The place where young readers meet to talk about books. The show includes a celebrity reader and an interview with the author. The host is award winning public radio journalist Kitty Felde. Book Club won the California Library Association Technology Award and the DC Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Humanitites. Named one of the top 10 podcasts for kids by THE TIMES of London.
Writer Dana Middleton has some advice about finishing a novel or story. She also looks back at the beginning of her writing career.
You think you've got problems? Try being born with the horn of a unicorn in the middle of your head. Dana Middleton's tale of fitting in and standing out is discussed by students from Louis Armstrong Middle School, Walter Reed Middle School, and Toluca Lake Elementary School. They've got a list of questions for the writer as well. Pam Rogers, creator of the poetry and nonsense podcast Buttons & Figs is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
We return to the Culver City Book Festival to find out what younger kids are reading. Kitty Felde is host. You can see a list of all their favorite books at the website.
We celebrate National Poetry Month with the National Book Award winning novel The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington DC talk about poetry, MeToo, and favorite books with host Kitty Felde. Celebrity reader is Monica Vigil, who costars in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast, which launches season 2 on May 3rd.
How do you get unstuck as a writer? Author Jacqueline Davies talks about how she took a vacation from the YA novel she was working on and wrote The Lemonade War in 19 days just to prove to herself that she could finish a book. Jacqueline also has advice for writers working on a series. Kitty Felde is host. Free tips for reluctant readers at the website: www.bookclubforkids.org
Did you ever have a lemonade stand when you were a kid? This particular lemonade stand led to The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. Fifth graders from Loyola Village Elementary School in Los Angeles discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Actress Linda Graves is celebrity reader.
Think scientists and math majors are all about numbers? Nope. They're great readers as well. We ask kids at the City of STEM festival at the Columbia Space Center in Downey, California to tell us their favorite books.
Writer Dan Gutman talks about his other popular My Wierd School series.
Interested in baseball? Time travel? Civil rights? Anger management? Readers from Murch Elementary School in Washingotn, D.C. tackle them all in this episode about Dodger legend Jackie Robinson. The book is Dan Gutman’s Jackie & Me, a time travel story that takes us back to 1947 on the night before Jackie’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Another Dodger legend, two time National League batting champ Tommy Davis is our celebrity reader. He talks about how Jackie Robinson was the one who persua...more
How many rejections did writer A.J. Steiger get before her first book was published? A lot, says A.J. The author talks about rejection, world building, and the very first book she wrote at age 9. Kitty Felde is host.
What makes us human? Do you believe in reincarnation? How does the loss of family affect us? Our book this week Cathedral of Bones raises so many questions for our readers at Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe, Arizona. Writer A.J. Steiger discusses world building in a fantasy novel. Our celebrity reader is actor Gary Lamb. Kitty Felde is host.
What are kids in Southern California reading these days? Host Kitty Felde takes Book Club for Kids on the road to talk to young readers at the Culver City Book Festival to find out.
Kitty Felde talks to the author of Lupe Wong Won't Dance Donna Barba Higuera about creating an unlikeable character. She also gives us a sneak preview of a new science fiction novel she's writing.
Does square dancing count as an athletic activity? Lupe Wong doesn't think so and is willing to fight the system to make her point. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington, DC discuss the book with host Kitty Felde and interview the writer Donna Barba Higuera. Our celebrity reader is the former president of United Square Dancers of America.
Thinking of writing a series? We ask New York Times bestselling writer Shannon Messenger about the 101 things a series writer has to think about. Kitty Felde is host.
Whatever happened to Atlantis? To elves? To magic? This week, readers from St. Elizabeth School in Maryland discuss Shannon Messenger's fantasy adventure Keeper of the Lost Cities. The girls ask our writer to pick her favorite characters, something she hates to do. Our celebrity reader is KPCC's All Things Considered host Nick Roman. Kitty Felde is host.
Writing a novel is hard enough, why would a writer choose to write one in verse? We continue our conversation with Jasmine Warga, author of Other Words for Home. She also tackles the topic of Own Voices in her choice to write about a family of Syrian refugees.
Kids from Washington, DC consider life as a refugee as they discuss the Newbery-Honor winner Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga. Readers from Tyler Elementary School talk about learning a new language, moving away from home, and even non-verbal communication in an era of wearing masks. Our celebrity reader is Sarra Gahzi, Country Director for Jordan with the International Rescue Committee. Kitty Felde is host. FYI, here's a link to curriculum for last week's episode, "Losing is Democratic."
