's show, we will go on a wildly entertaining road trip with a college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman on the run from the law.Today's Book Gang podcast features an interview with Colleen Oakley discussing her feisty new novel, The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise, which pays tribute to the iconic movie Thelma & Louise. Colleen shares how she aimed to capture various aspects of the film in her story and how her research on police work and investigations informed the development of the missing person case and jewelry heist in the book. We also discuss what it takes to write about two very different generations and why she included Tanner's struggles with chronic pain in her story. Don't miss Colleen's favorite books about road trips in today's bonus book list with a few of my favorite adventures on the open road. We have included joyful stories, thought-provoking adventures, and nonfiction memoirs for your best armchair travel escape. Meet Colleen Oakley Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of five novels, including The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, You Were There Too, Close Enough to Touch, and Before I Go. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages worldwide, lauded by numerous magazines, including People, Us Weekly, Library Journal, and Real Simple, and won multiple awards, including Georgia Author of the Year. Her newest novel THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER & LOUISE, is a GMA Buzz Pick, the April 2023 selection of the Reader's Digest Book Club, the Marie Claire #ReadWithMC Book Club, a LibraryReads pick, and was named a most anticipated book for 2023 by The Today Show, Southern Living, The AJC, NerdDaily, SheReads and more. A former magazine editor for Women's Health & Fitness and Marie Claire, Colleen lives in Atlanta with her husband, four children, a flock of chickens, and a mutt named Baxter.Mentioned in this episode:Joining the Patreon community is an affordable way to support the show and gain access to a wealth of resources, including author interviews and curated book lists. And if you're a fan of the show, sharing it with just one friend, leaving a like, or leaving a review can go a long way in helping the podcast reach new listeners. The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen OakleyThe BEST BOOKS ABOUT ROAD TRIPS Bonus Book List Normal Family by Chrysta BiltonMomAdvice Book ClubNormal Family Book ChatFables BooksThe Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen OakleyYou Were There Too by Colleen OakleyClose Enough to Touch by Colleen OakleyBefore I Go by Colleen OakleyThelma and LouiseTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle ZevinStardew ValleyThe Last Of UsRose the Prude - Golden GirlsThe Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan GemeinhartOne Plus One by Jojo MoyesThe Long Way Back by Nicole BaartSide Trip by Kerry LonsdaleRebecca's Book ReviewsEverything We Keep by Kerry LonsdaleA Day in the Life of a Book PublicistNineteen Minutes by Jodi PicoultConnect With Us:Connect with Colleen Oakley on her Website or InstagramConnect with Amy on Instagram, on TikTok, or MomAdvice.comJoin the MomAdvice Book ClubShop Our Bookish Shirts to support the show
On this episode I am excited to have an interview with my friend, Amy Mann. Amy received a heart transplant four and a half years ago after living with a heart condition known as HCM or Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Amy shares her experience as an immunocompromised individual living through Covid. Amy also shares the exciting advocacy work she is currently involved in. If you haven't already listened to Part 1 of this interview, check that out first!Before we get to our interview I will share what's bringing me more zen lately. I've talked in the past about how I love to read. There are times in my life, however, where focusing on complicated novels is just not in my wheel house. During these times I turn to middle grade books. Here are some I've enjoyed lately: "The Miscalculations of Lightening Girl," by Stacy McAnulty"The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise," by Dan Gemeinhart"When You Reach Me," Rebecca SteadIf you like this episode and would like to help this podcast to grow and reach more listeners here's what you can do to help: Subscribe! You can do this on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.Share your favorite episode with a friendRate and review the podcast by going to your podcast app. Not sure how to do this? Drop me a DM or email or search how to rate and review podcasts on youtubeI'd love to connect with you! You can email me at: YourZenFriendPod@gmail.comor find me on instagram @YourZenFriendPodJoin our private Facebook group where we keep the conversation going! Find it by searching, "Your Zen Friend," in Facebook Groups or here: www.facebook.com/groups/yourzenfriend/For more information on Lauren's counseling services check out: www.LaurenCounseling.comAmy's Bio:Amy is the mother of four wonderful humans and married to a fantastic man named David. She has lived, worked and received an education in both England and the USA . Amy is a former midwife, who worked at a bustling hospital in London, England. In August 2021, Amy moved with her family from Connecticut to Southern California.Amy has extensive experience working for and volunteering for cardiac nonprofits in strategy, project management, and project coordination. Amy is currently volunteering and working on projects relating to cardiac and organ transplant patient advocacy and awareness. Amy is also on a clinical trial steering committee for a biopharmaceutical company that has developed a drug to treat Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. When not volunteering or working on advocacy related to HCM and organ transplants, Amy enjoys swimming, hiking, biking, and yoga. Amy is a qualified Yoga Alliance 200 hrs. yoga teacher. Amy also loves traveling and spending time with her family.Find Amy on TikTok: AmyMann99Find Amy on Instagram: AmyMann999
On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: homeschool book reports and an embarrassment of galleys Current Reads: three books from each of us to fill up your TBRs (or sometimes not) Deep Dive: finding and heeding trigger warnings The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down! We are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). The goal here is to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your laundry detergent, if you recently got obsessed with switching up your laundry game) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!* . . . . 1:36 - Bookish Moment of the Week 1:48 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart 3:35 - Love You Forever by Robert Munsch 4:19 - Netgalley 9:49 - Jackal by Erin Adams 9:51 - Currently Reading Patreon (sign up to access Trope Thursday!) 10:03 - An Unlikely Story 10:51 - Current Reads 11:20 - The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi (Kaytee) 11:40 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 15:20 - Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert (Meredith) 15:26 - Fabled Bookshop 18:25 - Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney 19:42 - The Writing Revolution by Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler (Kaytee) 23:28 - The Silver Crown by Robert C. O'Brien (Meredith) 24:25 - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien 27:49 - We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu (Kaytee) 31:25 - Curfew by Jayne Cowie (Meredith) 36:16 - 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard 37:11 - Deep Dive: All Things Trigger Warnings 43:09 - StoryGraph 44:07 - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi 48:35 - Meet Us At The Fountain I wish that there was a book box subscription that also came with food associated with the book inside. (Kaytee) 49:47 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree 49:56 - Still Life by Louise Penny 50:02 - Sourdough by Robin Sloan 50:09 - Love and Saffron by Kim Fay 51:40 - The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili I wish everybody would try gnod.com (Meredith) 52:35 - gnod.com (gnooks.com specifically for literature) Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading
In this episode, I talk with Dan Gemeinhart, author of the acclaimed novel The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. We discuss his newest middle grade novel, The Midnight Children. Dan Gemeinhart is a former elementary school teacher-librarian and lifelong book nerd. He lives with his wife and three daughters in a small town in Washington State. He's the author of some other books, too: The Honest Truth, Some Kind of Courage, Scar Island, and Good Dog. If he ever meets you, he'd love to talk about books with you. Order copies of The Midnight Children on Bookshop.org or Amazon. Transcription: You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review. Resources: You can visit Dan Gemeinhart at https://dangemeinhart.com. How to Write Stunning Sentences by Nina Schuyler. Discussion Topics: About The Midnight Children. The seed of the idea for the town of Slaughterville. The characters of The Midnight Children. Planting child-friendly nuggets of wisdom within a story. Writing, rewriting, and getting sentences and paragraphs just right. From teacher-librarian to an author and possibly back again someday. Being a reader and the big books of Dan's childhood. Dan Gemeinhart's hopes for readers of The Midnight Children. --- 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/thechildrensbookreview/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thechildrensbookreview/support
