Podcasts about Wolf Hollow

Send us a textOn this episode we are joined by Sarah Hanafin, a Wolf Conservationist and Educator. Sarah is also volunteer at Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, Ma & Wolves of Main Sanctuary.Instagram:  @wolfgirl_maineWolf Hollowhttps://www.instagram.com/wolf_hollow_ma/Wolves of Maine Sanctuary https://www.instagram.com/wolvesofmainesanctuary/Support the show***Please note all opinions expressed on The Three Guys Podcast do not represent any Group, Company or Organization***Episode Produced by The Three Guys ProductionsInstagram: The Three Guys Podcast (@the_three_guys_podcast_) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: The Three Guys Podcast (@TheThreeGuysPo1) / TwitterYouTube: Three Guys Podcast - YouTubeLinkedIn the-three-guys-podcastDerek: Derek DePetrillo (@derekd0518) • Instagram photos and videosBrian: Brian Nazarian (@the_real_brian_nazarian) • Instagram photos and videosBrett: Brett J. DePetrillo @78brettzky - Instagram

Send us a textOn this episode we are joined by Sarah Hanafin, a Wolf Conservationist and Educator. Sarah is also volunteer at Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, Ma & Wolves of Main Sanctuary.Instagram:  @wolfgirl_maineWolf Hollowhttps://www.instagram.com/wolf_hollow_ma/Wolves of Maine Sanctuary https://www.instagram.com/wolvesofmainesanctuary/Support the show***Please note all opinions expressed on The Three Guys Podcast do not represent any Group, Company or Organization***Episode Produced by The Three Guys ProductionsInstagram: The Three Guys Podcast (@the_three_guys_podcast_) • Instagram photos and videosTwitter: The Three Guys Podcast (@TheThreeGuysPo1) / TwitterYouTube: Three Guys Podcast - YouTubeLinkedIn the-three-guys-podcastDerek: Derek DePetrillo (@derekd0518) • Instagram photos and videosBrian: Brian Nazarian (@the_real_brian_nazarian) • Instagram photos and videosBrett: Brett J. DePetrillo @78brettzky - Instagram

Sarah Hanafin has been volunteering with both Wolves of Maine and Wolf Hollow for almost a decade. She uses her Instagram platform to promote wolf education and conservation, while sharing her stories with wolves and wolfdogs from around the country. Sarah spoke about her early years of volunteering, how her platform has been able to help wolves and people in their individual journeys, and her visit to Wolf Connection. @wolfgirl_maineWolf Hollow WebsiteWolves of Maine Website@thewolfconnectionpod@wolf_hollow_ma

Headlines from the week of March 27, 2024    - Remembering the life and music of Susan Osborn    - A new era at Wolf Hollow as Shona Aitken retires    - Track continues to grow    - A new look for golf    - plus excerpts from the Sheriff's Log

Welcome back to Horror Home School! Join Chris, Ash, and special guest Josh Parks for their review and discussion of Wolf Hollow. Link tree at www.horrorhomeschool.com. Support the pod and get access to exclusive bonus content at www.patreon.com/horrorhomeschool

ARE YOU READY TO GET SLICIN & DICIN WITH SIR. STURDY HORROR FANS? IF YOU DON'T KNOW BY NOW I AM YOUR HOST SIR. STURDY.   WELCOME TO "STURD-O-VISION," WHERE THE VEIL BETWEEN THE KNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN IS THINNEST. IN THIS EPISODE, WE VENTURE INTO THE DARK HEART OF THE FOREST WITH A REVIEW OF THE 2023 HORROR SENSATION, "WOLF HOLLOW." JOIN ME AS WE EXPLORE THE HAUNTING TALE THAT HAS LEFT AUDIENCES HOWLING WITH FEAR AND FASCINATION.

Make The Switch To Cleaner ENERGY and Support The Show: Use Code BHOPOD for 10% off or Follow The Link! https://www.dubby.gg/collections/all?ref=YoNtRxcmlxeQs4 Dean of the Dead Hot Sauce- https://stores.inksoft.com/deanofthedead/shop/home Support Our Show - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thebho-podcast/subscribe Support The IndieGoGo- https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/grind-a-cosmic-horror-comedy?gclid=Cj0KCQiA5fetBhC9ARIsAP1UMgFvzeKshuJuMhu12SW5RoNDqt40AQVqVFDRFFhZ5JJmpPaUKhducIcaAoQvEALw_wcB#/ Patrons- Spencer Charnas Spencer Charnas Dissect That Film Yutaka Tamanaha Robert Joseph Jeremy Bys The_PrimeEvil 666 Carlos J Mota Flicks and Friends Podcast Do you like Horror? Podcast? Movies? Then consider becoming a Patreon Today to get Special Rewards and Early Access to our Audio and Video Versions of the Podcast before any other site! Come Listen, If You Dare! - https://www.patreon.com/TheBarrensHideout_Podcast --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thebho-podcast/support

from the creators of Massacre Academy and Wolf Hollow, we welcome the cast and crew from the new movie Grind! Go back the movie and grab some of the great perks! https://igg.me/at/grindofficialmovie/x#/ Come hang out in the live chat and ask you questions! Fun will be had by all! This episode is sponsored by Deadly Grounds Coffee, head over to https://deadlygroundscoffee.com/ and grab a bag if you want to support the show head over to http://tee.pub/lic/xagxfUg22qI and grab a shirt! We are part of The Dorkening Podcast Network https://www.thedorkeningpodcastnetwork.com/ Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5657902597799936 Find out more at https://wicked-horror-show.pinecast.co Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/wicked-horror-show/da146c4b-b41f-45ea-8f39-450713d5a051 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Headlines from the week of November 1, 2023    - Orcas Vikings' volleyball is advancing into playoffs    - Return to the wild: Wolf Hollow releases rehabilitated seal pups    - A dramatic Lopez overtime win    - plus excerpts from the Sheriff's Log

Another fantastic interview with actors from Mark Cantu's "Wolf Hollow" (2023). Brian Ceponis and Christina Krakowski, both very talented and wonderful actors in this new and phenomenal werewolf movie. We discussed their roles in the film, their camaraderie, and just how much fun they had acting alongside each other. Unfortunately, Lucas Dunaway did not make the interview for unknown reasons. I particularly liked how they spilled the secrets from behind the scenes, how Brian informed me that he acted as two werewolves in the movie. Christina's scenes in the RV, in the hot warehouse; essentially a hot box in a hot box. Overall, this was an extremely fun interview! Talking to both of the was a pleasure and an honor for they are both very talented and they nailed their roles flawlessly in "Wolf Hollow" - I cannot brag or emphasize enough how much I enjoyed the movie. The filming was extraordinary, the special effects/makeup were off the chain, acting/dialogue was paramount, and most of all, the kill scenes were top notch. I was and still am very impressed with this movie and I cannot wait to attend the premier at The Media Fright Fest on September 30th. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/southjerseyhorror/message

Erica and Steve saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's...his hair was perfect!The Horror Hippies on Social Media:Instagram: http://instagram.com/thehorrorhippiesErica Nelson on Social Media:Instagram: http://instagram.com/ericablair___Steven Hugh Nelson on Social Media:Instagram: http://instagram.com/stevenhughnelson/IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3841612/

On this week's episode E Bo reviews Gran Turismo, the Last Voyage of the Demeter, and Wolf Hollow. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eddy-bowman/support

If you have not seen Mike Cantu's "Wolf Hollow" yet, maybe you should, when it's released to the public! Wolf Hollow is an amazing movie with amazing actors, amazing special effects/makeup, and all around amazing everything. Within the first five minutes of the movie I was completely hooked because I knew that this movie has potential and it was definitely worth the watch! I cannot wait for this movie to make it's public premiere, I guarantee that no one will be disappointed with this film. Kamarra Cole, who plays 'Gillian Russell' in the movie; amazingly talented, beautiful, and upstanding and she sure proves it in this movie that she CAN AND WILL act the part given. Such an awesome person to talk to, very impressive career so far and I wish her nothing BUT success and prosperity in her future. Wolf Hollow will be making a premiere at the Media Fright Fest along with the director Mike Cantu and actors. This will be happening on September 30th. It's an all day horror event... For more information, visit their Facebook event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/s/fright-fest-and-delcos-arcade-/641516744563893/ So if you like all things werewolf, great actors, and macabre and horror - this is the event for you and I will be looking forward to see you all there! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/southjerseyhorror/message

On this episode of the Would You Die? Podcast, I'm joined by director Mark Cantu and star Brandon Krum to talk about their awesome new werewolf film WOLF HOLLOW. This new film is a blast for anyone who enjoys monster movies, movie quotes, and true independent cinema. A must-see for lovers of all three!  Enjoy!   Here are everyone's social media links! Wolf Hollow Insta: @wolfhollowofficialmovie Mark Cantu Insta: @markcantu98 Brandon Krum Insta: @krumstudios Brandon Krum Twitter: https://twitter.com/KRUMSTUDIOS Would You Die is hosted by Austin Torres and can be found @WouldYouDieShow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.   Visit the FANGORIA store: shop.fangoria.com/wouldyoudieshow Use Promo Code: WOULDYOUDIESHOW   BECOME A PATRON of the Would You Die Patreon here! patreon.com/wouldyoudiepodcast   Watch my short film, Best Day Ever, here! https://youtu.be/WDJbfRl2Qh4   The Would You Die? Podcast can also be found on TikTok @wouldyoudiepodcast. Follow Austin on Letterboxd @torresau. Music is composed by Josie Palmer.   Find Three Y's Men Media here! ThreeYsMenMedia.com   Find Three Y's Men Media merch (including Would You Die?) HERE! https://www.belowthecollar.com/tshirt-stores/3ymm.html  

We continue our interviews at Wolf Hollow and we catch up with a couple of members from the Winnebago County Ghostbusters. We talk all things Ghostbusters from toys to the new upcoming movie, and we give our condolences for Ghostbuster James who was a regular on our show.

Do our live show at Wolf Hollow we got to catch up with some Paranormal News! Singer Pink gets human ashes thrown at her on stage, woman divorces her ghost husband, and we have another Mothman sighting in Chicago! We also get to catch up with Wolf Hollow owners Liz and Randy, and also get a couple of people shopping hop in with their own spooky stories.

We wrap up the interview portion of our show with local artists and TV stars The Newlydeads. They share with us a little bit of their history with Wolf Hollow and also share with us all the incredible projects they are doing.

We move into our second live session of the day at Wolf Hollow and start with the returning UAW Locl 1268 Ghosthunter Linda. Linda shared with us her recent road trip where she was at Bray Rd, Ed Geins Farm, and Jeffrey Dahmers lot where his apartments were. She also shared in her new venture into urban exploring.

We are back from the dead and doing live streams from Wolf Hollow in Rockford IL, this is first of a string of interviews we did that day. Pete is the owner of Twisted Crypt Haunted house in Rockford IL, we talk Haunted House offseason stuff and the process of hiring new staff.

We continue our Wolf Hollow Live Event with interviewing Horror Movie host Mistress Malicious from the tv show Mistress Peace Theater.

We are happy to welcome back actress Jess Uhler to talk about WOLF HOLLOW and anything else that comes up! Jess Uhler is known for Godless Children, Wolf Hollow (2023) and Massacre Academy (2021). Wolf Hollow: A group of young filmmakers, led by neophyte producer Alex Romero (Christina Krakowski), venture out on a location scout in rural Pennsylvania. Deep into the back country, it quickly becomes apparent they have stumbled onto a family of werewolves and must now survive the night. This episode is sponsored by Deadly Grounds Coffee, head over to https://deadlygroundscoffee.com/ and grab a bag if you want to support the show head over to http://tee.pub/lic/xagxfUg22qI and grab a shirt! We are part of The Dorkening Podcast Network https://www.thedorkeningpodcastnetwork.com/ Find out more at https://wicked-horror-show.pinecast.co Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/wicked-horror-show/267844e2-78ff-4c2a-801d-6d5950bbee11

We are happy to welcome back actress, director, and writer Christina Krakowski to talk WOLF HOLLOW! WOLF HOLLOW: A group of young filmmakers, led by neophyte producer Alex Romero (Christina Krakowski), venture out on a location scout in rural Pennsylvania. Deep into the back country, it quickly becomes apparent they have stumbled onto a family of werewolves and must now survive the night. Christina Marie Krakowski was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She comes from a family of five and is the youngest of three siblings. She is mainly of Polish and Cuban descent. As a child, Christina picked up acting as a hobby performing in community theater and school plays. Christina briefly attended The Art Institute for graphic design, but once her school closed she went on to study acting. Christina has studied in and around Pittsburgh participating in various classes and workshops. Christina then went on to starring in short films, commercials, and independent feature films. She is known for her role as 'Alex Romero' in Wolf Hollow (2023) and 'Becca Engel' in Massacre Academy (2021) In 2022, Christina created her first award winning short film 'Extinguished' and received the 'Best woman in film' CARE award for her contributions to the industry. Christina is now based in Atlanta, Ga where she continues to work in film as an actor, writer, and director. This episode is sponsored by Deadly Grounds Coffee, head over to https://deadlygroundscoffee.com/ and grab a bag if you want to support the show head over to http://tee.pub/lic/xagxfUg22qI and grab a shirt! We are part of The Dorkening Podcast Network https://www.thedorkeningpodcastnetwork.com/ Find out more at https://wicked-horror-show.pinecast.co Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/wicked-horror-show/aef069ea-f10e-42ff-9c5f-88071e59560e

We talked about his indie horror Feature film Wolf Hollow

Join us as we talk to the wonderful and iconic Lynn Lowry. She's a veteran who's done everything and she's in demand more than ever. We talk both versions of The Crazies, He Knows, Wolf Hollow, Model Hunger and more! What a legend! Intro music by Neuron Spectre. Outro music by Straplocked.https://www.facebook.com/lynn.lowry.5   https://www.instagram.com/lowry_lynn/  https://twitter.com/LynnLynnlowry lynnlowry@sbcglobal.nethttps://www.facebook.com/groups/486409399778678  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvWkO9kZVC3Z1FtvZkj26g   

Jess Uhler & Christina Krakowski show up to discuss the movie premiere of Wolf Hollow. We talk about the challenges of making the latest Mark Cantu film...among other things. We managed to have a lot of fun along the way. Check it out! Intro music by Neuron Spectre. Outro music by Straplocked.https://www.facebook.com/jess.uhler  https://www.instagram.com/ferrisuhler55/  https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaM.krakowski  https://www.instagram.com/christinakrakowski/https://www.facebook.com/WolfHollowOfficialMoviePage  https://www.facebook.com/groups/486409399778678   https://www.youtube.com/@hamityvillehorrorpodcast3928/streams