Something a little different this week. As we approach January 6th, parents and teachers may be looking for a way to discuss the attack on the U.S. Capitol with children. Our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES created this special 2-part episode to help open a discussion about the events, without scaring kids. In this episode, 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman, has a new mystery to solve: who stole the 5th grade's pizza? Her class discusses the attack with t...more
Something a little different this week and next. As we approach January 6th, parents and teachers may be looking for a way to discuss the attack on the U.S. Capitol with children. Our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES created this special 2-part episode to help open a discussion about the events, without scaring kids. In this episode, 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman, has a new mystery to solve: who stole the 5th grade's pizza? Her class discusses the at...more
Newbery Award-winning writer Jerry Craft confesses that he was not much of a reader as a kid. But he wanted to create a book for kids like him. He talks about which comes first in his graphic novels, the pictures or the words. He tells host Kitty Felde how to write a joke in four panels.
We're so excited to talk about the Newbery Award-winning graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft. Students at Randle Highland Elementary School in Washington, DC debate whether they'd rather go to a fancy pants school on the other side of town, or the school in their own neighborhood. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
What makes a book personal to you? We talk to a group of readers from Albuquerque, New Mexico about the books that mean something special to them. Kitty Felde is host.
Get out the Kleenex and a warm jacket and gloves. This week is a heartbreaking tale of troubled foster kid who finds comfort among a herd of cows in Maine. Readers from Carter G. Woodson Charter School in Chicago discuss Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. U.S. Senator Angus King is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
How do you write a novel together without destroying a friendship? We ask the writers of "A Place at the Table," Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan.Â
What does it mean to be an ally? How do you confront racism face to face? What's it like to be the child of an immigrant? And can food bring people together? We talk about it all with a trio of students from Columbia Heights Educational Campus in Washington, DC. Writers Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan answer questions about writers block from our readers. Our celebrity reader is USA Today journalist Tami Abdollah. Kitty Felde is host.
Got a favorite book? Need a great book to read next? These fourth graders from Cienega Elementary School in Los Angeles have LOTS of suggestions.
Want to keep that Halloween feeling going? We offer a Southern tale of witches and spooky houses. And the Civil War. It's Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. We're lucky to have DC's Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton as our celebrity reader. Students from Washington DC's Jefferson Academy discuss the novel with host Kitty Felde.
Today and Tuesday are special days in the Catholic and Mexican calendar: Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. As an added bonus episode of Book Club for Kids, we wanted to share this snippet from our other podcast The Fina Mendoza Mysteries. It's the story of a 10-year-old detective on Capitol Hill, but it's also a family story about coming to terms with the death of Fina's mother. In this mini-episode, Fina and her sister Gabby and grandmother Abuelita remember her on Dia de los Muertos. The...more
He's known as Pseudonymous Bosch, but writer Rafael Simon talks to us about structuring a series and how he considers himself both a plotter AND a pantser. Kitty Felde is host.
Would you like to live forever? When is it okay to lie? How do we prepare for a disaster? These and other big questions are tackled by students at Farmdale Elementary School in Los Angeles as they discuss The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. Actress Satomi Hofmann is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
The 4th and 5th graders in the Bookopolis Book Club meet weekly to discuss, share, and celebrate their love of books. They share some of their favorites with us.
Did Harry Potter make you wish you were going to boarding school? This week, we visit another extraordinary boarding school with invisible students and k'lepreechons. It's Hypatia Academy by Esther Goldenberg. It's the favorite book of this trio of Maryland readers. NPR's Morning Edition host Rachel Martin is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.  www.bookclubforkids.org Â
Is there a connection between archeology and writing? Writer Gina McMurchy-Barber digs deep with host Kitty Felde. www.bookclubforkids.org
Suppose you had a sibling with Down Syndrome? How would this change your life? That's the question in The Jigsaw Puzzle King by Gina McMurchy-Barber. Readers from Hamilton Wentworth District School Board Remote School in Ontario, Canada discuss the book and discuss the merits of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. We're joined by celebrity reader Tammy McLeod, who just broke the Guinness World Record for speed, solving a jigsaw puzzle. Kitty Felde is host.
Where do ideas come from? Writer Sherri L. Smith shares some of the things that inspired her writing. She also has some advice for young writers. Kitty Felde is host.