People don’t behave logically, but they are illogical in logical ways. What makes you want to turn the page? You know how it is with some books—you just can’t put them down. Fiction, sure, thrillers, mysteries, but that’s not all. Non-fiction books can be page-turners too, even when they don’t seen to have a story. What makes The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up work even for people who never actually tidy up? The page-turning, reader-driving illusion that somehow they will. The Five Love Languages? The drive to figure out—which one am I, and which one are you?Narrative drive is a key element of success in everything from romance (sure, you know the ending, but how are they going to get together?) to memoir to, yes, successful how-to. Your reader should be constantly asking, and then what happened, which means you should be, too. And everything has to contribute to that drive, whether it’s a plot development or an emotional twist. That’s how you pull the reader through each and every chapter.This is the seventh episode in the 10-part Blueprint for a Book Series. Start with Step 1, do the work (we’ll give you an assignment every week), and in 10 weeks, you’ll have a solid foundation for a first draft or revision of your project that will help you push through to “the end”. Find details on the challenge HERE.YOUR ASSIGNMENTFiction and Narrative Memoir:Create a “Because of That” story summary. The Pixar rubric is in your workbook.Nonfiction and Self-Help/Memoir:Draft a table of contents. If you already did that in the last step, refine it. Tables of contents can hold the code for your entire book, so don’t just toss it off! Write two or three sentences to describe each chapter.(Note: We suggest you download a Blueprint answer workbook to keep track of your 10 assignments. That will make it easier to revise, review and come back to your work. Click to grab yours for fiction or nonfiction. If you are writing narrative memoir (a story), use the fiction workbook and assignments. If you are writing self-help/memoir, use the nonfiction workbook and assignments. Prefer paper? Tape the assignment into your journal and make a nice big heading so you know: This is Step 7. This is the page (or pages) with my Because of That Story Summary.)LINKSThe Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Dan GemeinhartThe Five Love Languages, Gary ChapmanThe Other Black Girl, Zakiya Dalila HarrisBlueprint for a Book (Fiction and Memoir)Blueprint for a Nonfiction BookTODAY’S COACHESSara Gentry is a Math Ph.D. turned writer, book lover, and book coach. As an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach, Sara has been trained to help writers craft the story they’ve been wanting to tell. Thanks to her mathematical background, her book coaching strengths include planning project management, analyzing a story’s cohesiveness, and evaluating where a book might fit in the current marketplace. She works with writers across genres and age groups. She has a soft spot for KidLit and humorous adult fiction. Find more at easierwithacoach.com.For more from KJ, subscribe to her newsletter: Read. Eat. Listen. Or grab one of her novels, In Her Boots and The Chicken Sisters, wherever books are sold. Wondering about KJ as a book coach? Her current offerings are HERE. For more from Jennie, subscribe to her weekly newsletter. Or grab one of her Blueprint books, wherever books are sold. You can learn about getting matched with an Author Accelerator book coach or becoming a book coach at authoraccelerator.comThis summer is all about starting a project, but if you already have a novel or memoir manuscript and you’re ready to go ALL IN, you’re going to want to do Author Accelerator’s Manuscript Incubator. Registration is open for the intensive, 7-month coaching opportunity that offers one-on-one support and guidance for novelists and memoirists planning to have a submission-ready project by early 2023—and includes the opportunity to have that project reviewed by a group of agents and editors when it’s ready. For more information, head to authoraccelerator.com/manuscript-incubator. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: a meetup with Megan! and Book Page Magazine Current Reads: middle grade and horror and Enneagram and magical realism. We've got it all! Deep Dive: Palate cleansers and one-night stand books Book Presses: a middle grade fantasy gem a great one-night stand As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down! New: we are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). These are generated by AI, so they may not be perfectly accurate, but we want to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your dishwasher detergent!) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!* . . . . 2:41 - Currently Reading Patreon 1:29 - Bookish Moment of the Week 6:44 - BookPage 7:43 - Current Reads 7:51 - The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova (Kaytee) 10:55 - Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (Meredith) 11:03 - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 16:17 - Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff (Kaytee) 19:04 - The Road Back To You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile 19:22 - The Enneagram Made Simple by Ashton Whitmoyer-Ober (Meredith) 19:28 - Ashton's Instagram @enneagramashton 21:55 - The Journey Towards Wholeness by Suzanne Stabile (Meredith pt2) 23:27 - Ain't Burned All The Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin (Kaytee) 28:14 - Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi 29:35 - White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson (Meredith) 29:49 - Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson 32:37 - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 33:06 - Home Before Dark by Riley Sager 34:26 - The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon 34:39 - Deep Dive: One Night Stand Books 35:07 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow 35:45 - Pretty Little Wife by by Darby Kane 39:05 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart 40:19 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker 41:07 - The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley 41:19 - The Last by Hanna Jameson 41:59 - Turn of the Screw by Henry James 42:00 - Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware 42:27 - The Stranger by Harlan Coben 42:48 - Verity by Colleen Hoover 43:44 - An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen 45:08 - Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber 46:17 - Books We'd Like to Press Into Your Hands 46:37 - Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (Kaytee) 47:50 - Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston 48:31 - Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven (Meredith) 50:14 - Lord of the Flies by William Golding 50:24 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast
Reading may be an isolated activity, but like so many of us, we long for friendships with people that share our love of books and stories. Where do we find them? Kim Tanner is a teacher, and a dedicated reader who was determined to establish her own reading community of Kindred Spirits through #bookstagram. Kim has been a member of our Petal Club community and established a strong connection to our readers. Her desire to read widely and have solid friendships is something she has in common with SO many of us - I hope you enjoy her story and feel inspired to reach out, be your authentic self and find your people. Today's episode is brought to you by the 2022 DCBC Reading Challenge - get out of your reading funk and join us as we cross new categories off the list and discover new writers and titles. Email me at brandi@daisychainbook.co to receive your free PDF and get reading! Books Discussed: Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt The Guernsey and Literary Peel Pie Society by Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Greenglass House by Kate Milford Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus Our bookstore offers audiobooks which you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS. Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or email me at brandi@daisychainbook.co If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful new store! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.
In this episode, Nicole recaps her take on the Miss Universe pageant, and shares some new books that she's currently cataloging. Tori shares a young adult read and a juvenile read that both require tissues! The resources discussed in this episode are listed below: Not The Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher; Not That Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher; What Happens In Vegas (2008) movie; My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris; Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys; The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart; Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein; The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate; West Side Story (2021) movie; Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon anime
It seems like only yesterday our moms were nagging us to read, read, read! Now, here we are, moms of two and finding ourselves doing the same. Why is reading so important, and how do we get our kids to start reading and maybe even enjoy it? Join us as we talk to Kelly Hiltz, kindergarten teacher and mom of two. Kelly will give all the details on why reading is important, how to inspire reading amongst our kids, and some book recommendations that might entice our young ones to "pick up a book already"! Patreon | Love what you're hearing? Help fund ongoing episodes through donations as little as $1/month. Learn more here! Leave a review | When you leave a five star iTunes review, it helps others with similar interests and passions find us when they're looking for new content. Thank you in advance! Resources and Show Notes Kelly's Interviews with The Mom Hour: Kindergarten Readiness & Parent Teacher Relationships (voices episode 23) Freaking Out Less about Kindergarten, COVID Learning Loss & Elementary School Academics (voices episode 60). You can find her on Instagram @askateachermom or on her blog @askateachermom (Instagram) Book Recommendations By Grade: Preschool Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney Corduroy by Don Freeman Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin and James Dean (series) Press Here by Herve Tullet Good Morning Superman by Michael Dahl (series) Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (series) Anything by Todd Parr or Eric Carle Read Alouds Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashi Harrison The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed Shark Lady by Jess Keating The Alien Next Door by AI Newton (series) Beginning Readers/Early Chapter Books Let's Go For a Drive by Mo Willems (Elephant and Piggie series) Hi Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (series) Hi Jack by Mac Barnett (series) The Doghouse by Jan Thomas (series) Meet Yasmin by Saadia Faruqi (series) Ling and Ting Not Exactly the Same by Grace Lin (series) Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo (series) Second and Third Grade *Continue to read to them if they are still into it, choose books you both enjoy *Allow them to fully choose their own independent books Lola Levine is Not Mean by Moncia Brown (series) Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro (series) Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey (series) (great for reluctant readers but some reviewers think it's violent so look through it first if you are sensitive to those kind of things) Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon (series) Humphrey's Really Wheely Racing Day by Betty Birney and Priscilla Burris (series) Fourth and Fifth Grade *thanks Amber for the recommendations @IowaAmberReads on instagram, lots of good middle grade and adult recommendations Babysitters Club Graphic Novels by Gale Galligan, Raina Telgemeier, Ann M. Martin (series) Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd New Kid by Jerry Craft (and the sequel Class Act) Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (series) The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (and the sequel The One and Only Bob) From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks Front Desk by Kelly Yang The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (recommend this author) Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan Audiobooks Overdrive or Libby App to get audiobooks from the library Scribd (9.99 a month for unlimited audiobooks and they have lots of great kids ones, also 1 month free trial) Audiobooks my almost 2nd grader has enjoyed: Ma...