This week, we are joined by Mark Cantu (Massacre Academy), the Director of the upcoming indie horror flick, WOLF HOLLOW to review one of the weirdest and most hilarious awesomely bad films that we've ever had the pleasure to view.  We are talking about the 2014 cult classic, WOLFCOP!  A movie that maybe like us you skipped past on streaming.  But let me tell you, this movie is amazing.  It has one of the most "memorable" werewolf transformations in film history and is chock full of over the practical special effects that warms my heart.  WOLF HOLLOW! Mark Cantu's new film "WOLF HOLLOW" premieres April 1st at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont for all you Pittsburgh folks.  Check the link below for ticket information.    Red Carpet Premiere- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wolf-hollow-red-carpet-world-premiere-tickets-476485680497?aff=ALLEVENTS Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxulU8xyqoc DISCORD!!!  Take the conversation further!  Come check out our Discord channel where we you can interact face to face (digitally) with us.  Like our opinion or hate it, now you can tell us directly!  https://discord.gg/QWPUCGCuVC SUPPORT THE PODCAST! Do you love the show and want to show your appreciation?  Consider a one time or monthly tip in our virtual tip jar.  Our show will ALWAYS be free, but unfortunately creating the podcast is not free.  Your support will go directly to our production costs.   https://glow.fm/thecinemapsychosshow/ JDUBS VIDEO NASTIES AND NEWSLETTER Our co-host, John Wooliscroft, has a brand new film channel on youtube. Check it out and Subscribe- https://www.youtube.com/@JDUBSVIDEONASTIES Sign up for the PSYCHOS NATION, our monthly newsletter - http://eepurl.com/dhGswf FEEDBACK AND CONTACT US Gotta a movie or question you want to throw our way?  Or did we trash one of your favorite films and you want to know where to send a dead horse.  Either way, drop us a line!  We welcome your questions and dead horses.   NEW !!!  Leave us voicemail! - https://cinemapsychosshow.com/contact-us/ Email cinemapsychosshow@gmail.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/PsychosShow Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/psychosshow/ Discord -https://discord.gg/QWPUCGCuVC Tiktok-https://www.tiktok.com/@cinemapsychosshow Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/psychosshow/ Website - https://cinemapsychosshow.com/ Brian Cottington - https://twitter.com/BrianCottington John Wooliscroft - https://twitter.com/TheUnRealJWools Theme Music: TITLE: “Red Alert” AUTHOR: Jack Waldenmaier PUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI) WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THE MUSIC CONTAINED IN THIS PRODUCTION IS SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. All copyrights, licensing, duplication and distribution rights are held exclusively by Music Bakery Publishing (BMI). 214-636-5887 musicbakery.com    

Wolf Hollow was founded 35 years ago by Paul Soffron in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Today, the original mission is carried on by his family, the staff and the volunteers which states, “To preserve the wolf in the wild, through education and exposure.”Zee Soffron is the Facility and Program Director at Wolf Hollow. He spoke about the beginnings of Wolf Hollow with his father, the goal and mission of the organization, and the day-to-day operations.  Wolf Hollow Website@wolf_hollow_ma

Welcome back to the Vault of Silliness, or should I say Vault of Clippiness? Yes, the clipping at the end of the episodes continues and the powers that be are fighting the good fight to resolve it properly. Buuuuut for now we have agreed to try a little trickery. A bit of video voodoo. Some audio abracadabra. What is it? Well thank you just so darn much for asking! I will add around 30 seconds of silence at the end of each show. The hope is that it will now clip off the added silence and my wonderfully entertaining close to each show will be heard in its entirety. I’m sure some of you are saying, “He should add the silence at the start of his close.” Let us venture back to February 25th, 1996 for a NNS show I have titled: Wolves at the Studio Door. We have three guests all of whom will be speaking about the wolf. Guest 1 Fred Keating from Loki (prn Lo-keye) Clan Wolf Refuge in Conway, NH – A shelter for wolf hybrids – wolves mixed with a domesticated dog. He provides excellent info on wolves and their abilities, explains all that his Refuge does and what started him on this journey. Guest 2 Paul Saffron from the North American Wolf Foundation and Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, MA. At the time he had seventeen, 100% pure British Columbian Timberwolves – and they were howling in the background! He tells us about the horribly senseless and cruel ways the wolf was treated and exterminated in the past and how governments are trying to right those wrongs. And, of course, he talks about his Foundation, his experiences, and the presentations he and his wife, Joanie, do at Wolf Hollow. Guest 3 Rick McIntyre – Author of ‘War Against the Wolf.’ He adds even more perspective on the anti-wolf mindset of the time and now, thankfully, a change in attitudes and philosophy about the wolf and its importance in the environment. We do take some calls with Rick: Joe from Quincy Paul Saffron returns to speak with Rick Jim in Georgetown John from MI Barbara in Brookline Pauline from Westborough Bruce in Boston And Pat from Plainville Episode 127, Wolves at the Studio Door, howls it’s way to your ears, now. patreon.com/normnathanvos

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest is Spencer Madison, who played Twila Atwood in Wolf Hollow and River in With Child. Spencer discusses with Scotty how it was hard acting a scene where her body was contorted, how terrifying the wolf costume was in real life, a crazy story on how she was stranded 3 hours from set at midnight when she needed to be on set for 10 AM that next morning, and much, much more. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/slasherscotty/support

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest is Christina Krakowski, who played Alex Romero in Wolf Hollow. Christina discusses with Scotty the thoughts of a Wolf Hollow sequel, including Jess' Werewolves on Motorcycles idea, what it was like working with someone in a werewolf costume, how she acted as a New Yorker in the film and brought her "A" game to rival Jess' character, and much, much more. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/slasherscotty/support

If you're trying to find the sweetest person in the world...stop looking because we found her. Felissa Rose stopped by to talk to us about indie films, horror conventions, loving life, making friends, and the reason she does what she does. You can't help but love her. Check it out! Intro music by Neuron Spectre. Outro music by Straplocked.https://www.facebook.com/felissa.miller  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0741378/  https://www.instagram.com/felissarose123/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/486409399778678  https://www.youtube.com/@hamityvillehorrorpodcast3928/videos

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest is Jess Uhler, who played Beth Dunham in Wolf Hollow. Jess discusses with Scotty her thoughts on Vince McMahon being brought back to the WWE Board of Directors, her thoughts on a bad ass werewolves on motorcycles sequel, how you'll hate her character in the film, and much, much more. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slasherscotty/support

We sat down with the Burgh Blonde herself! We talked about Massacre Academy, Wolf Hollow, Batshit, Her book Burgh Blonde and MORE! We love the 80's and we love this delightful guest! Intro music by Neuron Spectre. Outro music by Straplocked.https://www.facebook.com/april.marie1984   https://www.instagram.com/burgh_blonde/  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1346908692147124  https://www.facebook.com/WolfHollowOfficialMoviePagehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/486409399778678   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvWkO9kZVC3Z1FtvZkj26g/videos  

We sat down to talk with Jess Uhler to talk about her acting career. We learn about the movie making community in Pittsburgh and her continued work with director Mark Cantu. It's always refreshing to talk to someone who loves what they are doing. She loves acting, cats, haunted houses, and wrestling. She's also an advocate for treatment of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBD. What an amazing person with a bright future!https://www.facebook.com/jess.uhler   https://www.instagram.com/ferrisuhler55/   https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/https://www.facebook.com/groups/486409399778678   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvWkO9kZVC3Z1FtvZkj26g/videos 

This week on Next Reads, Erin reads from Yonder by Ali Standish. Read-alikes include: Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Lauren Wolk is an American author, poet and editor. Born in Baltimore, she studied English literature at Brown University graduating in 1981. Wolk won a Newbery Honor in 2017 for her novel Wolf Hollow and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2018 for Beyond the Bright Sea.In this episode of #InTheReadingCorner Lauren talks about In My Own Lightning, her sequel to Wolf Hollow,About My Own LightningIt has been several months since the tragic events set in motion by bully Betty Glengarry, and the routine of daily life in Wolf Hollow has slowly returned. But for Annabelle McBride, it's hard to move forward and make peace with what feels like threadbare justice. Newly warm summer days are about to bring a jolt of change on the winds of a powerful storm. In its wake, the search for her brother's missing dog will set Annabelle on a new path that brings her to unfamiliar doorsteps and reunites her with a too-familiar adversary—Andy Woodberry, who was complicit in Betty's most terrible acts. Growing up and blazing her own trail will soon force Annabelle to reexamine deeply felt truths—about people, about justice, about herself—that had once seemed so uncomplicated.

Lauren Wolk is on the #ReadingWithYourKids #Podcast to celebrate her new #MiddleGrade #Novel My Own Lightning. Lauren tells us this is a sequal to her very popular Newbery honor winning Wolf Hollow. In this powerful conversation Lauren tells us how she, like the lead character in the book, struggles to stand up to the bullies in her life. Click here to visit our website - www.readingwithyourkids.com

Pack a snack for a rundown of what's on Allegra's bookshelf for Spring 2022, along with thoughts about the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series! Books include Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages by Howard Bloom; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk; Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk; Life of Pi by Yann Martel; The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; The Crossover by Kwame Alexander; The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz; What if it's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Here's to Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green; Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi; Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi; There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar.

Pack a snack for a rundown of what Allegra's been reading this month, along with thoughts about the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series! Books include Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages by Howard Bloom; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk; Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk; Life of Pi by Yann Martel; The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; The Crossover by Kwame Alexander; The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz; What if it's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Here's to Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera; Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green; Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi; Star-Touched Stories by Roshani Chokshi; and There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar.

In our second session live at Wolf Hollow we dive into a recent brutal murder that happened in Wisconsin, talked cursed movies, and get a visit from our local Ghostbuster friend!

We are back and we are doing a live podcast from the wonderful and spooky oddity shoppe in Rockford IL WOLF HOLLOW!!

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest was Jeff Descoteaux, who played Marcus in Wolf Hollow. Jeff discusses with Scotty what it was like to film a scene with Kane Hodder, how it is challenging to change his accent for film projects, how he got his start in acting with Damian Maffei from The Strangers: Prey At Night, and much, much more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slasherscotty/support

School librarian Tricia Fraser shares how educators and parents can foster a love of reading in their children. Don't miss her book suggestions for all ages! Click to read the article by Tricia “When we slow down and read a book, it gives us an opportunity to think about things deeply and to use our imaginations.” “When kids have a choice of what to read, it helps them discover more of what they like.” “We want to be modeling a love of books, we want to be sharing books with them, because the goal is to have them have their own motivation to read that's internal.” “The single biggest thing that anybody - teachers and parents - can do to help kids learn to love to read is to read to them.” Battle of the Books Sources for finding books: Redeemed Reader, Read-Aloud Revival, WORLD Magazine, Triple Crown Awards, The Tome Society, Shadow Mountain Tricia's recent read: Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill Keane's recent reads: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Bo the Brave by Bethan Woollvin Christian authors with undertones of Christian worldview: Books by N. D. Wilson, The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, The Green Ember series by S. D. Smith Book Suggestions from Tricia: Kindergarten-Grade 2: Tales That Tell the Truth by Various Authors: Bible story picture books, all illustrated by Catalina Echeverri.  Hanna's Cold Winter by Trish Marx: This is a story of trying to keep the hippos in the Budapest zoo fed all winter during WWII, based on a true story.  Mars Needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed: I read this story at Easter as a new way of illustrating Jesus' sacrificial love for us, comparing our relationship with Him to the relationship of the little boy in the story with his mom.  Grades 3-5 The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall: These are adventure-filled friendship stories with a lot of heart.   Inkling by Kenneth Oppel: An inkblot comes to life and the son of a famous artist has to decide whether or not to let the inkblot do his art project for him. Adventure and peril ensue.  The Dead Sea Squirrels series by Mike Nawrocki: Some Bible-era squirrels are found in the Dead Sea caverns and come back to life in the modern United States. This leads to adventures, along with lessons that the squirrels picked up from a certain preacher they heard near the Sea of Galilee. Grades 6-8 The Invisible Boy by Alyssa Hollingsworth: Modern-day slavery hiding under our noses is addressed well, for middle school audiences.  The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan: Adventure, bows & arrows, good guys vs. bad guys, what's not to love? Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk: This beautifully written historical fiction is set in Appalachia during WWII. It deals with racism and one young girl's response to injustice in her community.  Teens Deleted by Ruth Mitchell: What if our iphones were glasses, connected directly into our brains through our ears? And then what if someone figured out how to hack our brains and delete memories? The concept is so interesting, with a lot of peril, combined with just a touch of philosophy.  You Bring the Distant Near and Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins: Perkins deals with issues of immigration, race, abuse, human trafficking, and other difficult issues, without shying away from the hard stuff, but also not too graphic for students middle school and up.  Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson: A sixteen year old wakes up in a mental institution and tries to figure out if her memories are true. Is she mentally ill? Or is something else going on? This book has a lot of twists and turns that I really enjoyed.  All-Time Favorites for Family Read-Alouds (Elementary and up): The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong    What's changing our lives: Keane: Bookmarking things more often Heather: Walks in the wintry woods Tricia: Becoming TeachBeyond team leaders in Hungary Weekly Spotlight: International Christian School of Budapest We'd love to hear from you! podcast@teachbeyond.org Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest is Daniel John Kearney, who played Otto Rossi Jr. in Wolf Hollow. Daniel discusses with Scotty how director Mark Cantu is very organized, his relationship and friendship with Scream Queen and horror icon Felissa Rose, how the Wolf Hollow Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign did better than expected, and much, much more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slasherscotty/support

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest is Mark Cantu, the director of Wolf Hollow. Mark discusses with Scotty advice for upcoming filmmakers, how he'll be creating his werewolves, how this film differs from other werewolf classics, such as The Wolfman, An American Werewolf in London, and The Howling, and much, much more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slasherscotty/support

Who doesn't like a good Werewolf movie? This week we are joined by some of the cast and crew of the movie WOLF HOLLOW. Mark Cantu (writer, director) Daniel John Kearney (executive producer), as well as actors Brian Ceponis, Kamarra Cole, and Christine Mancini. Starting Dec 27th you can go show some love over at Indiegogo and don't forget to follow them @wolfhollowofficialmovie on both Facebook and Instagram. WOLF HOLLOW is the story of Alex Romero (Christina Krakowski), a neophyte indie film producer leading her team on a location scout in Rural Pennsylvania. The location belonging to the family of her new assistant Ray Neuri (Noah Welter) , Alex sees this as a massive early win for her first film. However, upon arriving in Wolf Hollow, it becomes apparent very quickly the cast and crew are in over their heads and they have stumbled into a nest full of werewolves, led by Ray's older brother, Bart Neuri (Brian Ceponis). With the clock ticking and lives being lost, Alex must decide to allow the wolves at their door to slaughter them all or to defend her production team's lives—no matter the cost. As always this episode is sponsored by Deadly Grounds Coffe. Go get a little deadly at getdeadly.com Find out more at https://wicked-horror-show.pinecast.co Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/wicked-horror-show/77d825c5-8dab-441e-86ce-49ae162617b3

Are you able to express yourself?  Are you able to let others know your needs?  In this raw Brain Burrow Digging Deep interview, director/producer/writer/actor Mark Cantu digs deep into his struggles with addiction, his successes in living with it, and his embrace of fabulous failures.  He candidly talks about his previous challenges with motivation and his triumphs with Massacre Academy.  Mark talks about his ability to self-identify his feelings and triggers.  He is deeply in touch with his own emotions and has the uncanny ability to practice radical candor with those around him - he is able to express when he is feeling intense emotions and asks for space. Mark is a director and writer known for Average Joe (2021), Massacre Academy (2021), and the upcoming Wolf Hollow (2022).Connect with Mark Cantu:instagram.com/markcantu98/facebook.com/mark.aaron.5IMDB: Mark Cantuinstagram.com/massacre_academy/instagram.com/wolfhollowofficialmovie/Connect with Mark D Valenti:instagram.com/valentihorror/brainburrow.com​​IMDB: Mark D ValentiBrain Burrow YouTubetwitter.com/brainburrowtiktok.com/@brainburrowBrain Burrow Sponsors:Delirium MagazineCreepy Crate (use code Burrow5 to save $5 off your first order)Hunt a KillerHorror Pack: Movie Subscription Box

In this weeks spooky news we talk about how a man dressed as Michael Myers is arrested, a child is stabbed at a haunted house, and why wont Newsroom Nessie let Nick get the haunted mirror from Wolf Hollow.