Hurricanes and pandemics - sounds like the latest headlines. But it's a dystopian novel by Sherri L. Smith called Orleans. Readers from the Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy in Maryland discuss the book with host Kitty Felde and talk about why dystopian novels are so popular with young readers. Public radio journalist Cheryl Devall is celebrity reader. More episodes at bookclubforkids.org
Book Club for Kids wants to send you back to school with some inspiration from kidcasters from around the country. In this special bonus episode, you'll get a taste of what's available for young ears, produced by our colleagues at Kids Listen, a collaborative of creators of content for kids.Â
Attention fantasy writers: Christina Soontornvat, whose novel A Wish in the Dark offers some tips about world building in a mythical Thailand. More author interviews at www.bookclubforkids.org.
This week, readers at The Meridian School in Seattle discuss Christina Soontornvat's unusual novel A Wish in the Dark and interview the author. Actress Pimmie Juntranggur is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. You can find a list of everyone's favorite book and find out how your young reader can be on the show at the website www.bookclubforkids.org.
Looking for some great end-of-summer book suggestions? Kids from around the world have some great suggestions. Kitty Felde is host. Complete list of books at www.bookclubforkids.org.
Looking for a late summer thriller? We discuss the first book in Jacqueline West's Books of Elsewhere series The Shadows with the Girlfriends BookClub Baltimore. Public radio journalist Doualy Xaykaothao is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Free reading tips at the website: bookclubforkids.org.
Veera Hiranandani explains why she chose to use diary entries to tell her story in The Night Diary and offers tips to young people about how to get their older relatives to open up about their life stories. Kitty Felde is host.
What would you bring with you if you had to leave your home forever? It's just one of the topics we discuss with readers from Tyler Elementary School in Washington, D.C. as we tackle The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani. It's a novel written as a diary about the creation of independent India and Pakistan. Our celebrity reader is actress Nivi Varanasi. Kitty Felde is host.
We ask kids and their parents to answer our favorite question: what's your favorite book? Listen for some great summer reading suggestions!
We reprise our episode taped before a live audience at the National Archives. Readers from the Girlfriends BookClub Baltimore discuss A Little Wicked by Janet Macreery with host Kitty Felde. Celebrity reader is NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg.
Geoff Rodkey is both a successful screenwriter and writer of books for kids. Including "We're Not From Here." He talks about the difference between writing screenplays and novels, about science fiction, and about creating non-binary characters. Kitty Felde is host. Lots more interviews with authors at the website www.bookclubforkids.org.
Earth is doomed, so a band of survivors is looking for a friendly planet to save them. But our earthling reputation isn't so great. Will they be allowed to stay? Readers from Maury Elementary School discuss Geoff Rodkey's We're Not From Here. Our celebrity readers is Mat Kaplan, host of Planetary Radio. Kitty Felde is host. Free reading tips: www.bookclubforkids.org
We get book suggestions from readers at the Nantucket Book Festival. www.bookclubforkids.org
Pets play such an important part in our lives and the loss of an animal creates a hole in our hearts. The Newbery Honor award winning classic Old Yeller by Fred Gipson does the same thing. We hear from a trio of fifth graders from Lafayette Elementary School in Washington, DC who talk about their own pets. Actor and dancer Michael McKinley is celebrity reader. Dog expert Mia Cobb from Australia joins us. Kitty Felde is host.  www.bookclubforkids.org
How long does it take to publish a book? Newbery award winning writer Meg Medina says most of her time is spent rewriting and rewriting. More conversations with writers at our website www.bookclubforkids.org.