Hey, hey, hey! Welcome to our Mid-Week review
Twelve-year-old Coyote and her father rush to Poplin Springs, Washington, in their old school bus to save a memory box buried in a park that will soon be demolished. This title is intended for tweens and is suitable for most audiences. Recorded with permission of Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan. Click here to see this title in the Houston Public Library catalog.
On this week’s episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing our top 10 books of the year that wouldn’t end. We don’t include our regular segments in these Best of Episodes in the interest of time. We hope that you love this list! It might help you identify if one of us is your book twin. Or if you want to add something to your 2021 TBR. We do create a few “rules” about our top 10 lists: Finished in 2020, but not required to be published in 2020. We don’t record until after the last day of the year, in case something squeaks in right at the end! These are books that really stuck with us after reading. As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you’d like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don’t scroll down! New: we are now including transcripts of the episode. These are generated by AI, so they may not be perfectly accurate, but we want to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!* . . . . Patreon: 1:20 - There’s a LOT of content coming up for our Bookish Friends (Patrons). We are SO excited about all of it! You can join Patreon for $5 a month and get access to this month’s bonus extravaganza: All Things Murderful with Meredith on January 7th with her top 10 Mystery and Thrillers for 2020 Our Bookish Superlatives with Spicy Opinions on January 14th Kaytee Reads Too Much on January 21st (a giant episode covering November’s reads and a reflection on 2020 reading in general and the books that didn’t QUITE make the top 10) The audio of COVIDeo Episode 21 on January 28th The Buddy Read discussion of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe on January 31st Plus: the reading journal, the reading tracker, access to the Bookish Friends groups, and Behind the Scenes content and ways to influence the show. Wow! Our Top 10 of 2020: 10:10 - El Deafo by CeCe Bell (Meredith) 11:20 - Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West (Kaytee) 11:27 - Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 12:23 - The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (Meredith) 15:07 - With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (Kaytee) 16:11 - A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (Meredith) 17:27 - Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi (Kaytee) 17:54 - Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi 19:12 - Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Meredith) 21:04 - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (Kaytee) 22:50 - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Meredith) 23:05 - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 24:21 - Know My Name by Chanel Miller (Kaytee) 26:15 - The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi (Meredith) 27:55 - The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare (Kaytee) 28:29 - Kaytee’s minisode interview with Abi Dare 28:57 - All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (Meredith) 30:55 - Lobizona by Romina Russell Garber (Kaytee) 32:42 - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (Meredith) 34:39 - Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (Kaytee) 36:27 - Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (Meredith) 39:45 - Here for It by R. Eric Thomas (Kaytee) 40:52 - Greenwood by Michael Christie (Meredith) 43:33 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Kaytee) 43:36 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast
Today’s spoiler-free minisode includes a conversation between Kaytee and author Katie Proctor. Katie is the author of My Storied Year, her debut novel about a middle grade boy with dyslexia. This is the first time I’ve gotten to have an interview with someone I am already friends with, and it was a delight! Tune in to hear about: Creating characters from a collection of people Cover design and desires Middle grade authors who make us cry NaNoWriMo Writing groups for obligers Found family stories Minisode show notes are not timestamped, but linked titles are below for you to peruse. These are affiliate links, which kick back a small percentage of your purchase to the podcast, which helps support the show! My Storied Year by Katie Proctor Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Captain Fantastic on Amazon Prime Clean Getaway by Nic Stone The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman Connect with Katie: on Instagram at @katieproctorwritesandreads, on Facebook, or at her website Contact the show at currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com. You can find Kaytee on Instagram @notesonbookmarks and Meredith @meredith.reads. You can visit our website at www.currentlyreadingpodcast.com
Hey everyone! Today I am finishing up the book! It has been a long time coming, but this is one of my favorite books ever. As well as finishing up and reviewing the book, I reveal November's book, and give my thoughts on what the book would be like in Rodeo and Ivan's perspectives. Check out our Instagram: @100percentreal_pod Email us: 100percentrealpod@gmail.com Hope you enjoyed the episode and the book!
Hey everyone! In today's episode I reviewed the book- The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, go check out the previous episode to learn more about that- so far and gave you some Halloween costume ideas for last minute and/or DIY! Make sure to check out Nora mad Jahrie over at 100percentREAL podcast and don't forget to shoot me an email at 100percentreal@gmail.com! Also be sure to follow the universal Instagram over @100percentreal_pod and subscribe to hear more! Hope you enjoyed
Mrs. van Kan and Mrs. Peel share the newly voted Virginia Readers' Choice Award (VRCA) winning book! They also discuss how the VRCA process works and the 10 titles nominated for this school year. These titles are listed below, along with their availability on Hoopla at the Prince William County Library. Episode Resource List: 2019 - 20 VRCA Middle School Award Winning Book: Restart by Gordon Korman 2020 - 2021 VRCA Nominees New Kid by Jerry Craft (available as an audiobook and eBook at the PWC Library) The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden (available as an audiobook and eBook at the PWC Library) It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers) by Trevor Noah The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart (available as an audiobook at the PWC Library) Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes Deep Water by Watt Key Breakout by Kate Messner Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald (available as an audiobook and eBook at the PWC Library) The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman Resist: 35 Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice by Veronica Chambers
Hey everyone! Welcome to this weeks episode, where I read the first 9 pages of the October book by Dan Gemeinhart. Next week I will be doing a fun little activity as well as a book check in to see where y'all are at. 100percentrealpod@gmail.com- Email! @100percentreal_pod- Instagram! Really hope you enjoyed!
Delphine Ernotte, patronne de France Télévisions, a accordé au magazine "Forbes" et qui paraîtra demain. Fraîchement reconduite à la tête du groupe public pour un second mandat, Delphine Ernotte est interrogée sur ses priorités, sa vision de l’entreprise, mais aussi sur un départ qui a fait couler beaucoup d’encre, celui de Patrick Sébastien. Dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, Joe Biden et Donald Trump se sont écharpés à la télé américaine. Seize chaîne américaines le diffusaient, et au total, elles ont réuni 73 millions de téléspectateurs, c’est le deuxième meilleur score d’un débat présidentiel depuis 24 ans. Le "Journal de Mickey" a remis son Grand prix des lecteurs. Côté roman, le choix s'est porté sur "L’incroyable voyage de Coyote Sunrise" de Dan Gemeinhart. Côté BD, le vainqueur est "Lulu et Nelson" de Jean-Marie Omont, Aurélie Neyret et Charlotte Girard. À l’occasion de ses 50 ans, Charlie Hebdo investit les colonnes de Libé.