In our second segment Live at Wolf Hollow in Rockford IL we interviewed Rebecca The Stateline Medium, she shared her history on how she learned to harness her powers and even did a couple readings on the three of us.

In our first live interview done on YouTube from Wolf Hollow in Rockford IL we interview Peter Dunn, owner and creator of Twisted Crypt Haunted House in Rockford, we talk about some of the behind the scenes stuff with running a haunted house and also dive into some scary movie talk as well as cryptids and home death disclosures.

Christine (Rex) Anckner joins Jay on this podcast of "Raising Your Inner Voice" to discuss the importance of the wolf in our eco system. She shares her passion for educating the public at Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, MA as their weekend volunteer coordinator and educational presenter. 

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest is Mark Cantu, who is the writer/director of both Massacre Academy and Wolf Hollow. Mark discusses with Scotty the werewolf costume in Wolf Hollow, how the fear of clowns inspired the killers in Massacre Academy, how Massacre Academy is a "love letter" to 80s horror, some fun stories from set of filming Massacre Academy, and much, much more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slasherscotty/support

Scotty is back with another episode of Slasher Scotty and his guest this time around is Christina Krakowski, who played Becca Engel in Massacre Academy. Christina discusses with Scotty her side of the infamous elevator story that happened with her co-star, Sierra Mitchell, her role in the upcoming indie film, Wolf Hollow, how her character in Massacre Academy will differ from her character in Wolf Hollow, how she, Jess, and Sierra kept warm in the cold studio room during film, and much, much more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slasherscotty/support

Scotty is back with another interview for Slasher Scotty and his guest is Jess Uhler, who played Kris McNeil in Massacre Academy. Jess discusses with Scotty how hard it was to film in a room with freezing temperatures, how Massacre Academy is different than other horror films, her love for the WWE, her involvement in Mark Cantu's next film, Wolf Hollow, and much, much more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/slasherscotty/support

Mara and Josh travel back in time to 1943 and explore big ideas like prejudice, trauma, and truth in Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow. Be warned: some of our discussion ventures into territory that may be upsetting for some listeners. Also discussed: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Great Wolf Lodge, "Funky Cold Medina", You're Next, and the dearth of pirate fiction. Next month we will (probably) be reading Rea and the Blood of the Nectar by Payal Doshi. If that's the case, the episode will be released on June 15 instead of June 1. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visit him at www.benash.com. Mixing and drums by Chaz Bommarito, guitar by Jakael Tristram. Note: This month's episode is being uploaded in WAV format instead of MP3 due to technical challenges. Please let us know if this affects your downloading or listening experience.

Meghan and Jade volunteer at Wolf Hollow in Ipswich Massachusetts.We talked about wolves in pre History, dogs, and how we can help the environment bu helping wolves! Important links down below."Wolf Hollow, aka the North American Wolf Foundation, is a 501(c)3 non-profit wolf sanctuary and educational facility proudly staffed primarily by volunteers and supported solely by donations, adoptions, and proceeds from admission and gift shop sales. Since our founding in 1988, our mission has maintained a focus on the preservation of the wolf in the wild through education and exposure."https://www.facebook.com/VoyageursWolfProjecthttps://www.instagram.com/voyageurswolfproject/https://www.facebook.com/Maine-Wolf-Coalition-162171977132715https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FatA7flPeL4How wolves alter wetlandsCan wolves actually alter wetlands and change the course of streams and rivers? YES!! Brand new research (published today!) from the Voyageurs Wolf Project ...Social Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/PilgrimsDigress/https://www.instagram.com/pilgrimsdigressne/https://twitter.com/PilgrimsDigresshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pilgrims-digress/id1457453182https://open.spotify.com/show/5XuUSDpcXJgq1zjzJ0YUkb https://www.podchaser.com/I am on the YouTube! Listen here if you would like and stay tuned for shows on video or extra content!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgdKHo5U5Z6Fb5YCipTWI6ASupport the show (https://paypal.me/apminton?locale.x=en_US)

Hope y'all are prepped on the first three books, because we're diving right into the fourth Fablehaven novel! Let's see what Brandon Mull treats us with this time. Also discussed: Stanley Tucci, The Happening, lactose-free milk, Butters from South Park, flat-earthers, and Dobby. Next month we will be reading Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk. Contact us at hfkpodcast@gmail.com or @hfkpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. We're also on GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/90379252-josh-mara Theme music composed by Ben Ash. Visit him at www.benash.com. Mixing and drums by Chaz Bommarito, guitar by Jakael Tristram. Note: This month's episode is being uploaded in WAV format instead of MP3 due to technical challenges. Please let us know if this affects your downloading or listening experience.

Liz and Randy have one of the most unique stores in Rockford. Hands down! What's even more unique is that it started as a neighborhood haunted house inside their garage one Halloween, several years ago.Liz and Randy have taken their love for the macabre and turned it into a store that has to be seen, not heard. Hear about their journey and inspiration for Wolf Hollow and go pay them a visit!

This week we celebrate episode 69 as we go over the paranormal evidence we found during our investigation at Wolf Hollow that was released on YouTube this week.

“Midnight Wren” is the second story from the Tales of Wolf Hollow by Allison Carr Waechter. A young girl abandoned at a second-rate boarding school wonders about her empty future when she stumbles one day upon a glossy raven black feather. As more appear, she collects them up in woven baskets only to find when the moon shines upon them, they feel alive and she begins to hear a strange song upon waking up to talon claw in sleep. Where is the song coming from, and why does it sound so familiar and uncloud nightmarish memories? Allison Carr Waechter, is the author of Vessel of Starfire, the debut novel in the Outlaws of Interra trilogy. Follow her work and sign up for her newsletter at www.allisoncarrwaechter.com for news of upcoming tales. And for more information on The Way of Thorn & Key, please visit their Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewayofthornandkey If you've been enjoying our tales, give us a review on Apple Podcasts and follow along on Spotify! To learn more about Widdershins, please visit: www.widdershinsstories.com Support us on Ko-Fi to help us keep the podcast running! www.ko-fi.com/widdershinsstories For more information on Ashley, please visit: www.oldgrowthalchemy.com www.patreon.com/oldgrowthalchemy For more information on Joe, please visit: www.joesabourin.com

On our second session live at Wolf Hollow we talk to Sam from Tinker Swiss Cottage, the haunted and historic home here in Rockford IL. We also continue to talk everything spooky Rockford with Kati Kresol and Sara B and even get a little cryptid talk mixed in as well.

Live from Wolf Hollow we get the chance to sit down with Hauntedrockford.com Kathi Kresol and Sara B and talk about all things spooky in Rockford IL, Plus we get a bonus interview with the local Winnebago County Ghostbusters Fan group and talk their Non For Profit and talk old school Ghostbusters.

From one of the very first beers (Battle of 1669) on episode one, we have talked about the greatness of Wolf Hollow Brewing Company. Jordan the owner, gives us a little background on the history and conception of WHBC while Kyle breaks down their brewing process for us.

“Come out of the dark night and sit by my fire.” This week, we have the dark and enchanting tale, “The Truths of Wolf Hollow” by Allison Carr Waechter. A retelling of the familiar story of Little Red Riding Hood with a twist that the Grimm's never would have dared to discuss. What happens when a village is divided by an ever growing wood and the wolves aren't the only things to be frightened of in the dark night full of whispering winds? You've come this far, why not stay for the whole telling? Allison Carr Waechter, is the author of Vessel of Starfire, the debut novel in the Outlaws of Interra trilogy. Follow her work and sign up for her newsletter at www.allisoncarrwaechter.com for news of upcoming tales. And visit her website for more information on The Way of Thorn & Key, the story of two witches brought together by a magical book. If you've been enjoying our tales, give us a review on Apple Podcasts and follow along on Spotify! To learn more about Widdershins, please visit: www.widdershinsstories.com For more information on Ashley, please visit: www.oldgrowthalchemy.com www.patreon.com/oldgrowthalchemy For more information on Joe, please visit: www.joesabourin.com

Jake is moving, shows off SWAG CAT, and also decides to tell Courtney live on the podcast that he has new ideas (which you know is always scary). Then, Jake has 5 Tips for supporting local this holiday season!   Special mentions: Winnebago Buy Local, Bella Luna Bakery, Halo Cupcake, Prairie Street Brewing Co., Sugar Britches, Dairyhaus, Culture Shock, Butler's Emporium, Wolf Hollow, Top Cut Comics, Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens    Hit play and come hang out with us. Coffee drinking is suggested.   Follow us on social media: Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/TheRockfordBuzz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockfordBuzz/   "Rockford Buzz" Apple and Android Mobile Apps   Grab some Rockford Buzz Merch: http://shop.rockfordbuzz.com Become a Rockford Buzz Backer: https://rockfordbuzz.com/backer

For our second interview during our live Youtube stream from Wolf Hollow in Rockford IL we were pleased to have High Priest David Skywatcher join us and talk to us about his long line of witches in his family and some background on tarot and covens.

We recorded live on YouTube at our favorite local oddities shop Wolf Hollow in Rockford IL and our first show of the day we got to interview a local paranormal team UAW 1268 Paranormal Committee

This week we catch up after a couple weeks off and we talk personal hauntings and experiences, we discus Nicks very first Tarot card reading at Wolf Hollow, and announce our plans for the 31 Days of Halloween for the month of October

In our second shift from Wolf Hollow we talk Annabelle escaping along with other haunted dolls plus we cover the Black Eyed kids.

We are live on youtube interviewing shoppers of Wolf Hollow in Rockford, we talk the Dark Zones live stream of the Lizzie Borden House and listen to personal stories of the paranormal.

Listen to why Lisa K recommends these 3 page-turning historical fiction books for grades 4th-6th. Books in order of recommendation: Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Okay For Now by Gary Schmidt These books are available to download as ebooks and eaudiobooks with your Westerville Public Library card from Hoopla, Cloud Library, and Overdrive.

We take our show on the road and set up shop at Wolf Hollow Gift Shoppe in Rockford IL, we chat with customers and their own ghost experiences and we talk creepy holiday traditions and Krampus

We take our show on the road and set up shop at Wolf Hollow Gift Shoppe in Rockford IL, we chat with customers and their own ghost experiences and we talk Moth Man siting in Chicago

Wolf Hollow, is a wolf sanctuary and educational facility proudly staffed primarily by volunteers and supported solely by donations, adoptions, and proceeds from admission and gift shop sales. Since their founding in 1988, the mission has maintained a focus on the preservation of the wolf in the wild through education and exposure. I had as a guest to Kevin Kenny, Program Manager of this sanctuary and we talked about…. WOLVES.!

Lauren Wolk, associate director of the Cultural Center of Cape Cod and author of "Wolf Hollow," joins Life With Gwenn to talk about the arts on Cape Cod.

"All good things are wild & free" -Henry David Thoreau Niki tells her story about traveling across the landscapes of nature-- as avid hiker/outdoor enthusiast, wolf-advocate (yes, they need our help!), Bikram yogi, and exotic animal handler. After a not-so-great, though sadly typical, experience with public high "schooling," Niki blossomed into an avid learner and teacher after she answered what she terms her "Call of the Wild." Niki is a wonderful and interesting example of the various forms of learning and teaching that happen outside the narrow academic realm of school. For the students who struggle in school or who don't succeed as a student in the academic realm, this episode is for you! A few quotes from our conversation: "When life is trying to tell you something, when the some 'thing' keeps calling you back, you should probably listen." "I learned not to have expectations... or believe in limits about what I could do or couldn't do." "I just knew I was in the right place. I just knew-- this is it. This is my life. This is me." "So many doors opened for me." "I am so grateful....I love my life. I wouldn't change anything." I really hope you enjoy listening to Niki about her sense of self-awareness; interconnectedness; the wild; listening; and openness to what life brings. Her  enthusiasm for authentic forms of learning and teaching are contagious! For more information: Curious Creatures @ https://www.curiouscreatures.org/  ​The New England original Interactive LIVE ANIMAL Programs & Parties Established by Dean Kosch in 1987 Wolf Hollow @ http://www.wolfhollowipswich.org/ 114 Essex Road Ipswich, MA 01938 Tel: (978) 356-0216 Bikram Yoga  Find a studio location anywhere in the world. @https://www.bikramyoga.com/ Creative Commons License for "Political Lunatics" by Earthling (intro and outro music) "Political Lunatics" by Earthling