Book Club for Kids goes to Hooray For Books! bookstore in Alexandria, Virginia to talk about Meg Medina's novel about bullying and mother-daughter relationships Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Our celebrity reader is National Public Radio Arts Correspondent Mandalit Del Barco. Writer Meg Medina discusses the writing process with a pair of aspiring writers, Lila and Julia. Kitty Felde is the host. www.bookclubforkids.org
We continue the conversation with writer Rob Buyea about how his experiences as a classroom teacher influenced his writing of "Because of Mr. Terupt." Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
Were you lucky enough to have one special teacher who changed your life? This week, our book is all about that gifted educator and the classroom that was lucky enough to have him: "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea. Readers from Harmony Township Elementary School in New Jersey talk about their own teachers - and about learning in this socially distanced/hybrid/covid school year. They also interview author Rob Buyea. Actor Garrett M. Brown is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Reading tips,...more
We celebrate the Star Wars national holiday May the Fourth with our favorite Star Wars episode The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger. Cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
We miss book festivals! It's the best place to meet authors, fellow book lovers, and come home with a stack of books and pages of great book suggestions. This week, we turn back the clock to 2015 for our visit to the Baltimore Book Festival for some terrific book suggestions. And if you're looking for a book festival this weekend, join host Kitty Felde at the virtual Literary Hill BookFest. She's on a panel with LBJ's granddaughter to talk about the power of children's literature to dismantle di...more
The pink blooms on the cherry trees are fading in Washington, DC. And the Cherry Blossom Festival is virtual this year. But you can still fly a kite. Or fight with a kite. That's the battle in Flying the Dragon by Natalie Dias Lorenzi. We reprise this episode taped live at Hooray for Books! bookstore in Alexandria, Virginia where Natalie joined our young readers and answered their questions. Congressman Mark Takano is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
The Book Club for Kids podcast began in the smallest quadrant of Washington DC called Southwest. It was the waterfront for DC, the place where ships would dock bringing everything from building supplies to fresh fish to slaves. This week marks the 173rd anniversary of what Washington Post writer Colbert King calls "one of the most courageous acts in antebellum America": the attempted escape of African American slaves on a ship docked at the Southwest waterfront, a ship called the Pearl. This wee...more
Are children's writers different than those who write for adults? New Zealand Brian Falkner has a few thoughts. He also shares his techniques for organizing his stories and talks about creating the next generation of young writers. Kitty Felde is host. More author interviews at the website www.bookclubforkids.org.
Do you have a code for the way you live your life? Egan does. And the world wants to follow it. Egan has spent most of his life in the New Zealand bush. Can he survive the modern world and keep to his own code? That's our book Shooting Stars by Brian Falkner. Readers from Southwell School in Hamilton, New Zealand discuss the book and ask questions of writer Brian Falkner. New Zealand's Ambassador to the United States Rosemary Banks is our celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Find out how you c...more
Running out of good books to read? We're here to help. This week, we hear great book suggestions about tigers, horses, a sinking ship, and more! And we tell you how you can be on the show, too. www.bookclubforkids.org
Read all the Harry Potter books? Looking for your next great fantasy novel? This week, we discuss The Hound of Rowan by Henry Neff. Jamari and Steven at Jefferson Middle School Academy in Washington, D.C. are our readers. D.C. City Councilman Charles Allen is celebrity reader. Writer Henry Neff takes questions from readers across the country. www.bookclubforkids.org
Ever wonder what kinds of books kids halfway across the world like to read? We've got the answers from readers in Hamilton, New Zealand. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org And check out The Fina Menoza Mysteries podcast!
Did you ever wonder if your parents were really your parents? Maybe you were kidnapped.That’s a question facing Janey in the book “The Face on the Milk Carton” by Caroline Cooney. Readers from New Los Angeles Middle School have a lively discussion about best friends, parenting skills, and  writing. Actor Peter Michael McDonald is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Note: the book and the discussion touch on the topic of sex. Our readers suggest it’s appropriate for seventh graders and older s...more
A conversation about writing with Newbery Award winning author Christopher Paul Curtis about "The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963," writing in libraries and donut shops, and creating a soundtrack for writing. www.bookclubforkids.org
"The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963” touches on a tragic moment in American history: the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. But it’s really a family story about a road trip. Readers from Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, DC discuss the novel with host Kitty Felde. On the 25th anniversary of the book's publication, writer Christopher Paul Curtis tells us the first title of the book. Our celebrity reader is actor Quinn Marchman. Free curriculum at the website www.bookclubfork...more
We hear from readers who share their favorite books. You can, too! Just record yourself on the voice memo app of your smartphone, telling us your FIRST NAME, city where you live, the name of your favorite book, and WHY YOU LOVE IT. Email the file to us at bookclubforkidspodcast@gmail.com. And you can be on the show. www.bookclubforkids.org
We turn back the clock to a difficult period of history in Jim Crow America. The book is the Newbery award winner "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" by Mildred D. Taylor. Readers from Immaculate Heart Catholic School discuss the difference between present-day Bronx and the south of the 1930's. Actress Tracy Leigh is celebrity reader. Literary historian Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings of the University of South Carolina offers her perspective on the author. www.bookclubforkids.org
Students from Alisal Elementary School in Alisal Elementary School in Pleasanton, California have a few favorite books to share with you. Also, information about how your students can star on the show. www.bookclubforkids.org
It’s Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen. And it was the choice of a group of 7th graders from Newport Middle School in Maryland. Writer Victoria Aveyard talks about the difference between writing books and writing screenplays. Our celebrity reader, NPR’s Renee Montagne, brings to life our lightning girl Mare who is decidedly not excited about becoming a princess. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
Writer Varsha Bajaj talks to Kitty Felde about the connection between therapy and writing and the importance of having another set of eyes on a developing manuscript. www.bookclubforkids.org
“Count Me In” by Varsha Bajaj looks at the power of social media to combat hate. The story involves a hate crime: an attack on an Indian American family and how that changes a shy girl named Karina and the boy next door who used to hang out with what the grandfather called a pack of hyenas. Our readers are 5th graders from PS 174 in Queens, New York and they interview our author. Our celebrity reader is public radio journalist Deepa Fernandes. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
As we look forward to a better 2021, we look back at the great book suggestions made by the kids who appeared on Book Club for Kids last year. This episode full of terrific titles that so reflect this past year, whether it’s the social justice issues of Black Lives Matter or a need to escape the realities of covid. It’s our end of the year gift to you faithful Book Club for Kids listeners. Thank you. www.bookclubforkids.org
In a year when we can't gather together to celebrate the holidays, we offer a special bonus episode: a tale of Christmas in Washington from our other podcast The Fina Mendoza Mysteries.