Listen to why youth librarian, Lisa K. recommends the book The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart. Written For: 5th & 6th Graders Genre: Realistic Fiction Themes: family, friendship, coming of age, grief Check it out here: https://search.westervillelibrary.org/iii/encore/search/C__S%28coyote%20sunrise%29%20a%3A%28Gemeinhart%29__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Episode 10 Orphan Island, Maybe He Just Likes You, Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus, The Prince and the Dressmaker, Stargazing, Children of Virtue, The Remarkable Adventures of Coyote Sunrise, Captain Superlative, One of Is is Lying and the sequel, This Was Our Pact, Everything, Everything, Indian No More
Let's talk about school libraries! In this season 2 opener, find out that our co-host Diana is off on a new adventure, Amy is flying solo and still advocating for school libraries, and yet they always find time to read! This episode chatters about: 1) School Libraries, importance and long term investment for Districts 2) MG school student's reading habits What we are reading: 1) Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart 2) Maybe he just likes You by Barbara Dee Music Credit: Cheery Monday Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
In today’s episode, Mollie and Katie catch up about traveling, what they’re reading (or NOT reading), similar book trends (how do you end up with three books with oddly similar titles), and the transitions that shape a life (and of course how we often find those real life transitions in the books we read). Books Mentioned The Well of Ascension/Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner The Most Fun We’ve Ever Had by Claire Lombardo Recursion by Blake Crouch Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reed Castle of Water by Dane Hucklebridge To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han I Am I Am I Am by Maggie O’Farrell The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech Savvy by Ingrid Law The Giver by Lois Lowry Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty Follow Us Everywhere! Website:https://www.nothankswerebooked.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nothankswerebooked Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nothxwerebooked/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoThxWereBooked
In today's episode, we discuss what we're currently reading, what we hope to pick up soon (hint: When your TBR list is long, it's overwhelming to know what to pick up next), Anne Bogel's summer reading list, why it's so hard to commit to series, and much more! Books mentioned: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Beartown by Fredrik Backman Us Against You by Fredrik Backman A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff Expecting Better by Emily Oster Cribsheet by Emily Oster Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross The Read Aloud Family by Jim Trelease The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson The River by Peter Heller Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald Recursion by Blake Crouch Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin Follow us all over the internet! Website: https://www.nothankswerebooked.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nothankswerebooked Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nothxwerebooked/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoThxWereBooked
It’s appropriate that this episode comes out the Wednesday after Mother’s Day because Mollie and Katie - both - have a relevant announcement! You’ll have to listen to find out what it is. They also both read Daisy Jones and the Six and talk about the nostalgia surrounding the book and go off on some semi-relevant tangents? Books Mentioned: Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Follow Us Everywhere! Website:https://www.nothankswerebooked.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nothankswerebooked Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nothxwerebooked/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoThxWereBooked
We're sharing all of our favorite books to read in the spring—and because we're mood readers, it's quite an eclectic mix of genres/categories! Let us know what kind of books you like to read in the spring, or if you already have a set TBR. Books mentioned: Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Marlena by Julie Buntin Ghosted by Rosie Walsh Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech Peace Like a River by Leif Enger The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
It's episode three of four of our Women's History Month series, "On Their Own Terms: The Unbreakable Women of Media", hosted by LaKase and Wilson. Today they've got an interview with artist/illustrator Celia Krampien. Celia is just pure pleasantness and good vibes, and super talented. Enjoy! ~TH-001 You can connect with Celia via her website, on twitter (@CeliaKrampien), and on instagram (@celiakrampien). Books discussed during the conversation The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart Shadow Warrior by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, Celia Krampien Sunny by Celia Krampien But No Elephants by Jerry Smath (Celia's favorite) There’s A Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone (Celia's favorite) The Napping House by Audrey Wood (LaKase's favorite) The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base (LaKase's favorite) Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Wilson) Three Questions by Jon J Muth (Wilson) Wanna connect with the Crew??? Follow us on twitter and instagram: @POYIFpod Follow Wilson, LaKase, and Lu on twitter/IG: @word2wilson, @LaKasePerry (@lakaseface on IG) and @shenz_da_griot Send letters: podcast@comicidal.net Check out our website Donate/support us on Patreon for more amazing content Outro music credit: Young by Valis Alps Logo Credit: Brandon Davis. Follow him on twitter @BrandonDavisArt
Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher of 21, a mom of two, and enjoying the last few hours of our Winter Break here in Central New York. We’ve had ice storms then sun and lots of time to read. This is episode #69 and Today I’m discussing four excellent middle grade novels that deal with grief and loss. And I’m also sharing with you a conversation I had with Laura Shovan about her latest book Takedown. Book Talk - Four Novels About Loss and Hope In this segment, I share with you a selection of books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. I happened to read these four books back-to-back without realizing how profoundly connected they were. They have completely different plots and one is even sci/fi / speculative fiction - but each novel features a main character who is dealing with loss in one form or another. In two of the novels, that loss is the death of a parent. And in two of the novels, that loss includes a parent dealing with mental illness and trauma themselves. A loss of another - a loss of what was once considered normal life. The books this week are: The Science of Breakable Things, The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole, The Simple Art of Flying, and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. The Science of Breakable Things The first book I want to share with you and one that I hope makes its way into your collection is Tae Keller’s debut novel The Science of Breakable Things. The lead in this story is 7th grader Natalie who’s life has been turned upside down as she and her father are learning how to navigate her mother’s depression - the “situation” as her dad calls it that has her mom holed up in her bedroom and not able to cook, work, or keep up any of the routines and traditions that had kept their family together. At the beginning of the school year, Natalie’s science teacher has challenged them all to use the power of the scientific method to explore a question that intrigues you and study it with all your heart. Well - the question that tugs at Natalie’s heart? How can I inspire my mother to break out of her depression? And along the way Natalie teams up with Twig (her exuberant best friend) and Dari (their new serious lab partner) to enter an egg-drop contest hoping to use the prize money for a scheme to jumpstart her mother out of her depression. Here are three things to love about Tae Keller’s The Science of Breakable Things: How the story is laid out with the steps of the Scientific Method! Step One: Observe, Step Two: Question, Step Three: Investigative Research and so on. It’s a clever way to structure the story and have you predicting what those Results will be! The illustrations and footnotes! Oh am I such a sucker for a good footnote - especially funny ones and this novel has over fifty of these little gems! Natalie’s visits with her therapist, Dr. Doris - and Natalie’s resistance to falling for her “Therapist Tricks” and Natalie’s eventual shift to being more open with her. I think a lot of kids will be able relate to those begrudging trips to a counselor, and I hope some other children might see a glimpse into the help a therapist can offer. There is so much more to this book than just those things - like Natalie’s relationship with her Korean grandmother and her growning interest in their shared culture and the break-down of her relationship with her friend Mikayala. Here is one of my favorite quotes - one that captures the blend of science and hope in this book. This is from a section right after Natalie, Twig, and Dari have been experimenting with magnets. “It’s funny how the cold magnets actually worked best. It’s like how perennial plants seem to die in the winter but really, they’re just waiting till everything is all right again. Maybe it’s not such a surprise that there’s strength in the cold. Maybe sometimes the strongest thing of all is knowing that one day you’ll be alright again, and waiting and waiting until you can come out into the sun.” For kids who are waiting for those in their lives to come out into the sun, The Science of Breakable Things is a fabulous book to offer. The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole Our next book today is The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas - author of several picture books and the middle grade Confessions of an Imaginary Friend which I now must pick up immediately! The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole is one of those books that I kept bumping into. I’d see it on display at the library, friends