Intro Hey everyone! This is 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 of two daughters, and ridiculously excited about the new twinkle lights on my Christmas tree this year.  Sometimes - you have to take joy in the small things. This is Episode #39 and today we are celebrating some of the best middle grade books published in 2017. And today’s episode is brought to you by WriteAbout.com - a writing community and publishing platform perfect for classrooms. If you are like me and are looking for an engaging and authentic way for your students to share their ideas with a wider audience, you are absolutely going to want to visit WriteAbout.com to check it out.    Main Topic - The Top 20 Middle Grade Books of 2017 This year has been another strong reading year for me so far. I read a lot more picture books thanks to participating in #ClassroomBookaDay but I still kept up with my middle grade reads. And as I look at my book list and genre tracker, I notice I read fewer fantasy books compared to last year and way more graphic novels thanks to the CYBILS. And also my plans to boost my nonfiction reading... failed. So this is an all fiction list.  And I decided to separate out the graphic novels this year since I read so many more of them so be on the lookout for another best of podcast very soon featuring just the middle grade graphic novels.    So, last year at this time,  I read 75 total books including 60 middle grade books with  31 of those published in in 2016. And my top three books last year were Booked, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, and The Wild Robot as my favorite read last year. (You can find that list here.) This year (2017), as of December 20th - I have read 91 books, not including picture books. 79 of those were middle grade with 55 of those published in 2017. A quick word before I begin. Picking JUST 20 was excruciating. And they are not necessarily the most “literary”. I read some beautifully written books this year, ones that are bound to get some top awards, but these are the ones I felt were both well-written and had that special spark that would appeal to young readers.  Even with that - I could easily share with you another 20 (or more!) fabulous books, but then we’d be here all night. Alright here we go - these are my Top 20 middle grade novels of 2017: This Is Just A Test by Madelyn Rosenberg & Wendy Shang This novel is about a boy named David who is preparing for his bar mitzvah while trying to please both his Chinese and Jewish grandmothers. (Not a small feat!)  Oh - and building a nuclear fallout shelter just in case things get out of hand with the Soviets. I loved this book because of its warmth and humor AND because it’s set in 1984. And I am all about that 80s nostalgia lately. (If you want to hear more about this book, check out episode 28 to hear an interview with Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Shang.)   Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes This book is about zany (and flexible!) 3rd grader Beatrice whose first day of school plans get derailed when her best friend, Lenny, shows up to school NOT wearing the matching ninja outfit they both agreed on. AND Lenny shows up with a new friend. I loved this book for it’s playful language, fun orange-tinted illustrations, and Beatrice’s great attitude. And since I have my own ninja-clad wall-climbing 8 year old gal at home, I have a special place in my heart for Beatrice.   Enginerds by Jarrett Lerner Speaking of playful books - what is not to love about a robot that blasts cubes out of its butt? But don’t be fooled by the humor - this is one smart book that celebrates the engineering spirit. It’s about a kid named Kennedy who discovers a mysterious box on his front step that assembles itself into a rather demanding robot. And Kennedy and the rest of his enginerd friends have to figure out how to contain this band of rogue robots who have escaped into their town.  Last week I had the honor of chatting with Jarrett Lerner  about Enginerds - and lots of other things - so watch for that episode in January!   A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins This debut middle grade book by Carter Higgins is about Derby Clark who, along with her dad and younger brother, travel around in their Rambler car, selling Christmas trees in the winter. And hot chocolate and gingersnaps and cinnamon sugar donuts out of an old concession stand trailer. In the summers, they make their home in Ridge Creek, Virginia where they set up their concession stand in the parking lot of a minor league baseball team. But this year when they arrive - Derby discovers that her minor league family is different - with mysteries to solve, people to help, and wrongs to make right. This is ones of those books with characters that stay in your heart - and for me, reading so so many books - it’s a rare find when they’re this memorable.   A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold One of my great reading pleasures this year was getting to know the sweet and quirky Bixby Alexander Tam - or BAT for short. And I was excited to hear that there is at least one more book coming!  In this first one, Bat’s mother, who is a Vet, brings home an orphaned baby skunk to take care of and all Bat can think about is how to find a way to prove his responsibility and get to keep him. This book is adorable and poignant and a great fit for younger middle grade readers.   Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart This incredible adventure is like Lord of the Flies meets Holes with a hint of The Ethan I Was Before.  It’s about a kid named Jonathan who has been sent to an island prison for kids for a crime he admits to committing but does not reveal until the end. On the island he encounters this tough group of 14 misfit boys - all imprisoned on this Alcatraz-type reformatory school for their crimes. Then suddenly, an incident occurs and the adults are all gone and the boys have to figure out what to do. If this one passed you by this year - definitely check it out! It’s got adventure and cool literary references and secret tunnels and oh it keeps you turning those pages!!   Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk This is Lauren Wolk’s second novel after her 2017 Newbery Honor book Wolf Hollow. And oh is this a masterful follow up! And one of those books that had me constantly pausing to research the historical details referenced.  Beyond the Bright Sea is about a young girl called Crow who as an infant washed ashore in an old boat on one of the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts. Other than the reclusive fisherman who is raising her, the other people on the island shun her because they think she came from Penikese Island - the nearby leper colony. When one night Crow spots a campfire on that supposedly abandoned island, she decides to find out for herself what answers that place may hold. This book enveloped me in that world and was full of surprises.   Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson This incredible, important, and beautifully written historical fiction novel takes place in rural Mississippi in the summer of 1955 right after the brutal murder of Emmett Till. That event and its aftermath has shifted the world of the main character -  Rose Lee Carter, her family, and her community.  But this isn’t just a Civil Rights story but the story of young girl dealing with self-doubt and family complications, and trying to decide how to balance making a better life for herself and making a better world for everyone to live in. And in a society that is asking us all to make those same calculations and bringing to light prejudices that some thought were on their way out, this is must read to understand our country and ourselves. I’d probably recommend this one for maybe ages 12 and up or perhaps a little younger with the understanding that the n-word is used. So some readers might need some context for that  - which would be a fantastic opportunity for much-needed conversation. And the sequel, A Sky Full of Stars, is coming out on January 2nd - a perfect time to read or reread the first book and have the second one ready to go!   Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry This is a novel told in alternating chapters of prose and poetry. The poetry sections are told from the point of view of Calli who is smart, sensitive, and into astronomy. She also has Tourette syndrome (TS) and was advised by her doctor and mom to hide that fact from people. But since she’s just moved to Utah with her mom, Calli is in this stressful position of starting a new school and trying to mask her tics and noises. The other chapters are from the point of view of her classmate and neighbor Jinsong. He is the student body president and the two of them form a fragile friendship that seems like it might be doomed when his friends start to target her. I adored this book and I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover (but we all do) - and Forget Me Not has such a gorgeous and meaningful cover. Kudos to Anna Booth for the cover design.   Funny Girl edited by Betsy Bird This collection of short stories is truly laugh-out-loud hilarious. Every one is written by women and about experiences young girls in particular can relate to. But - the boys in my class are loving this book, too!  It’s a great mix of personal narratives, poetry, comics, quizzes, and all kinds of cool formats. Some of my favorites are “One Hot Mess by Carmon Agra Deedy, “Bad Hair Day” by Kelly DiPucchio and “Brown Girl Pop Quiz” by Mitali Perkins. You really can’t go wrong with this book. And if you want to hear more about it, check out my interview with Betsy Bird on episode 32.   Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan This is a lovely and heartfelt story about a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, Amina, who is trying to navigate the complicated tides of middle school friendship where old friends are changing and old adversaries might be changing, too. Amina also has to deal with her rather traditional and more religiously strict uncle visiting their family and figuring out for herself how to express her beliefs and culture and voice in a way that feels right to her. This was Hena Khan’s debut middle grade, and I’m excited to see what else she has in store for us.   The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie This book has taken my class by storm!  I read it in one weekend and loved how much it creeped me the heck out. Every sentence - every detail in that first chapter ratchets up the tension as Tessa arrives at her new (possible haunted?) home in Chicago where things start to disappear, and mysterious figures are drawn in her sketchpad, and her brother’s ventriloquist dummy is… acting strangely.  And I haven’t even told you about the cemetery part yet!! If you have young kids who love a scary mystery - get this book in their hands!   Patina by Jason Reynolds This is Book 2 in the Track series and the follow up to Ghost. Here we the story of Patina “Patty” Jones - one of the new and fastest kids on the Defenders Track team. A girl who is running away from a lot - the taunts of the girls at her fancy new school. But also a girl who is running for a lot - for her mom who lost her legs to diabetes and won’t ever run again. And those stresses can sometimes manifest themselves in what looks like a bad attitude toward others and her teammates. So of course, her coach challenges her to run the event that requires the most cooperation - the relay.  It’s a rare sequel captures my heart as much as the first book but this one absolutely did it. And that first chapter about false starts and false finishes is one that has stayed on my mind a lot this year.   Wishtree by Katherine Applegate Did we have any doubt that this book would be wonderful? I have loved seeing how much my students are enjoyed this story about a brave and wise tree named Red and its loyal band of oddly-named tenants. The more subtle themes of immigration and racism take some coaxing and explaining and rereading to bring forth for them, but the the ideas about friendship are at the forefront of their minds. In a time when we all could use a dose of empathy and hope, Wishtree is the book we need.   The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez I really fell hard for this story about a Mexican-American girl reluctantly moving to Chicago with her mom and trying to both fit in and stand out and figure out who she is and what’s worth standing up for. Her fashion choices put her at odds with both her new school and her mother who wishes she could be more “senorita” and less punk rock. But the oh how I loved Malú and her parents and her friends, and I just wanted to go hang out with them in Chicago coffee shops and record stores. And the many zine sections in this book add a uniqueness that makes this book really stand out. (If you want to hear more about The First Rule of Punk, check out episode 33 to hear an interview with Celia.)   Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling This is a book that I came a little late to but when just about every single one of my middle grade Twitter friends are raving about a book, you know it’s something special. And they were right! And I’ll be honest with you - the moment I was sold on this book was the moment I took off the cover and saw the glorious undies - the cover underneath. But - I should tell you about the plot, too - right? This is a mystery centered around Aven - a girl with a fabulous (and sorta sick) sense of humor who likes to tell people that she lost her arms in a wildfire or an alligator attack. In reality, she was born without them and due to her adoptive parents’ vigilance - she can do just about anything that any other kid can do. But - when they all move so her parents can take over running the Stagecoach Pass theme park, Aven has to start a new school and deal with all that entails. Along the way, she meets a couple other “outcasts” who help her start to solve a major mystery at Stagecoach Pass. I loved this book because of how funny it was and how much research the author did to tell Aven’s story. Ban This Book by Alan Gratz I wish I had the guts that this main character has. But - she doesn’t start off so confident. Amy Anne is a shy, sweet fourth grader who loves the library, who loves to read, and who loves From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It’s her favorite book - and one of my childhood favorites, too. But - when her favorite is banned from the school library - along with more and more books, she forms a secret banned book library that she runs out of her locker. Until…. well, I won’t tell you but it’s fantastic! With twists along the way, references to so many other books, and a special (cameo?) by Dav Pilkey who visits her school. Please get this book and has a great message that might be different than what you think.   Posted by John David Anderson As I’ve mentioned before, when you get a new book by an author whose previous work blew you away (Ms. Bixby’s Last Day), you’re almost expecting to be let down.But Posted is incredible. It’s the story of four middle school friends whose equilibrium is shifted when two things happen. One - a new girl comes to school (Rose) and some of them want her in their group and some don’t. Two - cell phones have been banned due to a recent ‘incident” and one of the four main friends, DeeDee, inadvertently starts a trend of posting sticky notes on lockers to communicate instead. Those two catalysts jump start this series of events that lead to a bike. And a hill. And a post-it. And so much more that threatens to fracture their friendship forever. I loved this book and how the author structured it - how it brought forward past information in a flashback but then withheld the next step and then brought everything together at the end. It just was so well crafted.     Refugee by Alan Gratz This book was the most powerful, most emotional I read all year. And I’ll admit that it left me a bit of a mess, and there were times I needed to pause. But how Alan Gratz braided the three stories of Josef and Isobel and Mahmoud together was brilliant and beautiful and raw.  Bringing forward one strand and then another and another, binding them together.  The three stories are - Josef a young Jewish boy, who is traveling with his family from 1930s Germany to Cuba on the infamous ship called the St. Louis. Then there is Isobel and her family who are traveling on a tiny makeshift raft from 1980s Cuba to Florida. And finally Mahmoud and his family who are making their way from war-torn Syria in 2015 to Austria. Since I read this book last summer, there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven’t thought of the courage and resilience of these characters and their brave parents in the face of the harshest realities. And… you know, it’s easy to be judgemental when reading about tragedies from the past, thinking to yourself, “Well, I would have done things differently - I would have stood up for those refugees.”  We often talk about books that encourage empathy - well, to me, this book helped me move beyond just empathy to some action. And if you’re looking to do more as well, please read Gratz’s suggestions at the end of the book about how you can help refugees around the world today. And I’ll link to those resources in the show notes if you want to check those out as well. (Alan recommends donating to UNICEF and Save the Children.)       Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder If you have spent any time with me over the past year, you have heard about this book. And if you’ve read it, I’ve probably cornered you for a long conversation to compare theories. And because I can’t stop thinking about it and talking about, and dwelling in the glorious uncertainty of it - my favorite book of 2017 is Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder!  On this mysterious eden-like island there live nine children - no more and no less. And every year when the green boat arrives bearing a new young arrival, the eldest child goes. This year, Jinny is now the Eldest and charged with teaching her young Care, Ess, all the rules she needs to follow to survive on the island and maintain that balance. But…  but.  This is a beautiful and compelling novel about goodbyes and childhood and innocence, and so so much more. I was really honored have the chance to chat with Laurel Snyder on the podcast last May when this book was released and if you want in on that conversation, take a listen to episode 25. Alright there it is. And this list, just like any other, is flawed. It reflects my own preferences and biases and I know there is just no possible way that I could read all the fabulousness in middle grade that was published in 2017. So there will be some of your favorites that I missed. In fact, one of my loves of last year - The Girl Who Drank the Moon - you know, the winner of the Newbery - wasn’t even on my 2016 list.  Because I didn’t finish it until after the episode aired. Right now, I am almost finished with The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish and the audio version of Jack Cheng’s See You in the Cosmos and both are turning out to be incredible! So a quick shout out to some 2017 middle grade releases that are on my To Be Read list: Top Want to Read Books from 2017 The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Bradley (but first I need to read The War Saved My Life) Me and Marvin Gardens by A.S. King Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams Garcia Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla   Annnd…. lots more that I know I’m missing! So - I want to hear from YOU - what were your favorite 2017 reads and which ones should I prioritize in the new year? You can drop me an email at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect with me on Twitter or Instagram with the handle @Books_Between. Closing Alright, that’s a wrap! Look for our next episode featuring the top middle grade graphic novels of 2017. And, If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher. And thanks again to WriteAbout.com for supporting the podcast this month - if you head over to their website you’ll find awesome ideas to get your students writing this year. Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!

In an open and honest conversation, Dave Connis makes a second appearance on the podcast to discuss the making of his album Look For Eden, the soon to be release novel The Temptation of Adam, and having to promote both in the wake of an unforeseen tragedy. Episode Mentions: * Dave’s 1st podcast appearance * Temptation of Adam * Looking For Eden * Lanark * Don John * Joseph Gordon Levitt * Fight Club * Leonard Cohen * Hallelujah * The Holy Or the Broken * Revisionist History * Simon Cowell * Gregory Alan Isakov * Benjamin Francis Leftwich * blog post about father * Paste Interview * Derek Webb * Agent Eric Smith * Eric’s podcast episode * Suggested Reading * Ember In the Ashes * My Seventh-Grade Life In Tights * Brooks Bejamin * Brooks’s podcast episode * Wolf Hollow *

Intro  Hi everyone and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, completely in love with the Wonder Woman movie! When I was a kid, I had the Wonder Woman lunch box and dressed up as her in one of those old vinyl costumes and I love how fierce yet moral she is in this movie.  And - if any of you of are headed to NerdCamp in Parma, Michigan this July, I will be there and please do come over and say hi! It’s my first time and I’m so so excited to meet everyone and immerse myself among so many like-minded people.  Also - something exciting showed up at my front porch yesterday. It was the June OwlCrate Jr. book box and I know that the theme this month is Gizmos & Gears but I have no idea what’s inside. Here, we’ll shake and take a listen…. As I mentioned last week, our episodes this month are supported by OwlCrate Jr. - a book subscription box just for kids 8-12 - or anyone who is still a kid at heart! Each month has a different theme and includes a fantastic newly released book with fun and creative goodies all connected to the theme of that middle grade book.  If you head over to owlcratejr.com you can see some samples of past boxes, and if you use the code BOOKSBETWEEN, you can save 15%. And - at the end of the the podcast today - I will be opening this book and together we will find out what’s inside!   This is Episode #27 and Today I am welcoming fellow podcaster and librarian extraordinaire Sarah Threlkeld to the show. We chat about her podcast, Happy Reading, Little House in the Big Woods, what middle grade books we’ve been reading lately, and geek out a little bit on library circulation stats. If you haven’t yet checked out her middle grade podcast called Happy Reading - you are in for a treat and I know you are going to love it just as much as I do. I’ll put a link to her show in our show notes so you can find it right away. Take a listen…. Sarah Threlkeld - Interview Outline   Happy Reading Podcast How did the Happy Reading Podcast get started? What are your plans for the podcast?   Little House in the Big Woods Before you read the book, what was your impression of the Little House Series? Okay, so - what did you think?  How do we handle books like this (problematic classics) in classroom? Librarian Life I saw on Twitter recently that you were geeking out over your end of the year circulation stats! What info did you discover? As a librarian, what were some activities or projects or ways to connect kids to books that worked well this past year?  I heard you are starting a new full-time librarian job this year - what grade levels will you be working with?  What are some things you are excited about doing differently for the upcoming school year?   Your Reading Life What else have you been reading lately that you’ve liked? What books are you looking forward to?   Interview Links Happy Reading Podcast: http://happyrdng.blogspot.com   Little House in the Big Woods http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780064400015   The Honest Truth http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545665742   Olga and the Smelly Thing From Nowhere http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062351265   The Hour of the Bees http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763679224   The Seventh Wish http://www.indiebound.org/search/book?searchfor=The+Seventh+Wish   The Explorers http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101940051   Three Pennies http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481471879   Forget Me Not http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250096272    The Unbreakable Code http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781627791168   Mr. Lemoncello’s Library http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780307931474   Macy McMillon and the Rainbow Goddess http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781772780338   The Terrible Two Go Wild http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781419721854   Wolf Hollow http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101994825   Beyond the Bright Sea http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101994856   Masterminds http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062300058   The Wild Robot Escapes http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316382045   I Hunt Killers (YA) http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316125833   This Would Make a Good Story Someday http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781101938171   Amulet Series http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781338045642     Mr. Schu’s Book Release Calendar https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=5n3m4522bidf16damifeio1g7k@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Chicago&pli=1     Closing   Okay - we have reached the end of the show and, as promised, I am opening up that OwlCrateJr box and we are going to find out what’s inside.     And thanks again to OwlCrateJr for supporting the podcast this month - don’t forget to head over to owlcrate.com and use code BOOKSBETWEEN to get 15% percent off your subscription!   Alright - that wraps up our show this week. If you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between.   Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com.   And thanks again to OwlCrateJr for supporting the podcast this month - don’t forget to head over to owlcrate.com and use code BOOKSBETWEEN to get 15% percent off your subscription!   And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher.   Thanks again and see you soon!  Bye!

Intro Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of an 8 and 10 year old, a teacher to eighteen 11 year olds, and we are all in the home stretch for summer vacation. It’s almost here. And - if any of you of are headed to the ALA Conference in Chicago this summer, I will be be there on Saturday and Sunday to interview author Mira Bartok about her new middle grade book The Wonderling. So - if you will be there, look for that and I hope we can meet in person. This is Episode #26 and Today I am welcoming author Caroline Starr Rose to the show and then in honor of Father’s Day coming up, chatting about some of our favorite fictional dads and two fabulous new books featuring awesome fathers. But first I am excited to tell you that today’s episode is supported by OwlCrate Jr. - a book subscription box just for kids 8-12. My daughters and I have been loving it! Every month has a different theme and it is such a treat to have a package waiting on your doorstep with a box full of - not only an awesome newly released book but fun little items all connected to the theme of that middle grade book.  If you head over to owlcrate.com you can see some samples of past boxes, and if you use the code BOOKSBETWEEN, you can save 15%. I hope you check them out - I really think you’re going to love it!   This week I am welcoming to the show Caroline Starr Rose - author of the recently released middle grade historical adventure Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine. We chat about the inspirations behind her latest novel, encouraging kids to read more, and we reminisce about Little House on the Prairie. Caroline Starr Rose - Interview Outline  Your latest middle grade novel, Jasper and The Riddle of Riley’s Mine, was just released this past February. Is this your first novel that is not written in verse? Tell us about this new historical adventure - what is Jasper & the Riddle of Riley’s Mine about?   One of the things I really loved about this book was they way the boys speak - using “ain’t” and “them” instead of “those”, “it’s his own dern fault”... How did you capture the voices of Jasper and Melvin? I just noticed that you have a new picture book on the Pony Express coming out this fall, yes?  I saw that you taught Social Studies and English.   A lot of our listeners who are teachers and librarians and homeschooling parents are always trying to find ways to connect subjects to really maximize the limited time we all have. When you were teaching full time, how were you connecting social studies and English? Is there anything that you used to do as a teacher that now, looking back - you regret?   Anything you would go back and change? Even though you aren’t in the classroom anymore, your passion for connecting readers and educators with the right book is clear. I especially love the “Classroom Connections” section on your website where you interview authors about their books and include a specific section on how that book would be a good fit in a classroom. How do you think that we as parents and teachers can raise kids who love reading? How is having a teenager reader different than having a middle grade reader at home? As someone who has gone through those years and is now out the other side, what can we expect?   You recently posted on your website a quote from Donalyn Miller (one of my inspirations as well!). It said, “I am as much a composite of all the book characters I have loved as of the people I have met.” Which book characters are you a composite of?  What have you been reading lately that you’ve liked?   Book Talk - Two Novels Featuring Fantastic Fathers In this section of the show, I share with you a few books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week, with Father’s Day coming up, I thought I would focus on books with great dads. I know it’s such a trope with kids books that the parents get killed off or are otherwise out of the picture so that the main characters can go off on adventures unimpeded, but we’re breaking away from those books today. First, I’ll go into some detail about two newer releases that I have been loving - Amina’s Voice and Beyond the Bright Sea. And then chat about other favorite dads from both modern and classic books. Amina’s Voice This week I am starting with Amina’s Voice by an author who is new to middle grade - Hena Khan. This is a lovely and heartfelt story about a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, Amina, who is trying to navigate the complicated tides of middle school friendship where old friends are changing and old adversaries might be changing, too. Amina also has to deal with her rather traditional and more strict uncle visiting their family and figuring out for herself how to express her beliefs and culture. Here are three things to love about Amina’s Voice: Amina’s family! Her father - who is rather strict, does NOT care if he embarasses his kids by asking a million questions at Open House, but stands up for his daughter at a moment when she needs it. At first I wasn’t sure about him, but oh he grew on me! Her mom, who spends days preparing tons of traditional Pakistani food for their visiting uncle. That doesn’t quite go as planned. And Amina’s older brother, Mustafa, whose interest in trying out for the basketball team instead of joining something like Chess Club causes some friction at home. There was so much to relate to in those family moments in Amina’s Voice. That ending! I don’t want to give away too much but something bad happens in Amina’s Muslim community and the way things come together in the end makes me wish that every kid could read this story as a template of what to do in that kind of situation. It  didn’t shy away from difficult realities or make problems seem easy to solve yet it was uplifting and perfect. That this novel offers Muslim students and students from the Middle East with a main character whose background and customs might be a reflection of their own, or have pieces they can relate to. I so wish that I had this book six years ago to offer to my own Amina. She was a student of mine when I taught 6th grade and Muslim. And may have connected to this Amina’s story but she was from Bosnia so although the religious details about the Imam and Sunday school and learning passages from the Quran may have been a connection, the food and other cultural details might not have been. So while this book is absolutely a great addition to any library, I just hope that people don’t stop there and think they’ve covered a niche. It’s one girl’s story and I just can’t wait to see what else this new imprint of Simon & Schuster, Salaam Reads, will bring to the kidlit community so we have more and more stories to offer kids.     Beyond the Bright Sea Our second book this week is Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk whose novel Wolf Hollow won a Newbery Honor last year. And this book is, I think, another contender. It reminded me a little bit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society with a touch of Orphan Island in there. This book about a 12 year old girl called Crow who as an infant washed ashore in an old boat on one of the Elizabeth Islands off the coast of Massachusetts. She is now 12 and being raised by a reclusive fisherman and painter who she calls Osh. And the other people on this tiny close-knit island essentially shun her and will not touch her or touch anything she has touched because they think she came from Penikese Island - the nearby leper colony. And this chain of events suddenly takes off when Crow sees a fire on that nearby island and starts to get curious about where she came from. It’s so good! Here are three things to love about Beyond the Bright Sea.   The timeless quality of the setting. It reminded me of Pax in that way because there are very few clues at first in the way the islanders dress or how technology is described. Eventually, you do discover precisely when everything is happening but the journey of figuring that out is part of what I liked about the book. It brought to light some real history.  It took me until half-way through to realize that the leper hospital described in the novel actually existed. And they did really dynamite it and burn it down and transform it into a bird sanctuary for awhile. But the small cemetery does remain. I love a book that brings to light a forgotten story from history. Crow’s adoptive father who she calls Osh. He has his own secrets, his own complicated backstory, but his quiet, earnest protection of her makes you love him immediately. He’s from another land, speaks in a native language that no one on this New England island knows and we really feel for him as he is so deeply afraid of losing Crow - the one thing that has keep him anchored and steady. And as she ventures out to attempt to find her parents, it’s hard for him at first. And - I don’t want to spoil anything for you but oh when you find out what his name means…. Love him!   Both Amina’s Voice and Beyond the Bright Sea are outstanding reads. If you have a kid who enjoyed Finding Perfect or Like Magic or Sticks & Stones - Amina’s Voice would be great next book to introduce them to. And if you have a child who enjoyed Midnight Without a Moon or Wolf Hollow - Beyond the Bright Sea might be the perfect next book.   Q & A Our third and final segment this week is Question & Answer time.  Question: This question stems from a conversation I had with some students who have started to notice that in lots of books they are reading the parents are missing, dead, or otherwise out of the picture. So that had me thinking about counter examples and I came up with some but wanted other opinions, too. So I put the question out there on social media and asked: “Which middle grade books have you read that had great dads?”   Answer: And actually - there were a ton! Let’s start with some classics: Obviously one of the first mentioned was Ramona and Her Father. Loved him! I still remember that scene when he’s trying to draw his foot… Pa Ingalls from the Little House series Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter - such an honorable man who took on so much risk to protect Harry And some more modern novels with dads we love: Papa (Hans Hubermann) from The Book Thief is one of my all-time favorite fathers And one new book that came up over and over again and one that has been a classroom favorite with my 5ths is The Crossover - what a great relationship he had with his twin boys. Another book that was mentioned a lot was The Family Fletcher series and the two awesome dads heading up that family. I haven’t read it yet but that title is moving up my TBR list. Melanie Conklin’s Counting Thyme and the newly released Moon Shadow by Erin Downing are both books that I’ve been dying to read that so many mentioned as having a great fathers. The dad from Gertie’s Leap to Greatness and the dad in The Penderwicks and Mr. Pullman from Wonder and the dad from Ida B and Wolf Hollow!   I know there are tons and tons more - so I hope you jump on social media share your favorite middle grade dads. Closing Alright - that wraps up our show this week. If you have a question or an idea about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can find an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show along with all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And thanks again to OwlCrateJr for supporting the podcast this month - don’t forget to head over to owlcrate.com and use code BOOKSBETWEEN to get 15% percent off your subscription! And, if you are liking the show, please help others find us too by telling a friend, sharing on social media, or leaving a rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks again and see you soon!  Bye!   Episode Links: Caroline's Official Website: https://carolinestarrrose.com Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine Teaching Guide Where in the World Are We Reading? Activity Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmond Lewis (Jeannine Atkins) Wonder: A novel (Emma Donoghue) Insight (Tasha Eurich) Three Pennies (Melanie Crowder)  