kept raving about it, it popped up on my “Related to Items You Viewed” on Amazon. It’s like it was stalking me. Like, in a nice, bookish way. The way where all the the forces of the universe seem to nudge you to read something. And well - the forces of the universe were right about this quirky, moving, wonderfully weird little book. It’s about eleven-year-old Stella Diaz whose father has recently died. Together they shared a love of science - and silly jokes. But remembering him after his death has become painful. In the first pages of the book, she decides to give NASA the only recording of her father’s laugh - to put on the Golden Record headed out on the Voyager spacecraft. Instead, a black hole follows her home and it becomes Stella’s pet - consuming everything it touches. And at first, Stella is happy to toss in those things that cause her annoyance (Brussel Sprouts) or cause her painful memories (like the recording of her father). And then the black hole devours her 5-year-old brother, Cosmo, and Stella has to venture inside that darkness to save him and confront all the other things she’d tossed inside. I loved this book - and here are three (of many!) reasons why: It’s hilarious! Like - Stella names the black hole “Larry” - short for “Singularity” and the scenes with the smelly classroom hamster Stinky Stu. And the Dog With No Name. And all the things that Larry gets up to when he gets loose in the neighborhood! Yes - this novel is about loss and grief and there are times when you’re probably going to cry. But to me, that edge between laughing and tears is a powerful place. And this book does it so well. The clever use of black and white pages - and Stella’s Captain Log documenting her journey in the black hole. Lines like this one: “It's like the stars in our constellations that we made," you said. "Even if one star dies far, far away, its light is still visible, and the constellation it helped to make remains. A thing can be gone and still be your guide." The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole is charming, gorgeously written - and funnier than you’d ever think. If you have kids who like science, who like funny books, who are up for something unique - then this is a novel they’ll love. And if you have a child learning how to grapple with their black hole - this might be the book they need. The Simple Art of Flying Another fantastic book that was just released this past week is The Simple Art of Flying by debut author Cory Leonardo. It’s about a young cherry-loving African Grey parrot, Alastair, who was born in the back room of a pet shop - along with his sister, Aggie. Alastair is...grumpy, suspicious, stubborn, and intensly loyal to his sister - and set on finding a way for them both to escape together to a land of blue skies and palm trees. But that dream gets a lot harder to pull off when each of them are adopted by two different people. Alastair ends up with an elderly but very active widow named Albertina Plopky who organizes “Polka with Pets” events and writes letters to her deceased husband. And Aggie is bought by 12-year-old-Fritz, an attentive, sweet, and serious boy who is dealing with his own loses. So here are three things to love about Cory Leonardo’s The Simple Art of Flying: How this story is told from three different points of view and in three different formats which helps us triangulate what’s happening. Alastair’s sections are in prose and in poetry. He likes to chew on books with poetry being his favorite so has taken to creating his own versions of famous poems he’s read. Bertie’s sections are letters to her husband, Everett. And Fritz’s parts are a medical log. Alastair’s poetry!!! And… the chapter with the goldfish was unexpected and...brilliant! Bertie’s letter to Fritz at the end of the book - all about cherries and life and what to do on those days when it feels like everything is the pits. The Simple Art of Flying is a gorgeously sweet book that’s a little bit like The One and Only Ivan with a touch of Because of Winn-Dixie. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise Our final book this week is the latest from Dan Gemeinhart - who you may know from The Honest Truth, Good Dog, or Scar Island. His novels are perennial favorites in our class and guaranteed heart-tuggers - and The Remarkble Journey of Coyote Sunrise is, I think, my favorite of all. And that’s saying something - every one of his books are incredible! This story starts at a hot gas station where our main girl, called Coyote, walks in alone - and leaves with a watermelon slushie and a white and gray striped fluff of a kitten. A kitten she has to hide from her father - the man she only refers to as Rodeo. Five years ago Coyote’s mother and sisters were killed in an accident and since then she and her father have left behind their home, their memories (or any talk of them) and have been living in an old converted school bus traveling the country. And never ever looking back. But during Coyote’s weekly phone call to her grandmother back in Washington State, Coyote learns something that launches her on a secret mission to get the bus headed back home (without Rodeo realizing it!) so she can keep a promise. On her journey there are mishaps and new travelers joining them and more secrets revealed. There are so many reasons to love this book there’s no way to list them all, but here are three: Coyote. This girl has so much charm and love and generosity wrapped around a core of pain and hurt. She’s gentle with her father - even when he doesn’t deserve it. She names her cat Ivan from The One and Only Ivan. She reminds me a bit of Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables books. You just want to ber her friend. Coyote’s friendship with Salvador - a boy who ends up on the bus with them with his mother. I love how they gently push each other in a better direction. And Coyote does something for Salvador that is one of the kindest, sweetest, gestures. Rodeo. Here’s how Coyote describes him. “That man is hopeless. He is wild and broken and beautiful and hanging on by a thread, but it’s a heckuva thread and he’s holding it tight with both hands and his heart.” The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise was a book that shredded my heart and then somehow stitched it back together stonger than before. I think it’s Gemeinhart’s best yet. Laura Shovan - Interview Outline Our special guest this week is Laura Shovan - author of the novel in verse The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary and her most recent middle grade book - Takedown. This conversation actually took place last summer but due to some techinical difficulties on my end, it took me until now to bring it to you. But, it was worth the wait. Laura and I chat about the inspiration behind her novel, the world of girls’ wrestling, donuts, bullet journaling, among lots of other things. And don’t forget that when you are done reading the book and you want to hear Laura and I discuss the ending of Takedown, just wait until the end of the show after the credits and that bonus section will be waiting for you. Take a listen… Takedown Your new middle grade novel, Takedown, was just released this past June - can you tell us a bit about it? I love books that immerse me in a subculture! Like Roller Girl, and the Irish dancing in Kate Messner’s The Seventh Wish - I was so fascinated to learn about wrestling moves and the tournament process. I’ve heard you mention that your son wrestled and that close knowledge of the sport clearly comes through. When did you know you wanted to bring wrestling into a story and did you do any extra research to bring this story to life? There were so many small moments in the book that highlight what a “boys’ club” the wrestling world is - all the trophies have boys at the top of them, all the refs at all the tournaments (including the girls wrestling tournament) are men - and even Mickey’s supportive coach uses gendered languages and calls the team “guys” and “boys.” At some point it occured to me… yes, this book is about wrestling, but maybe it might help kids see how male-focused other aspects of the world are? One of the aspects that I really connect to was the Delgado family dynamics of Mickey and her older brothers Cody and Evan. And how their relationship with each other changed when the oldest, Evan, wasn’t around. I’m coming to realize that dual perspective novels are some of my favorites. And you were masterful at those subtle time shifts to build that suspense! What was your process like to make Mickey’s voice distinct from Lev’s? You deserve a donut for this amazing book! What’s your favorite? So, as a fellow bullet journaler, did I see that you offer bullet journaling CLASSES? Your Writing Life How was writing Takedown different than writing The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary? Your Reading Life One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians and parents inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a special teacher or librarian who helped foster your reading life as a child? What were some of your most influential reads as a child? What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? Before you go - you posted a video of you calling your reps last year. I just want to say thank you for inspiring me to make those phone calls and to keep calling…. Thank You! **BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Laura and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you’d like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today’s episode at the 52:38 mark. Links: Laura’s website - https://laurashovan.com Laura on Twitter Wrestle Like A Girl Dough Donuts Laura Shovan on Bullet Journaling Books & Authors We Chatted About: A Child’s Garden of Verses (Robert Louis Stevensen) The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame) Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) The Warriors Series (Erin Hunter) Howard Wallace: Sabotage Stage Left (Casey Lyall) Drawn Together (Minh Lê and Dan Santat) The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness (Sy Montgomery) Giants Beware!, Dragons Beware! and Monsters Beware! (Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado) The Colors of the Rain (R.L.Toalson) Closing Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you have an extra minute this week, reviews on iTunes or Stitcher are much appreciated. Books Between is a proud member of the Lady Pod Squad and the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Talk with you soon! Bye!