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Intro   Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids to books they will love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two young daughters, a 5th grade teacher, and… whew - coming off a tiring couple of weeks. How are you all holding up? I feel like I’ve been through the wringer, honestly. But - even though my entire family (and half my students) are battling colds and respiratory things and the news has been…. um..concerning, there have been some much needed bright spots. I took my first trip ever to DC last Saturday, and I watched the Youth Media Awards live webcast with my students last Monday morning.   This is Episode #16 and Today we are discussing the Youth Media Awards and the featuring the 4 books that won Newbery Awards.   Main Topic - 2017 Youth Media Awards   Last Monday morning at 8am, I sat with my 18 pajama clad 5th graders and we had donuts and watched the Youth Media Awards live through the American Library Association website.  They had their favorites that they were rooting for - The Wild Robot and Pax among them.  But honestly, the day wasn’t really about the ultimate winners of those awards.  To me, it was about honoring ALL children’s literature and showing my students that books for THEM, for an audience of children and teens are worthy of stopping everything and making a big deal of it.  And, they learned about a lot of great books while they watched. They knew about the Caldecott and the Newbery, but now they know about the Alex Award, the Schneider Award, the Coretta Scott King Award and so many others that recognize the diversity in children’s literature.  There were gasps when March got its fourth award and suddenly, every kid in that room wanted to know  - wow, what is THAT book about? And when they learned about the Stonewall Award and that one of their all-time favorite authors, Rick Riordan, had won it for Magnus Chase - there were some opened minds that morning. Some of our favorites didn’t win - but that wasn’t really the point.  The point is having a favorite that you are passionate about and discovering new books and authors that are going to stay with you forever. Book Talk - 2017 Newbery Award Books For our book talk segment this week, I’m going rebroadcast the two segments about the Newbery books that I have already featured on the show and then talk about the two others that earned recognition this past week.   The novel that won the Newbery Award this year was Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon. And -  yeah - I think I may screamed a tad when it was announced. Here’s what I had to say about this book back on episode 15.   The Girl Who Drank the Moon   Our second featured book today is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. This is also an adventure survival story but a fairy tale fantasy with powerful witches, a poetic swamp monster, and a seemingly small dragon. The start of this story takes place in a gloomy village along a bog called The Protectorate run by a group of unscrupulous men called The Council of Elders. Each year, on the Day of Sacrifice, these elders take the youngest baby in the village and leave it in the woods. They do this, they claim, to appease an evil witch. Well, it turns out that there is actually a witch, a kind witch named Xan, who rescues these poor babies and feeds them on starlight while she journeys across the dangerous volcanic mountain to find a new home for them. Except one year, she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight and enmagicks the child who grows to be uncontrollably powerful. The rest of the story is about Xan’s attempts to help her adoptive granddaughter harness that power, and what happens to the villagers left behind in The Protectorate - including a young Elder-in-Training named Antain who starts to have doubts, and the girl’s mother who ends up going mad and being locked in a tower with secrets of its own. It is beautiful and powerful. And here are three more things I loved about Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon:   The magic. This is not your typical sparkly, wand summoned magic. It’s earthy and primal and often exists as something almost separate from the characters. Flowers spring from footsteps. And there is a flock of paper birds that swarm and cut and lead and protect in a way that is both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I loved how unique the magic in this book was. The love you feel for the characters. Somehow Barnhill has written them in a way where you feel this deep sense of warmth and protectiveness and empathy for them. Xan, the witch, is getting older and she desperately wants to impart all of her knowledge that she can to her granddaughter, who she’s named Luna. But that same spell that protects her makes it so that she can’t get through to her. And you keep hoping that Luna will discover who she is and maybe be reunited with the mother she was so brutally ripped away from. And all the people in the village - especially Antain and his wife - who are under the thumb of the Council of Elders. I just felt so much love for this characters. What this story has to say about truth and power. In this book, there are some who feed off of other people’s misery. Those who raise themselves by putting others below them, by controlling what stories get told, and by spinning lies. But - there comes a time when the people start to realize how much power they actually have when they band together to use it. Loved it.   The Girl Who Drank the Moon  is lush and quirky and whimsical and funny and full of adventure. And I can’t wait to read everything else Kelly Barnhill has ever written because this was one powerhouse of a book.   Freedom Over Me         The first Newbery honor book announced was  Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan. Well, I was totally wrong when I predicted that a picture book would not be included this time. And I’ll admit that this gorgeous and powerful picture book slipped by me this year. When I got this book, one of the first things I noticed was the cover featuring the images of eleven enslaved black men, women and children whose faces appear in the links of circled chain. Wow. And then flipping open the book and skimming, my heart stopped when I noticed the prices under each face. $300, Stephen age 32. Or $400, Charlotte, age 30 and her child, Dora, age 8. Whew - I hadn’t even read the text yet and this book had struck me. Before I talk about the text, the illustrations are gorgeous bright yellows and purples and greens in a Van Gogh style where you can see the swirls and textures on the each page. And in the background of several of the pages are images of legal documents showing the sale of these people as property.           Okay - the text. Freedom Over Me is a book of poems - each one from the point of view of an enslaved man, woman, or child who live on the same plantation and are about to be sold. They share remembrances of their homes and childhood in Africa, their work on the plantation, and their hopes and dreams for the future.       What’s fascinating is that the seeds of this book came from real slave-related documents that the author had acquired and his wish to honor the humanity of these people lost to history. It’s beautiful, and moving, and just stays with you a long time.   Also receiving a Newbery Honor this year was the incredible The Inquisitor’s Tale. Here’s what I had to say about this book back in Episode #10.   The Inquisitor’s Tale   Our final book featuring an abundance of surprising twists is The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz. I have been texting, tweeting, and talking about this book so much in the past month that when I type the letter I into my phone, it automatically suggests “Inquisitor” as the first option. This novel is a medieval adventure story about three magical children (and a dog) who are pursued by various agents of the Inquisition. The first is a young girl named Jeanne (sort of like a young Joan of Arc) who has fits and sees visions. Then we meet the talkative and tall monk-in-training, William - an eleven year old whose unusual dark skin is likely the result of a relationship between his crusading father and a North African woman. Since this is 1242 France, his appearance and supernatural strength immediately have people seeing him as dangerously different. And finally, there’s little Jacob - a wise Jewish boy reeling from the recent death of his parents and just starting to realize his powers to heal others.  Eventually all three are both hailed and condemned as saints and have to outwit and outrun their pursuers. The story is so gorgeously detailed and interconnected that any description I give you of this novel is NOT going to do it justice. You just have to get it and read it yourself.  The fact is there are so so many big and little things I loved about this book, but I have committed to limiting myself to three. I have to start with the illustrations. Just like many real medieval texts had illuminations in the margins, The Inquisitor’s Tale includes dozens and dozens of intricate sketches by Hatem Aly. There is so much to explore there but I think what is most fascinating is the note at the beginning of the novel explaining that the drawings might actually contradict or question the text. That profound mix of humor, philosophy, and yes - savagery. There are gross jokes galore in this book. And I love how that is mixed in with deep philosophical and religious discussions between the children. At one point, Jacob asks that eternal question: Why would a good God let bad things happen?  This is a book about saints and at some point it dawns on the children that most saints are martyred. In high school, I worked evenings in the rectory (the office) at St. Cecelia’s church and during down times, I would read this dusty old copy of Lives of the Saints. And the stories in there were appallingly gruesome - and this novel doesn’t really shy away from the awfulness of that. But, it does give some hope that people with intensely different beliefs might still find a way to work together and be friends. The character twists! I don’t want to say too much and ruin it, so I’m really holding a lot back here, but all throughout this book, you meet the most vile, nastiest characters and then suddenly… it flips and one of the narrators helps you see their point of view. And even if they’ve still DONE terrible things, you have more empathy for them. Then you realize that one of the key characters that have been telling you this story - You. Can’t. Trust.  Ahhhh!  I LOVED it - this book had me gleefully yelling at the pages.   The Inquisitor’s Tale would make a fantastic read aloud, and I’ve heard the audio version is phenomenal. I think this novel is probably best suited for upper middle grade readers about ages 10-14 but I am sure any teen or adult who likes an historical adventure with some awesome fart jokes thrown in is going to really love it!   Wolf Hollow        And finally,  the third Newbery honor book is one that you will not soon forget -  Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk.  I think just about every librarian I knew had this book in their hands at some point over the past year, and I finally started it last week and immediately knew I should have read it months ago. For some background, it’s an historical fiction set in 1943 rural Pennsylvania. And it’s about a 12 year old girl named Annabelle whose steady life gets derailed when this vicious, manipulative girl, Betty, arrives in town. She’s horrendous. You hate to speak ill of a child - even a fictional one, but - errr - she is clearly a sociopath or emotionally disturbed. The chain of lying that starts when this girl comes to town is tragic and yet - you could see it coming. I’ve got to say that I adored this book, but there were some times in the beginning that I had to put it down for bit when it got too intense. I can handle almost anything, but when kids are in danger - especially children the same age as my own - I have a bit of a tough time. There are these heart-rending moments when Annabelle is faced with moral dilemmas that would have adults cowering. And - it’s small but there’s this scene where Annabelle is in a clearing in the woods near her home and looking at this large stone with clear quartz veins running through it. And it suddenly hits her that this rock has been there long before her and everyone she knows and will be in the same place long after everyone is gone. And her life is nothing more than a flicker in time.  It’s that moment of cosmic realization that we all eventually go through. I’ll just read a small passage from that page: “And I decided that there might be things I would never understand, no matter how hard I tried. Though try I would. And that there would be people who would never hear my one small voice, no matter what I had to say. But then a better thought occured, and this was the one I carried away with me that day: If my life was to be just a single note in an endless symphony, how could I not sound it out for as long and as loudly as I could.”   That’s the line that I’m carrying forward with me today, this week, and for a long, long time. Closing Thank you so very much for taking the time to join me this week. You can get find a transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And lots of other fantastic resources to lighten your heart and connect the children in your life to books they’ll love.   Thanks again and see you in two weeks!  Bye!

Intro   Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids to books they will love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two and a 5th grade teacher.  My students worked so hard this week that we took a break Friday afternoon and watched the first episode of A Series of Unfortunate Events together on Netflix and then when I got home my daughters wanted to watch it. The performances were great and of course, Neil Patrick Harris is hilarious as Count Olaf. If you liked the Lemony Snicket books, I think you’ll be pleased and a whole new group of kids are now going to be hooked into the series, which is always fantastic.   This is Episode #15 and Today we are discussing how the Newbery Awards work, two fantastic adventures, and I’ll answer a question about this year’s top contenders for the Newbery Award.   Main Topic - How the Newbery Awards Work   There are lots and lots and lots of Children’s Book awards but without question, the most prestigious award that recognizes quality children’s literature is the Newbery. Right now, we are almost exactly one week away from finding out which books from 2016 will earn medals this year.  So today we are diving into the who, what, where, when, and how of the Newbery Awards. And I’ll also chat about some of the controversies and include some great resources where you can find out more.   What is the Newbery? The Newbery is an annual award given by the Association for Library Service to Children - abbreviated ALSC - so if you see those four letters, that’s what they mean. The ALSC is a part of the American Library Association - the ALA. A little interesting side note - the Association for Library Service to Children has changed it’s name a couple times and so the Newbery medal itself still says “Children's Librarians' Section.” which doesn’t actually exist anymore.  The award is almost a hundred years old - it was established in 1922 and named after John Newbery, an 18th century British publisher and bookseller who was well known as one of the first publishers of children’s books.  And - the Newbery was the first children’s book award in the world.   Alright - the criteria. Let me read exactly what the ALA website says: “ The Medal shall be awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published by an American publisher in the United States in English during the preceding year.”   So the award goes to a children’s book that is distinguished, noted for significant achievement, marked by excellence, and contributing something special to American literature. It has to be an original work, in English, and the author has to be a citizen or resident of the U.S. The focus is really on the text of the work and not any illustrations and it could be any genre. And notice that it doesn’t say that it has to be a novel or even fiction. Last Stop on Market Street, last year’s Newbery winner was a picture book. And boy - were there some shocked folks last year!  The ALA criteria only states that it has to be a book for children, which is defined as up to and including age 14. So that’s a wide range to consider.   Every year there is one Newbery Winner and usually between about two and four Newbery honor books. Although - they don’t have to award any honor books and some years they have not. So that will be something interesting to look for this year.   Where & When is the Newbery awarded? The Newbery is awarded once a year in January during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting. Don’t you just love how that sounds? “Tis a “widwinter meeting” - I’m imagining everyone wearing long luscious cloaks and carrying chalices filled with hot cocoa - and marshmallows. Sigh - it’s not really like that, is it? Alas - that’s how I’m picturing it in my head anyway. And if I ever have a chance to attend, I will wear a fancy cloak and bring some hot chocolate - with marshmallows.   So - the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits (we can’t forget the exhibits) is in Atlanta this year. Last year was Boston, previously Chicago and Philadelphia so they change location every year. The conference lasts about five days and within that time, the members of the Newbery committee meet in seclusion for two very, very full days to discuss, and vote, and eventually decide … and call the winners in the early hours of the morning the day that they are announced.  This year, the announcements are made on the morning of Monday, January 23rd from about 7:30-9 EST - along with several other fantastic awards, including the Caldecott.  And you can see it live right through the ALA website - ala.org ! Definitely have it streaming in your classroom or library or at home!   Who decides the Newbery Award? It’s a committee of 15 people and the members are public - posted right on the ALA website. But that’s about all that you’re gonna get to know! Well - you know the process and the people, but the details of the deliberation are all secret. So, let’s talk about those 15 people and then we’ll discuss their process. So how do you get to be on the Newbery Committee and be in the room where it happens? You have to be a member of the ALA and the Association for Library Service to Children.  Then there is a ballot in the spring where the members of the association elect 8 members to be on the Newbery committee. Then the ALSC president appoints the chair and six more members to make a total of 15.  If that interests you, join the ALA and the ALSC and start getting involved and see where that takes you. But - I have to say, from all that I’ve read and seen - it is an incredible amount of work. You are committing to reading as much as possible of what’s published in one year. And doing some incredibly deep analysis of those titles.   How are the books determined? Well, we’ve talked about the Who - let’s move on to the How. How in the world do these 15 committee members decide on the “most distinguished” book for children? How is the winner picked? And how do they decide on the honor books? Essentially there are three stages: 1. Nominating, 2. Discussing, and 3. Balloting.   First up, Nominating:  There are three rounds of nominations, one in October, one in November, and one in December. After many months of reading and rereading and taking notes with the Newbery manual at their side, it’s now October and members nominate three titles and include a write-up of why they think it’s worthy of the award. In November, they nominate two more with the same process, and then two more in December - making it 7 total nominations per person. So that allows for the committee members to spend October - December reading and reexamine books nominated by others so they are ready for the January debate and voting process.   The next step is Discussion. This happens right at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in January where the 15 members are secluded over two days and discuss the merits of every book nominated. Then likely, they’ll move on to the potential negatives of each book under consideration and then the comparisons start. There are guidelines to the discussion (and I’ll link to those in the show notes), but essentially they debate and analyze and constantly refer back to the criteria of the award until they’re ready to start narrowing things down.   The final step: Balloting Each member of the committee writes down their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices on a ballot. 1st place vote is worth 4 points, 2nd place vote is 3 points, and a 3rd place is 2 points.  The winning title must have a majority of members (at least 8) place it as #1 and have an 8 point lead over all the other books.  If that doesn’t happen, the committee has to have another discussion, and they may decide to take some titles that got low points off the table.   And then they’ll  vote again (and maybe again) until they arrive at a winner.  After that, the Newbery committee decides if they want to choose any honor books from the nominations either selecting from the final ballots or redoing the whole process again.   Ah - what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall!   Controversy about secrecy and Child-Friendliness BUT - the Newbery award is not without its critics and controversies. Some claim that a lot of the picks are unreadable and unappealing to most kids. And there’s been a recent debate over the secrecy of the deliberations. Right now, members are not allowed to reveal anything about that process ever - which books were initially nominated, why they were rejected, or how contentious the voting might have been. Former Newbery and Caldecott committee members, Kathleen Horning  and Ed Spicer, both wrote articles about the benefits of time-limits on the confidentiality of the selection process.  They make excellent points about  the benefits to readers, authors, and to history. On the other hand, Caldecott winner Dan Santat argues that releasing that information is not really a good idea. No one knows how the Academy Awards or Grammys get picked so really, what’s the big deal? I’ll link to those articles in the show notes - they’re worth reading and might offer a good debate topic to your students, and I think the ALA is considering a change to that policy.  So that’s something to keep an eye out for. And - if you want to know more about the how the Newbery Award works, there are a lot of great resources I’ll share on the website. A special shout out to Heavy Metal - the Mock Newbery Blog run by two former committee members. Excellent resource - definitely check it out!   So - I want to know what you all think!  Do you think the Newbery award books are unappealing to kids? Do they read them? Do you think the Newbery selection process is TOO secretive? Let me know what you think! You can send me an email at booksbetween@gmail.com or tag me on Twitter or Instagram with the handle @Books_Between.   Book Talk - Two Heart-Racing Adventures In this part of the show, I share with you a couple books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week we have two adventure stories that will get your pulse going! They are each very different - one is a more of a traditional action/adventure survival story and the other is a fairy tale fantasy adventure. But - despite their differences, they do have a surprising amount in common, which is why I thought they would make a good pairing today. Both include characters hidden away in towers, folded paper birds, and secret libraries.  Have you guessed yet? They are: Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart and The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill!   Scar Island   Let’s start with Scar Island. I was already a big fan of Dan Gemeinhart - in fact The Honest Truth was one of the very first books I ever featured on the podcast back in episode 2, so I was really, really looking forward to Scar Island. This is a new release and just out this month. It’s about a kid named Jonathan who we meet as he is on a tiny boat being delivered to this impenetrable fortress on an island called Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys. It’s basically Alcatraz for kids and run by a nasty crew of guys lead by a cruel man called The Admiral. He makes each kid write these daily wonderful letters home to their parents hiding the fact that he is actually denying them food and worse. We also have this tough group of 15 misfit kids - all imprisoned on this island for their crimes. Then suddenly, something happens where all the adults are gone from the island and the kids are left on their own and have to figure out what to do. It’s about survival and freedom and redemption - and just so good. If that hasn’t already got you hooked on reading this book, here are three more things I loved about Dan Gemeinhart’s Scar Island:   Colin. He is this little pip of a kid who has a lisp and is an admitted kleptomaniac. That’s why he’s at Slabhenge Reformatory. But, when he steals some food, he gives it to Jonathan even though Colin is hungry himself. He’s also into origami and makes these little paper cranes that appear at important parts later on in the story. I just loved him. But - one little note about his lisp. I was conferencing with a student a couple days ago who was reading this book and he had a tiny bit of trouble reading aloud and interpreting Colin’s dialogue, so I had to talk about how the “th” is replacing his “s” and model a bit what that sounded like. So just a heads up about that. The Library. This is verging on giving away too much, but I’ll say that during one of the character’s journeys through the labyrinth of corridors in this stone fortress, we discover a library and there’s a character who surprises us and knows the exact right book to recommend.   The buildup of suspense. There are these five threads that run through this story creating this tension as you read it. One - the weather. What starts off as a bad storm becomes this hurricane that threatens everything on the island. Two - the rats. Eventually you discover that there’s more going on with the rats than meets the eye. Three - the key. At a critical point, one of the characters ends up with the key to the Admiral’s office which contains lots of chocolate, alcohol, and… all the boys records. So throughout the story we are wondering - who has the key now? And - what are they going to do with it? Four - the forbidden door hiding this monstrous, noisy… thing. Five - the suspense of figuring out why on earth Jonathon is on this island. What did he do?? We know he feels like he deserves to be there. And we get glimpses of his previous life in his letters home and we have scenes where the author almost reveals what happened, but then pulls back. So - the weather, the rats, the key, the door, what did he do? - argh! - this book has you turning those pages!   Scar Island is kind of like Lord of the Flies meets Holes with a twist of pirate in there. Already I have a waiting list for it in my class and I’m sure it’s going to be a favorite with your kids, too.   The Girl Who Drank the Moon   Our second featured book today is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. This is also an adventure survival story but a fairy tale fantasy with powerful witches, a poetic swamp monster, and a seemingly small dragon. The start of this story takes place in a gloomy village along a bog called The Protectorate run by a group of unscrupulous men called The Council of Elders. Each year, on the Day of Sacrifice, these elders take the youngest baby in the village and leave it in the woods. They do this, they claim, to appease an evil witch. Well, it turns out that there is actually a witch, a kind witch named Xan, who rescues these poor babies and feeds them on starlight while she journeys across the dangerous volcanic mountain to find a new home for them. Except one year, she accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight and enmagicks the child who grows to be uncontrollably powerful. The rest of the story is about Xan’s attempts to help her adoptive granddaughter harness that power, and what happens to the villagers left behind in The Protectorate - including a young Elder-in-Training named Antain who starts to have doubts, and the girl’s mother who ends up going mad and being locked in a tower with secrets of its own. It is beautiful and powerful. And here are three more things I loved about Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon:   The magic. This is not your typical sparkly, wand summoned magic. It’s earthy and primal and often exists as something almost separate from the characters. Flowers spring from footsteps. And there is a flock of paper birds that swarm and cut and lead and protect in a way that is both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I loved how unique the magic in this book was. The love you feel for the characters. Somehow Barnhill has written them in a way where you feel this deep sense of warmth and protectiveness and empathy for them. Xan, the witch, is getting older and she desperately wants to impart all of her knowledge that she can to her granddaughter, who she’s named Luna. But that same spell that protects her makes it so that she can’t get through to her. And you keep hoping that Luna will discover who she is and maybe be reunited with the mother she was so brutally ripped away from. And all the people in the village - especially Antain and his wife - who are under the thumb of the Council of Elders. I just felt so much love for this characters. What this story has to say about truth and power. In this book, there are some who feed off of other people’s misery. Those who raise themselves by putting others below them, by controlling what stories get told, and by spinning lies. But - there comes a time when the people start to realize how much power they actually have when they band together to use it. Loved it.   The Girl Who Drank the Moon  is lush and quirky and whimsical and funny and full of adventure. And I can’t wait to read everything else Kelly Barnhill has ever written because this was one powerhouse of a book. Q & A Our final segment this week is Question & Answer time.   Question: Well - the big question being asked right now - “Who do you think is going to get a Newbery this year?”   Answer: I’m a little reluctant to answer because inevitably, I am going to be wrong. But … I can tell you who others think are some top 2016 contenders, and I’ll venture to make a prediction or two.   So, one place I go to get a feel for some of the books getting Newbery buzz is the Mock Newbery Group on Goodreads. They read a book a month and then vote in January. What’s cool there is that you can see the discussions going all the way back to 2012 and take a peek at the reactions to the real winners. That’s enlightening. This year their second round list includes, in order,: Wolf Hollow, Ghost, The Inquisitor’s Tale, The Wild Robot, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Some Kind of Courage, and Pax.     Over at the Heavy Medal Blog, they have analyzed “Best of” lists on other sites to put together a “Best Books” post naming and ranking the contenders with the most mentions. So, some of the top books there that I haven’t mentioned already are: Some Writer: The Story of E.B. White, The Best Man, March, Book 3, Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Raymie Nightingale, Samurai Rising, The Lie Tree, and School’s First Day of School.   And now, a few predictions from me: I think there will be a lot of honor books this year. I’m saying at least 4. I don’t think they are going to give the award to a picture book this year. Not that I disagreed with the decision last year, but I have a feeling it will go to a book with an older audience. I think you’ll see a shiny seal on at least a couple of these books: Wolf Hollow, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, The Wild Robot, Pax, and… I almost don’t want to admit this to you because it sounds silly, but I dreamt I was watching the live streaming of the awards and the winner was - The Inquisitor’s Tale! So maybe something’s going on in my subconscious! Or not! We’ll see in a few days!   Closing   Alright, that’s it for the Q&A section this week. If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And, if you have a moment, it would mean so much to me if you left a rating or review on iTunes or Stitcher so others can find us.   Thank you and see you in two weeks!  Bye!   http://www.ala.org/alsc/aboutalsc/alscfaqs   http://2017.alamidwinter.org/awards   http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyterms/newberyterms   http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal   http://www.slj.com/2016/06/opinion/debate/awards-ufd/why-you-dont-want-to-know-more-about-the-newbery-and-caldecott-up-for-debate/#_   http://www.lindasuepark.com/fun/new_answ.html   https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/top-ten-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-newbery-award-by-monica-edinger/   http://blogs.slj.com/heavymedal/2016/12/30/how-does-a-book-win-part-1-nominations/   http://blogs.slj.com/heavymedal/2017/01/08/how-does-a-book-win-part-2-discussion/   http://www.hbook.com/2012/06/choosing-books/the-search-for-distinguished/#_   https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/dec/19/newbery-medal-children-elitism