Intro Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom, and battling a cold this afternoon! So if I sound a little...off - that is why! This is episode #68 and Today I’m answering some questions about trends in middle grade and sharing with you some fabulous 2019 titles to look forward to this year! Q&A - Trends in Middle Grade Fiction Last month, my husband asked me some questions about trends in middle grade fiction. He teaches a class at Seton Hall all about trends in genre fiction and wanted some input on middle grade. So I thought I would share my responses with you. And I would be very curious about what YOU would answer. What genres or subgenres do you believe are the hottest right now? Well, it’s a format and not a genre but graphic novel memoirs like Hey Kiddo, Real Friends, and Be Prepared are still really popular. And also graphic novel adaptations of classics (like Anne of Green Gables) and popular novels (like Wings of Fire or Percy Jackson). And again, not genre, but I see more books that are based on the core experiences of the writer. Those novels that draw on the real-life backgrounds of the authors like Kelly Yang’s Front Desk, Tami Charles’ Like Vanessa, and Supriya Kellar’s Ahimsa. They’re not memoirs but they are books rooted in a very personal experience. To authors, I’d say - take those things that make you unique, that make you a bit quirky, that set you apart from most other people - and write THAT story. Like Kelly Yang taking the experiences of her family coming from China and running motels to write Front Desk. Jarrett Krosoczka writing the critically acclaimed graphic novel memoir Hey Kiddo about his life living with his grandparents after his mom lost custody of him due to drug addiction. Crack that door open and invite us inside. What genres or subgenres do you believe are passé or overexposed? I don’t know…. I do wonder how long the unicorn and narwhal craze will last but that seems to live more in picture books than middle grade. Magical realism - or rather realistic fiction with a magical twist - doesn’t seem to be slowing down. You know - anything can be new and fresh with the right spin. And also, authors from marginalized backgrounds are still underrepresented in just about every genre so those are stories that will likely have new points of view. I thought I was totally over zombie stories but Dread Nation popped up and whoa!! I’ve never read a zombie story like THAT before! If you had to predict, what genre or subgenre do you think is primed to be the next Big Thing in the next year or so? I would say stories about immigrants, refugees, and the unique experiences of marginalized groups (especially by #ownvoices authors) will continue to be popular. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen an explosion of critically acclaimed middle grade stories like Alan Gratz’s Refugee, Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me, and Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai among many more. We also have more and more books coming out that tell stories of police violence in developmentally appropriate ways like Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes and Blended by Sharon Draper. I’m also really excited about a new crop of middle grade #MeToo stories on the horizon like So Done by Paula Chase and the upcoming Barbara Dee novel Maybe He Just Likes You. Any comments about where you see genre fiction heading? In middle grade, like everywhere else, #ownvoices books are still underrepresented - everyone has a unique story to tell or a unique POV to offer. EVERYONE. So my advice to authors, take the spark of your unique life experiences and let that burn throughout your story. My advice to educators - scour those shelves to find a wider variety of books. Also - if you write for a YA/MG audience, librarians and educators are more and more eager to the ditch the old canon and form partnerships with authors. Look for opportunities like #KidsNeedMentors or reach out to your local schools and libraries. Book Talk - Most Anticipated Middle Grade Books of 2019 The last couple of episodes were all about looking back on some of the best that middle grade had to offer in 2018. (If you missed those, go check out episodes #66 and #67.) But today is all about looking forward into the new year. Last year, when I did our Most Anticipated MG of 2018, I went chronologically by month. But this year I’m going about it a little differently and discussing the new releases by category. First, we’ll chat about the new graphic novels coming up in 2019. And then we’ll talk about new releases from authors who debuted in 2018 and 2017 and see what they’re up to now. After that, I’ll give you a peek at some of the 2019 debut middle grade authors. Then we’ll see what new books are coming out in favorite series and what sequels we have to look forward to. And finally, we’ll finish up with the 2019 releases from more established authors. So, buckle up and get ready to add to your wish list. And remember - no need to go hunting for a pen and paper. You can find every book mentioned AND a picture of the available covers AND a link to pre-order them right on the Books Between post for this episode, #69, at MGBookVillage.com. I’ve got your back, I know you’re busy, so it’s all right there for you. And as I’ve said before, I’ve come to really love pre-ordering - it helps out favorite authors and it’s like a little surprise to your future self. Before we jump in, just remember that this is just a sampling of all the incredible books coming out this year. I’ll add some links to some other great resources in the show notes and on the website where you can find more complete listings of titles to browse through and the MGBookVillage website has a great release calendar so that’s one to bookmark for sure. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/111975.Middle_Grade_Novels_of_2019 http://novelnineteens.com/books/middle-grade-books https://mgbookvillage.org/2018releasedates/ http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2018/12/19-2019-middle-grade-books-to-have-on-your-radar/ https://www.readbrightly.com/middle-grade-books-2019/ https://www.bookish.com/articles/must-read-childrens-books-winter-2019/ http://www.popgoesthereader.com/target-audience-middle-grade/70-middle-grade-novels-i-cant-wait-to-read-in-2019/ Also - publication dates do occasionally change, so just be aware of that. Alright, get your Goodreads tab open, or your library website pulled up, or your Amazon/Indiebound shopping cart ready, or ….. print out the show notes and bring it to your favorite local bookstore! Alright - let’s get to it! The 2019 Graphic Novels This January, Lincoln Peirce, the author of Big Nate, has a new graphic/illustrated novel series set in the middle ages called Max and the Midknights that looks really, really cute. Also out on January 8th is Click by Kayla Miller - the story of 5th grader Olive who is having some trouble finding where she “clicks” in middle school. The sequel, called Camp, is being released this April so fans won’t have to wait long for the next one. A fantasy graphic novel that Mel Schuit recommended that I check out is The Chancellor and the Citadel by Maria Capelle Frantz so that’s on my radar now - and yours! Thank you, Mel! On January 29th another Hilo is coming our way! Hilo 5: Then Everything Went Wrong. And on that same day the 5th Bird & Squirrel is coming out called All Tangled Up. One graphic novel adaptation that has really piqued my interest is Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Modern Retelling of Little Women by Rey Tercerio and illustrator Bre Indigo. The classic is reimagined as a blended family living in modern-day New York City. I don’t think I’ve ever hit “pre-order” faster and will be eagerly stalking my delivery person on February 5th for that one! My mailbox is going to be brimming on February 5th because I also HAD to preorder New Kid by Jerry Craft! It’s about seventh grader Jordan Banks who loves drawing cartoons and dreams of going to art school. But his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school instead, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. Looks amazing!! 90-Second Newbery was singing its praises on Twitter last night and said this about it: “The amazing graphic novel New Kid by @JerryCraft should definitely be on everyone's tbr list and it has a full-cast (and all-star cast) audiobook released at the same time….perfect for rich, nuanced convos abt race, class, identity, school systems, how we share books, code switching, starting new school, just so much!” So, yeah… I’ll just wait here for a bit while you hit pause and go order that! We also get the second Wings of Fire graphic novel, The Lost Heir, on February 26th AND the second Mr. Wolf’s Class book called Mystery Club. And a heads up that the graphic novel of The Hidden Kingdom (Wings of Fire Book 3) is out in October 2019. For those Minecraft fans in your life, this March we get another Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior graphic novel - Forging Destiny. And for older middle grade kids - maybe 11 or 12 and up - look for the new graphic novel adaptations of The Iliad and The Odyssey this March as well. And fans of Terri Libenson’s Invisible Emmie and Positively Izzie will want to get their hands on Just Jaime - coming out May7th. There were lots of smiles among my students today when I told them that news! Bad Guys #9 - The Bad Guys in the Big Bad Wolf is out June 25th. Perfect launch for a fun summer read. This August brings us Best Friends, the sequel to Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham’s Real Friends - out on August 27th. And have you seen the cover? It’s Shannon at the top of a rollercoaster with this vibrant purple background. Love it, love it, love it! And Dog Man fans (like my daughter) will be psyched this August because we are getting Dog Man #7: For Whom the Ball Rolls! The seventh graphic novel adaptation of the Baby-sitters Club, Boy Crazy Stacey, illustrated by Gale Carrigan, will be out September 3rd. That’s one of those no-brainer preorders for my classroom library. Also - I was interested to hear that R.J. Palacio is publishing her first graphic novel Wonder story this fall called White Bird. This one is Julian’s grandmother’s story about her life as a young Jewish girl hidden away by a family in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. So be on the lookout for that one September 3rd as well. You want another don’t-even-have-to-think-about-it-just-preorder-it graphic novel? Guts - the long-awaited new Raina Telgemeier graphic memoir is out September 17th!! September also brings the latest from Tillie Walden - Are You Listening. The peeks I’ve seen of that online look incredible, so that one is definitely on my radar this fall. And then….….. Drumroll please…… Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl!! Ahhhh!! I knew it! That last page in Mighty Jack and the Goblin King was just too good not to be followed up with a joint adventure. Yay! Jen Wang - author of last year’s hit, The Prince & the Dressmaker, has a new graphic novel coming out in September called Stargazing. This one draws on her personal experiences and is the story of two friends - Moon and Christine. And this November we’ll get The Midwinter Witch - the third and final book in the trilogy that includes The Witch Boy and The Hidden Witch. And - wow, I’m just going to start saving up now for September because the graphic novel adaptation of Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover is also coming out on September 24th! It’s going to be a pancakes and ramen noodles for dinner kind of a month if I want to keep up with all these awesome books coming out! (And I haven’t even gotten past the graphic novels!) And…. I think, maybe, possibly.. that Amulet #9 (the final one of the series) will be released late this year. But I can’t find much info on it. No title, no date, no synopsis - nada! So, I’m cautiously optimistic that it will arrive in 2019. Finally - another graphic novel to be on the lookout for later in 2019 is Twins by author Varian Johnson who you may know from The Parker Inheritance and illustrator Shannon Wright. The publication date isn’t yet announced, but apparently it’s about twin sisters struggling to figure out individual identities in middle school and it’s based on Johnson’s own childhood experiences as a twin. New Releases from 2017 / 2018 Debut Authors Early February brings us the second in Anna Meriano’s Love, Sugar, Magic series called A Sprinkle of Spirits and oh is that cover gorgeous! And definitely snag a copy of the sequel to Jarrett Lerner’s EngiNerds - Revenge of the EngiNerds out on February 19th. It is EVEN FUNNIER than the first one. And that’s saying something! Another book I’m looking forward to is Jen Petro-Roy’s Good Enough - about a young girl with an eating disorder. Game of Stars by Sayantani DasGupta - the follow up to The Serpent’s Secret is out on February 26th. And the end of February also brings us Bone Hollow by Skeleton Tree author Kim Ventrella. Also be on the lookout for The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter by Diane Magras on March 5th. That sequel is getting rave reviews so it’s definitely one to add to your library. Alyson Gerber, author of Braced, will have a new novel out called Focused. It’s about a middle school girl who loves chess and has been recently diagnosed with ADHD. Definitely a book a lot of my students will be able to connect with! In the last week of April we get the sequel to Roshani Chokshi’s Aru Shah and the End of Time called Aru Shah and Song of Death This April brings us the second novel from Rebecca Donnelly called The Friendship Lie. One book I’m excited to dip into this spring is Up for Air by Laurie Morrison. You might know her from last year’s Every Shiny Thing. From the author of 2017’s The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora and 2018’s Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish comes Each Tiny Spark. This is Pablo Cartaya’s third MG novel and this one features a young girl, a father recently returned from deployment, and… welding. So look for that one in August. And The Cryptid Keeper, the sequel to Lija Fisher’s 2018 The Cryptid Catcher is out this August as is Melissa Sarno’s A Swirl of Ocean. In September comes the sequel to Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. It’s called Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus and follows Aven’s adventures as she heads into high school. At first I thought that might put it in the YA category, but from what I can tell, it’s still middle grade. This fall we’ll also be treated to Abby Cooper’s third novel - Friend or Fiction. Just like Sticks and Stones and Bubbles, this one is also magical realism. It’s about a girl named Jade. In the pages of her notebook, she writes all about Zoe--the most amazing best friend anyone could dream of. But when pretend Zoe appears in real life thanks to a magical experiment gone right, Jade isn't so sure if she likes sharing her imaginary friend with the real world. Another treat in store for you this fall is the third novel by Elly Swartz - Give and Take. This book is about 12 year-old Maggie whose grandmother’s recent death has triggered her to start hoarding things under her bed. 2019 Debut Authors So - I’ll just say right now that I could have had an ENTIRE show just dedicated to the amazing middle grade debuts coming our way this year but at some point, I had to cut myself off. So - I’ll include a link to the Novel19s website where you find many more middle grade debuts and discover some of your new favorite authors. The Whisperers is Greg Howard’s middle grade debut and one that has really caught my eye. Just listen to this description: “Eleven-year-old Riley believes in the whispers, magical fairies that will grant you wishes if you leave them tributes. Riley has a lot of wishes. He wishes bullies at school would stop picking on him. He wishes Dylan, his 8th grade crush, liked him, and Riley wishes he would stop wetting the bed. But most of all, Riley wishes for his mom to come back home.” Oooo…. This one is out January 15th. If you are looking for a new book for younger middle grade readers - something along the lines of Ramona Quimby or Stella Diaz - check out Meena Meets Her Match by Karla Manternatch. One book that keeps popping up into my radar is the middle grade debut of Padma Venkatraman called The Bridge Home about four children who discover strength and grit and family while dealing with homelessness. That one comes out Feb 5th so be on the lookout for that one. Another debut that I have been dying to read is The Simple Art of Flying by Cory Leonardo! Let me just read you the teaser: “Born in a dismal room in a pet store, Alastair the African grey parrot dreams of escape to bluer skies. He’d like nothing more than to fly away to a palm tree with his beloved sister, Aggie. But when Aggie is purchased by twelve-year-old Fritz, and Alastair is adopted by elderly dance-enthusiast and pie-baker Albertina Plopky, the future looks ready to crash-land.” My step-mother had parrots when I was growing up, so this one in particular I really am interested in reading! So I’ll be checking my mailbox for that one on February 12th. Another debut I am excited to read this year is Joshua Levy’s Seventh Grade vs. the Galaxy! Since one of my goals this year is to introduce my students to more science fiction, a story about a school on a spaceship orbiting Jupiter would be perfect! On March 12 we get Lisa Moore Ramée’s debut A Good Kind of Trouble about a girl who just wants to follow the rules. And sometime this spring we get rather the opposite in Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen by Niki Lenz. This one is about a “bully” who ends up living with her aunt who is a nun and tries to turn over a new leaf. This March is the debut of Julia Nobel with The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane about a girl who gets shipped off to a British boarding school and finds a box of medallions that might just be connected to the disappearance of her father. A graphic novel debut coming in March that looks fabulous is Red Panda & Moon Bear by Jarod Roselló. It’s about two Latinx kids who defend their neighborhood from threats both natural and supernatural. And in late April is the first book in a new MG detective series called Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers by Shauna Holyoak and a time-traveling action adventure that will transport readers to ancient Egypt called Jagger Jones & the Mummy’s Ankh by Malayna Evans. Hurricane Season by debut author Nicole Melleby comes out May 7th and oh how do I want to read this novel! On a recent #MGLitChat focused on the 2019 debut authors, the moderator asked, “What do you hope young readers take away from your book?” And Nicole Melleby said the following, “ I want them to take away that they’re not alone, that they’re seen, that mental illness is hard but manageable, and that love may have its limits, but help comes in all shapes and sizes. Also that Van Gogh was a brilliant man.” After reading Vincent & Theo last summer - uhhh…. gimme that book!! Another great middle grade debut to look for on May 7th is Just South of Home by Karen Stong which is described as Blackish meets Goosebumps. The story follows a rule-abiding girl who must team up with her trouble making cousin, goofy younger brother, and his best friend to unravel a mysterious haunting in their tiny Southern town. Also coming this spring is a book that I immediately knew I wanted to read. It’s called Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos. (So, I was pretty much ALREADY sold by the Bowie reference.) The book follows Nova, an autistic, nonverbal, space-obsessed 12-year-old who is awaiting the Challenger shuttle launch and the return of her big sister, Bridget, as she struggles to be understood by her new foster family. I was a 4th grader when The Challenger Disaster happened and vividly remember watching it happen live on tv, so I am really interested to see how that plays out in this book. Another debut to look for early this summer is All of Me by Chris Baron - a novel in verse about a 13 year old boy who is dealing with a big move, struggles in his parents’ marriage, and his own body image issues. So… if you are a close listener, you have probably figured out that I’m a sucker for books involving baking or cooking. Maybe that’s why Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca just leapt out at me when I stumbled across it last month. This is a contemporary-fantasy retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream about an 11 year old Indian American girl whose father is a food writer and whose mother is a successful businesswoman. But when she adds some rather…. unusual (and maybe magical?) ingredients to her baking, things get out of hand. So look for that one on June 4th. And if your kids are looking for a fun spooky read this summer, Ollie Oxley and the Ghost comes out on June 18th and looks really cute. It’s about a boy who moves to California and ends up becoming friends with a ghost from the Gold Rush era. Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega is another paranormal middle grade coming this September and it’s described as Coco meets Stranger Things. So, uh… yeah...gimme that for sure! Also coming out this September is The Light in the Lake by Sarah Baughman - a book about a young girl who finds herself caught between her love of science and her late twin brother's belief in magic. Sequels and Favorite Series This January 29th we’re getting two awesome books: a 4th in the Crime Biters series - Fangs for Everything AND I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 by Lauren Tarshis. And watching out for another I Survived book in September called I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919. Also in 2019 we are getting not one but TWO new Babysitting Nightmares books! The Phantom Hour this January 29th and The Twilight Curse on August 20th. February 5th brings another Stick Dog book - Stick Dog Gets the Tacos AND the third Frazzled book by Booki Vivat! This one is called Minor Incidents and Absolute Uncertainties. I just love her titles! In late February kids will be getting book 4 in the DC Comics Secret Hero Society - Science Fair Crisis! Lion Down by Stuart Gibb is out on February 26th. The second in his FunJungle series and the follow up to Panda-monium.) In March comes book five in The School for Good & Evil series: A Crystal of Time , a new Emily Windsnap novel called Emily Windsnap and The Pirate Prince, and another in the Fairy Tale Reform School series called Wished. In March we also get a seventh Jedi Academy Book called Revenge of the Sis. This one starts a new storyline and is written by Amy Ignatow with Jarret Krosoczka illustrating. And an as yet untitled 8th Jedi Academy novel is scheduled for September 2019. AND I’m really excited for the third BAT book: Bat and the End of Everything by Elana K. Arnold. My daughter’s 4th grade class read the first book and they - of course! - fell hard for this series! Jeff Kinney fans will be excited about Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid - a book told from Rowley’s point of view that is out this April. And that month also brings us another Unicorn Rescue Society novel - The Chupacabras of the Rio Grande. And my 9 year old is going to be thrilled when I tell her that Katherine Applegate’s sequel to The Endling is coming out May 7th. It’s called Endling: The First and is already in my cart. The second book in Laura Ruby’s York series - The Clockwork Ghost is also headed our way this May and so is Another Fenway & Hattie book - In the Wild! Natalie Lloyd’s sequel to The Problim Children - Carnival Catastrophe is due to be out June 25th. And not quite a sequel but more of a spin-off, is Dough Boys by Paula Chase - author of 2018’s So Done. Characters Simp and Rollie are the leads in this novel told in two voices. Also - Karina Yan Glaser’s third Vanderbeekers novel is coming this September - The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue! And finally - just announced this morning - is Kate DiCamillo’s new novel coming September 24th - Beverly, Right Here. And if you guessed that this is the Beverly from Raymie Nightingale - then you are correct! So now each of the three girls will have their own novel. By the way - if you haven’t seen it yet, the cover by Amy June Bates is stunning!! 2019 New Releases from Established Authors First up here is the book I am devouring right now - The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart which just came out on January 8th. And oh…. does this book live up to its hype! Brace yourself to hear lots more about this one later! Also out this January is a book my friend Sandy has been raving about - The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, U.S.A by Coretta Scott King honor nominee Brenda Woods. So I definitely need to add that one to my TBR list. This January readers will get a new Gordon Korman novel - Unteachables AND a new Andrew Clements novel - The Friendship War. January also brings us the first book in the really incredible Rick Riordan Presents Imprint - Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee. This is a space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. (By the way - if you have kids who love Rick Riordan’s novels or who love adventure books with a dash of humor and myth - then check out his Imprint site. I’ll include a link in the show notes so you can check them all out. From those lucky enough to read advanced copies, I haven’t heard anything but praise.) Pink Hair and Other Terrible Ideas by Andrea Pyros is one to watch out for this February. And another upper middle grade February release that caught my attention is a joint novel told in letters by Counting by 7s author Holly Goldberg Sloan and The Interestings author Meg Wolitzer. It’s called To Night Owl from Dogfish and it’s about two very different 12 year-old girls named Averie and Bett who are sent off to the same sleepaway camp in order to bond after their single dads fall in love with each other. February also bring us another novel by Anne Urso (author of the critically acclaimed The Real Boy) This novel, The Lost Girl, is about identical twins Lark and Iris. On March 5th we get another Lisa Graff novel called Far Away about a girl, CJ, whose aunt is a psychic medium who claims that she carries messages from the dead. And I’m really psyched for We’re Not From Here by Tapper Twins author Geoff Rodkey. This novel is also out March 5th and is about refugees from planet Earth who need to find a new home on a faraway planet. I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this one and it’s quirky and hilarious… and timely. Definitely add this one to your pre orders. March also brings us another Rick Riordan Present’s book called Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez. I’ve been hearing lots of great buzz about this one, so I’ll definitely need to pre-order a copy. On March 19th we get a new Kevin Henkes novel called Sweeping Up the Heart and this one is the story of the spring break that changes seventh-grader Amelia Albright’s life forever. In late March Natalie Lloyd fans will be treated to Over the Moon - a story about twelve-year-old Mallie who lives in a mining town where boys leave school at 12 to work in the mines, and girls leave to work as servants for the wealthy. But of course with that quintessentially Lloyd magic interwoven. And another Cynthia Lord book is coming out this March! She is the author of Rules and A Handful of Stars. This one is titled Because of the Rabbit and is about a young girl who starts public school for the first time after being homeschooled. Where the Heart Is by Jo Knowles is coming out April 2nd and a really interesting looking book called Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway will be released April 16th. It’s about a girl who has to save her aunt’s pie shop. I think this one would be a winner for kids who enjoy shows like The Great British Baking Show. In early May, we get to read Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s next novel, Shouting at the Rain about a girl named Delsie who lives with her grandmother, loves tracking weather, and who starts to wish for a more “regular” family and life. You can’t go wrong with the author of Fish in a Tree and One for the Murphys so… just pop this one in your cart now! And another novel that is getting all kinds of early buzz is the latest from K.A. Reynolds called Spinner of Dreams. It’s being called “inventive, empathetic, and strange in all the best ways.” Plus - it has a really otherworldly cover that I just want to stare at... And finally - I know you all have heard me rave about this one before - but Barbara Dee’s Maybe He Just Likes You is going to be AMAZING! My students and I got the chance to read the first chapter and we were all already hooked. But let me give you a little taste from the teaser: “For seventh grader Mila, it starts with an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. The next day, it’s another hug. A smirk. Comments. It all feels…weird. According to her friend Zara, Mila is being immature, overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like? They don’t understand why Mila is making such a big deal about the boys’ attention. When Mila is finally pushed too far, she realizes she can’t battle this on her own–and finds help in some unexpected places.” I can’t WAIT!! Phew!! Alright - I am both energized and - I gotta be honest - a little daunted! But - I am reminding myself and I hope you’ll remember too that it’s not about a mad dash to read all of these books. But to give you a taste of what’s to come so you can match readers with books they might like and get them excited about new releases. I hope you have a wonderful year reading and I would love to know - what are the books that you and your students are most looking forward to in 2019? You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or jump into the conversation on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Closing Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you have an extra minute this week, reviews on iTunes or Stitcher are much appreciated. Books Between is a proud member of the Lady Pod Squad and the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Talk with you soon! Bye!