Intro Hi and welcome to Books Between - a podcast for teachers, parents, librarians, and anyone who wants to connect middle grade kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love.  I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a teacher, a mom of two daughters, and totally into binge-watching the Netflix series The Crown. I’ve seen them all twice now. This is Episode #13 and today we are all about celebrating some of the best middle grade books published in 2016. Main Topic - The Top 20 Middle Grade Books of 2016 2016 has been a phenomenal year. For middle grade books. (Not so much for anything else, really!)  And for me, 2016 has been a standout year not only for the amount of books I’ve read, but for the quality of those books.  I’ve already exceeded my sixty book goal and I’m up to 75 at the time of this recording but not only that, I don’t think I’ve rated a book less than three stars all year. Maybe I’m doing a better job of picking things I’d like, but I just think there’s been some exceptional books published this year. So - just to give you some context of where this top 20 list comes from, here’s a bit of information. In the past year, I’ve read 60 middle grade books as of 12/19. Of those 60 - 31 were published in 2016 - so just about half of what I’ve read was new.  I will say that this year was light for me with nonfiction. I gotta work on that next year. So this list is all fiction and unlike other “Best of” lists out there, I did not separate out novels in verse or graphic novels. Everything’s all together. Alright here we go - these are my Top 20 middle grade novels of 2016. #20 - Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager I’m not typically a huge fan of the magical realism genre but this novel took me on such a sweet journey last spring. I loved the sparse dangerous beauty of the New Mexico desert and the poignant story of Carol and her family caring for the grandfather who’s losing himself in dementia. This was a debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what else this author has in store! #19 - Rookie of the Year by Phil Bildner This novel is the second in the Rip & Red series - the first was A Whole New Ballgame. If you are into the Kidlit community, if you consider yourself a member of the Nerdy Book Club, then you are going to love this book because the teacher, Mr. Acevedo- he’s one of us. If he existed, we’d be following him on Instagram and bumping into him on #TitleTalk chat the last Sunday of the month on Twitter. This book is fun, warm and diverse without being about diversity. It’s simply great, and I can’t wait for book #3. #18 - Sticks & Stones by Abby Cooper Such a memorable book with a main character that you just want to wrap up in your arms and hug. Elyse suffers from a rare disorder where the words others use to describe her are imprinted on her skin - including her own thoughts about herself. This is a book about friendship, and courage, and learning to be kind to yourself. #17 - Like Magic by Elaine Vickers This is one of several fantastic books that came out this year that featured friendship trios, but these three girls took awhile to come together. Jade, Grace, and Malia each end up at the same library, at different times, and find something they need in this mysterious secret treasure box that the librarian has tucked away in the Lost & Found drawer. I think what I loved so much about this book was how it spoke to the power of libraries and librarians to bring people together. And how libraries can be sanctuaries for children and a place to find yourself. #16 - Eleven and Holding by Mary Penney First - this book made me laugh. The main character, Macy, is a riot. It was heartfelt but not saccharine and it had lots of mysteries to solve. And is it weird to say that I had a mini crush on Switch - the skateboarding bad boy? Yeah, that’s probably weird. Let me rephrase that. My 12 year-old self would totally have fallen for that kid. #15 - Wish by Barbara O’Connor 12 year-old Charlie is sent to go live with her aunt and uncle in what she considers a “hillbilly” town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And she’s unruly and angry and yet…. The folks around her show such patience while she tries to sort everything out. It’s lovely and I liked that more rural setting. There’s also a dog that, actually - now that I think about it, follows a similar journey to our main character. #14 - The Tapper Twins Run for President by Geoff Rodkey The third novel in this series is all about the hilarity that ensues when Claudia and Reese Tapper both run for class president. It’s funny and oddly truthful about politics and running for office. Plus - I loved the twist ending. #13 - Children of Exile by Margaret Peterson Haddix This first novel in a new series had me on the edge of my seat for days. Cliffhanger after cliffhanger that build to this jaw-dropping moment that had me furiously calling and texting my friends who had already read it. So - go read it so you can tell me what you think! #12 - Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier Unlike Smile and Sisters and Drama, Ghosts is not based on Raina’s real-life but instead features a young girl named Catrina and her little sister, Maya who is living with Cystic Fibrosis. It touches on some hard-hitting themes (childhood illness and death) but somehow stays light at the same time. Again I was reminded of how much I love Telgemeier’s style - those crisp lines, curves, and great color palette. Already this book has disappeared from my classroom so I guess I’ll buying another one! #11 - Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan Featuring alternating narratives from Joe and Ravi, this book really gets what it’s like to flounder in school and to be the target of a mean kid.  I love that it takes place over one week, I love the humor, and I love the recipes in the back. This is a great choice for kid’s book clubs - it’s not too, too long and there’s a lot to discuss. #10 - Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo I got this novel last April when Kate DiCamillo came to Syracuse as part of a “lecture” series where, of course, she did NOT lecture. Instead, she focused on the kids in the audience. And not only answered the children’s questions in a way that made them feel heard and understood and but deftly framed those questions so that that both kids and adults left inspired and knowing a lot more about her and her writing process. At this event, she talked about how her family moving without her father coming along was inspiration for this story about a girl whose dad has left town with a dental hygienist. And Raymie is trying to figure out a way to get him to come back. As part of her grand plan, she ends up taking baton twirling lessons with these other two girls who each bring their own joys and pains to the story. It is wonderful and quirky in that beautiful diCamillo way. #9 - The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan This is a book that I recommend over and and over again - for so many reasons.  I love the poems, I love the storyline about kids coming together to try to save their school from being ripped down, I love how the different narrative pieces all fit together, I love how you see the characters grow and change through their poetry. It’s so, so good! #8 - Finding Perfect by Elly Schwartz Another incredible novel by a debut author. And a book that so many middle grade readers will be able to relate to - whether that’s navigating friendship with two very different people, eating take out for days when your family is overworked and too busy, or living with anxiety or OCD like the main character does. #7 - Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin Every once in awhile you read a book where the characters are so vivid and so real that months after you’re done reading the novel, you wonder about them. Will and Naheed and Aimee and Sergio would be in their twenties now. With all that’s going on in the world, I wonder what they would be thinking at this new turning point in our country’s history. #6 - The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner There’s so so much to love about this book and later on in the podcast I’m going to go into more detail about. But - I have to share with you the best summary of this book from the Author’s Note in the back. She calls it a “ magical-ice-fishing-Irish-dancing-heroin novel for kids.” Yes, it is! And it is glorious! #5 - When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin This is a book that you finish and you set down and immediately want to go read everything else that author has ever written. I’ll share more in the book talk segment later on in the podcast. #4 - The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz Three unlikely saints, an awful character who turns out to be good, a good character who turns out to be bad, disgustingly delicious French cheese, and…. a farting dragon. Now - don’t you want to know how all those connect? From what I hear, the audio of this novel is incredible - and you get to hear “The Song of Hildebrand” and other new music by medieval scholar and musician Benjamin Bagby. BUT - then you’d miss out on the dozens of medieval style illuminations by Hatem Aly in the paper copy. I think you just have to do both to get the full experience. #3 - Booked by Kwame Alexander Yes, this story is about 12-year-old Nick and his first real love, and his relationship with his parents, and soccer, and middle school bullies. BUT. It’s also about a bold librarian who slowly kindles in Nick a passion for books - often without Nick even quite realizing it.   #2 - Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson Oh how I loved this book. How I wished it wouldn’t end. This novel is another 2016 release featuring a trio of friends. Topher, Brand, and Steve band together to bring the last day celebration their teacher, Ms. Bixby missed when she had to leave school early.  Along the way they battle bakery owners, a creepy guy who tries to steal their money, and sometimes….each other. For me, the mark of an exceptional book, is one that can make me sob and laugh out loud and this book had me doing both. And, my #1 middle grade book of 2016 is: #1 - The Wild Robot by Peter Brown This is the first middle grade novel by picture book author and illustrator Peter Brown - and boy did he hit it out of the park! I have so much I want to say, but I’m going to hold off a little bit and save it for our book talk segment. So - those are my top 20 middle grade reads of 2016!  Now, I can already sense the emails coming my way saying, “Corrina - seriously - a best of 2016 list and you didn’t mention Wolf Hollow or Counting Thyme or The Rat Prince?”  And you know what? You’re probably right. Had I had a chance to read all those, they likely would have made this list. In fact, I’m halfway through Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon and oh - if the ending holds out - a powerhouse of a book. I want to read everything Kelly Barnhill has ever written,will ever write, including her grocery lists.  I know I missed some awesome ones. So a quick shoutout to some 2016 releases that are on my To Be Read list:   Top Want to Read Books from 2016   Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd The Rat Prince by Bridget Hodder Maxi’s Secret by Lynn Plourde Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban Gertie's Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley The Best Man by Richard Peck Swing Sideways by Nanci Turner Steveson Ghost by Jason Reynold   Annnd…. Likely lots more that I am missing! So - I want to hear from YOU - what were your favorite 2016 reads and which ones should be bumped up on my to be read list? You can pop me an email at booksbetween@gmail.com or connect on Twitter with the handle @Books_Between.   Book Talk - Three Amazing Books from 2016 In this part of the show, I share with you three books centered around a theme and discuss three things to love about each book. This week is all about the cream of the crop of 2016. Many of the titles in my Top 20 list, I’ve already featured on the podcast in previous episodes, and some I’ve talked about more than once. But there are a few of my favorites from 2016 that either didn’t fit into a theme I was focusing on for that show or they were very recent reads. The three of my top 2016 picks that I want to talk about with you are  The Seventh Wish, When the Sea Turned to Silver, and my #1 pick of the year - The Wild Robot.   The Seventh Wish First up is Kate Messner’s The Seventh Wish.  I read this book over the summer but it feels right to be talking about it in the winter. The book starts with this gorgeous image of ice flowers blooming on a frozen lake and takes place over one winter in the life of Charlie Brennan. And it’s a difficult winter for her. Her bright athletic older sister, Abby, develops a heroin addiction at college, her mother has a challenging new job, and suddenly everyone else’s problems have pushed her concerns way over to the side. And one day - while out ice fishing with her neighbors - she catches a fish that grants wishes. And Charlie has to figure out just how far that magic will go.  So here are three things I loved about Kate Messner’s The Seventh Wish:   The “I’m thinking of a word” game - So, Charlie and her family play this game where one person will announce “I’m thinking of a word.” and the rest of the family tries to guess what that word is. And whoever comes closest is the winner. And it sounds simple - and it is - but the true brilliance of this game comes in trying to justifying why “flashlight” is closer to “sunflower” than “rebellious” is!  It’s a lot of laughs, it gets you thinking and is now one of our favorite games to play in the car. The Irish Dancing - A major part of Charlie’s life is competing in Irish Dance competitions called feiseanna (“feesh-ee-AH-nuh) - the singular of that is feis (“fesh”). This is a completely foreign world to me, but suddenly I’m into hard shoes vs. soft shoes, the hornpipe and treble jig, strange uses for glue, and the ranking systems in competition. I love books where you can immerse yourself in something new. The Familiar Wintery Feel - So while all the Irish dancing details were totally new to me, the cold, blustery atmosphere of the setting was not. I live in Central New York - just outside of Syracuse, often touted as the Snow Capital of the United States. We get on average, 128” of snow every year.  Charlie’s family goes snowshoeing and ice fishing, and they wonder if when the sun comes out it will warm up from minus 22 degrees to a balmy zero. I think the setting is Northern New York or maybe Vermont, but it felt like it was written about my home. Charlie bundling up in layers of sweaters, snow pants, her puffy jacket, and two scarves is oh-so-familiar to me.   The Seventh Wish is not only a phenomenal and fun book, but also an important book. I’m not sure how things are in your community, but mine is struggling with a daunting heroin problem. And a book that addresses that in a realistic but hopeful way that is completely perfect for a middle grade reader is a necessity right now. It’s simply a fantastic book.   When the Sea Turned to Silver The second book I want to tell you more about, and one that I just finished a few days ago, is Grace Lin’s When the Sea Turned to Silver.  And I need to admit to you - this is the very first Grace Lin book I have read. And argh - why have I waited so long?! It was beautiful and lightly intricate and inspiring.  And I am sure if you have read the companion novels 2011’s Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and 2014’s Starry River of the Sky - you will get even more out of it than I did. But don’t feel like you have to read those other two first - I obviously didn’t and still understood and loved this book. This novel is about a young girl’s quest to rescue her grandmother from a cruel and vindictive Emperor, who is keeping the grandmother (and others) captive. The girl’s name is Pinmei and her grandmother is a famous Storyteller so as we are following Pinmei and her friend Yishan on their voyage to get back the grandmother, interspersed throughout that narrative are these traditional folktales.  Here are three things I loved about Grace Lin’s When the Sea Turned to Silver:   The interconnectedness of the stories. It is this slow crescendo of the main narrative and the folktales that come crashing together at the end. And all along the way, you know they are starting to connect to each other and characters and settings from one story are popping up in others - and STILL I was utterly surprised by how everything came together at the end. The focus on Honor.  Sometimes it seems like there’s a shortage of self-sacrificing, honorable people today. (Or maybe our culture doesn’t revere them as much as it should.) But this novel is full of characters like the scarred servant or the King of the Bright City of Moonlight who learn, eventually, to do the right and honorable thing even when it means danger and maybe death for themselves. It’s rereadability (is that a word?) - I don’t know but this was a book that as soon as I turned that last page, I had to go back and reread some of the stories now that I knew more about the characters and how the tales all connected. It reminded me a bit of when I finished the YA novel Challenger Deep - now that I know the secret, I want to go back and catch everything I missed and experience the story again with new eyes.   If you have a child that loves folk tales with lots of adventure and twists along the way, then When the Sea Turned to Silver would be a great recommendation for them.   The Wild Robot And I saved my best, my favorite of 2016 for last. Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot. “Our story begins on the ocean, with wind and rain and thunder and waves.” Oh - that first line gets me. You know how some books just happen to come into your life at the right moment to connect with you? That’s how this book was for me and my daughters. The first I heard of it was on the All the Wonders podcast when Matthew Winner interviewed Peter Brown and there was something so intriguing about the scenario of a robot stranded on a hostile, remote island, becoming a mother, and trying to survive and thrive. I immediately drove over to my bookstore, got a copy, and started reading it out loud with my girls that very night. We finished, a few weeks later, on Mother’s Day - and maybe that’s why the story of Roz sacrificing so much for the island - and the island sacrificing for her - touched us so much on that particular day. It was our first family book cry. We had to get more tissues and my husband rushed into the room wondering why we were all sobbing! It’s an incredible book and difficult to narrow it down to just three things to love, but here are a few things that I thought were exceptional about The Wild Robot. The illustrations - First, there are tons of them - every couple pages in every sort of perspective and shape: tall trees along the sides with a bear dangling over the text, an action scene charging across the bottom, two page spreads of a single crucial moment with just a small paragraph to the side, small inserts of just one animal, or one leaf. Peter Brown’s skill in picture book composition is clear in the layout and balance of the drawings and the words. The robot, Roz, is made of simple shapes and lines that really make it feel like it could take place at any time. And of course, I love his style of splatters and shading. The existential questioning that happens with this book. There’s just something about robot stories that lends itself to deep thinking about ethics and morality, the nature of the soul, and what it means to exist. So, I grew up in a Star Trek household. My mom is a trekkie and once got me a signed picture of my crush, Wil Wheaton, from a convention. I loved Next Generation, and particularly the episodes featuring Data, the android - there’s something about pushing the boundaries of programing that is intriguing. Putting a machine in a challenging, new environment and seeing what happens. At one point in the story, Roz and her adopted gosling son wonder what will happen if they push the button to turn her off.  Will she remember him if she turns back on? Will she be the same? Roz is devoid of emotion and yet she brings out so much tenderness and emotion in the reader. How fun and easy it is to read out loud. The chapters are really short so it’s nice to have those natural stopping points when you might just have a few minutes at home or in school.  And the character’s are vibrant and fun with great personalities to give voices to. I did Roz with the voice of Siri, which was loads of fun to do. I channeled Julia Sweeney for the goose, Loudwing and the fast-talking chipmunk, ChitChat was hilarious. The writing just has this great rhythm and it’s a joy to read out loud.   Absolutely go get The Wild Robot - I promise you won’t regret it.   Closing Okay, that’s our show for the week - and the last one of 2016. Look for our next episode on Monday, January 2nd, where I’ll be discussing the most anticipated middle grade books coming out in 2017 and some fun reading challenge ideas to kick off your new year!   And, If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or an idea about a topic we should cover, I really would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get a full transcript of this show and all of our previous episodes at AlltheWonders.com. And when you are there, look for the other Best of 2016 lists to get more reading ideas. And, if you are liking the show, I’d love it if you took a second to leave  a rating or review on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks and see you in two weeks!  Bye!

Jaclyn Smith is host of the new podcast, Closer to Dog. Learn about her journey with animals, including wolves and coyotes, and her lifelong passion for dogs. She discusses her two pets, Lucca the dog and Coogan the cat, in today’s episode. Closer to Dog will launch on Monday, October 17, 2016. Website http://closertodog.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CloserToDog/?fref=ts Instagram https://www.instagram.com/closertodog/ Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, Massachusetts http://www.wolfhollowipswich.org A coywolf is a hybrid of a coyote and a wolf. You can google “coywolf” to read some fascinating articles. Jaclyn mentioned the science fiction suspense podcast called Limetown, a fictional show about the disappearance of over 300 people. http://www.limetownstories.com If you want to join our animal rescue community and receive two free bonus dog-training resources from Irith Bloom, positive reinforcement dog trainer, go to http://thisispawprint.com/ask. Irith can be found at http://www.thesophisticateddog.com/ All of Pawprint's music is composed by Luke Gartner-Brereton. Luke is a musician based in Australia, and he composes a wide variety of songs and musical loops http://vanillagroovestudios.com http://soundcloud.com/luke-gartnerbrereton If you want to learn more about Nancy and Harold, go to our About Us page at http://thisispawprint.com/about or listen to our introductory podcast episode, "Fifty Puppies and a Podcast." http://thisispawprint.com/000 Pawprint (or Paw Print) is a weekly podcast dedicated to animal rescue, adoption, and the heroes who make it happen. Volunteer, walk, adopt, or foster a dog, cat, rabbit, or other wonderful pet through your local shelter, humane society, SPCA, pound, and animal control. Stop abuse, and help increase animal protection, welfare, and rights.  http://thisispawprint.com http://animalrescuepodcast.com

ACF18Saving Mr Wu (China, 2015)Boys Who Cried Wolf (S.Korea, 2016)Hollow (Vietnam, 2015)Dreaming The Reality (HK, 1991)Train To Busan (S.Korea, 2016)

Ever gone to the store for just one thing, and realized at the checkout lane that you have more than one thing to purchase? That's what happened with this episode. I already had most of the episode ready to go, but a quick trip to Bandcamp and Jamendo net so much more music that I decided to throw in a few more songs this episode. There's something in here for everyone, so give it a listen, and whatever you do don't look at the credit card receipt OK? Shownotes after the break. * (00:11) Martyr by Wolf Hollow from (Single) (BY-NC-ND) * (03:32) Cage of Sorrow by Limitless from Cage of Sorrow [Single 2013] (BY-NC-SA) * (07:38) The Lonely Mountain by Set Sail Armada from (Single) (BY-NC-SA) * (11:36) Individuation by Obsidian Tongue from A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time (BY-NC) * (20:04) मातृ (mātṛ) by Vin de Mia Trix from Once Hidden From Sight (BY-NC) * (28:58) No Mercy by The Uncrowned from The Uncrowned EP (BY-SA) * (32:54) Breakdown by Throne of Malediction from (Single) (BY-NC-ND) * (38:35) Idea RAM by Picaporters from Elefantes (BY-NC-SA) * (43:24) Tyrannus Politicus Maximus by Psykoanalyysi from Kivitys EP (BY) * (44:29) Man/Machine by Lords of the Trident from Chains on Fire (BY-NC-ND) * (51:39) No Justification for War by The Symbioz from Unpromising Pictures of Today (BY-NC-ND) Please support the bands in this show! Buy a T-Shirt, head to the shows, or make a Monopoly game with their band as the theme. Whatever you can do to help these bands keep making music, please do it! Also check out the other great podcasts at Metal Injection, and be sure to listen to all of the great shows (including Open Metalcast) streaming 24/7 at Metalinjection.FM. If you have any suggestions for Creative Commons licensed metal, send me a link at craig@openmetalcast.com.

Ever gone to the store for just one thing, and realized at the checkout lane that you have more than one thing to purchase? That's what happened with this episode. I already had most of the episode ready to go, but a quick trip to Bandcamp and Jamendo net so much more music that I decided to throw in a few more songs this episode. There's something in here for everyone, so give it a listen, and whatever you do don't look at the credit card receipt OK? Shownotes after the break. (00:11) Martyr by Wolf Hollow from (Single) (BY-NC-ND) (03:32) Cage of Sorrow by Limitless from Cage of Sorrow [Single 2013] (BY-NC-SA) (07:38) The Lonely Mountain by Set Sail Armada from (Single) (BY-NC-SA) (11:36) Individuation by Obsidian Tongue from A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time (BY-NC) (20:04) मातृ (mātṛ) by Vin de Mia Trix from Once Hidden From Sight (BY-NC) (28:58) No Mercy by The Uncrowned from The Uncrowned EP (BY-SA) (32:54) Breakdown by Throne of Malediction from (Single) (BY-NC-ND) (38:35) Idea RAM by Picaporters from Elefantes (BY-NC-SA) (43:24) Tyrannus Politicus Maximus by Psykoanalyysi from Kivitys EP (BY) (44:29) Man/Machine by Lords of the Trident from Chains on Fire (BY-NC-ND) (51:39) No Justification for War by The Symbioz from Unpromising Pictures of Today (BY-NC-ND) Please support the bands in this show! Buy a T-Shirt, head to the shows, or make a Monopoly game with their band as the theme. Whatever you can do to help these bands keep making music, please do it! Also check out the other great podcasts at Metal Injection, and be sure to listen to all of the great shows (including Open Metalcast) streaming 24/7 at Metalinjection.FM. If you have any suggestions for Creative Commons licensed metal, send me a link at craig@openmetalcast.com. Open Metalcast #077 (MP3) Open Metalcast #077 (OGG)

The North American Gray Wolf has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since shortly after the law was passed in 1973. But now, in an unprecedented move, Congress has delisted the Gray Wolf in Idaho, Montana and parts of three other states. The action is being challenged in court by environmental groups but, at this moment, wolf hunting seasons have been authorized for the fall and the plan is to reduce the population -- currently estimated at 1,700 -- to 150. In this episode of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY, Donna speaks with Joni Soffron who, with her husband Paul, founded the North American Wolf Foundation and Wolf Hollow with the mission of preserving the wolf in the wild through education and exposure. We’ll hear from Joni about life at Wolf Hollow where visitors can meet the resident wolves -- at close hand -- and observe how a wolf pack functions. Wolves are social creatures and their pack dynamics are fascinating, in many ways paralleling that of a human family. Wolves are devoted to their young and five new puppies have recently been added to the Wolf Hollow mix. We’ll hear how the pups are settling in, how wolves are faring in the wild, and how we can help support these magnificent creatures. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Wolf Hollow -- A Howling Success on Pet Life Radio Enter the code: ROAD and get 10% off your order + Free shipping at Shoebuy.com!

Join gavin live from Wolf Hollow in Ipswich MA with all the guys from Wolf Hollow - Haunted Devons Byron Jackson - Gavin's "Magical Mystery Stars" plus loads more www.wolfhollowipswich.org

Gavin is the Patron of the North American Wolf Foundation & Wolf Hollow, this is a new advert for Wolf Hollow www.wolfhollowipswich.org