These chilly December nights remind us of Maine, which is the location of this week's reprise episode "Moo" by Sharon Creech. Readers from Tyler Elementary School in Washington, DC recount their tales of cows they've met and we meet a cow expert, dairy farmer and Congressman David Valadao of California. Kitty Felde is host.
Writer Edward Bloor talks about the biggest lesson he learned about writing and how to handle criticism with host Kitty Felde.
A story about family divisions, economic divides, history, and growing citrus trees. It’s “Tangerine” by Edward Bloor. Our readers from the Laurence School in Los Angeles discuss the novel and interview our writer. Actress Jovita Molina is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
Writer Holly Goldberg Sloan talks about story construction, the difference between film and fiction, and describes her very unconventional childhood with host Kitty Felde. More author interviews at www.bookclubforkids.org.
What is a family? Willow Chance loves her adoptive parents. After they're killed in an accident, she helps create a new, very unusual family. Eighth graders from Roanoke Catholic School in Virginia discuss Holly Goldberg Sloan's New York Times best-selling novel "Counting By 7's" with host Kitty Felde. Actress Jo Mei reads from the book. Holly shares a secret about the book that she only shares when she makes classroom visits. www.bookclubforkids.org
Writer Barbara O'Connor, author of last week's episode "Wish," talks to Kitty Felde about her technique of teaching writing to kids. She also talks about her own writing journey and why 4th graders are her ideal audience. More interviews with writers of childrens books at our website www.bookclubforkids.org/writers-on-writing.
Do you wish upon a star? Or just when you’re blowing out birthday candles? Our book is full of ideas about how to make wishes. In fact, that’s the title of the book: “Wish” by Barbara O’Connor. Actress and playwright Dianna Burbano is celebrity reader. Our readers are from Multnomah Elementary School in Los Angeles. Kitty Felde is host. Free reading tips at the website BookClubforKids.org.
James Nicol is the author of "The Apprentice Witch" which we discussed on the show. Now, he shares his thoughts on getting up the courage to share your work with the rest of the world. www.bookclubforkids.org
We get some great book suggestions from Sweden and from the Ottumwa Public Library's Middle School Book Club. You can be on the show, too! Check out our website www.bookclubforkids.org.
Think becoming a witch is easy? Think again. Readers from Changing Hands bookstore in Phoenix discuss James Nicol's tale of becoming a professional witch called "The Apprentice Witch." Our celebrity reader is public radio journalist (and amateur ice hockey player) Susan Valot. Our writer talks about how he created the rules for his magical world and confesses that he wasn't much of a reader when he was young. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
Angela Dominguez writes and illustrates the Stella Diaz series. She talks to us about her writing path from drawing to writing. More author interviews at our website.
Are you a little shy? Is it hard to speak up in class or introduce yourself to strangers? That pretty much describes our main character in this episode’s book “Stella Diaz Has Something to Say” by Angela Dominguez. Readers at Canoga Park Elementary School talk about bullies, learning a new language, and speaking up. Actress Alejandra Ramos is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Find out how you can be on the show at: www.bookclubforkids.org
Looking for a way to talk about the upcoming election without getting into the ugliness of politics? Our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES has a special two-part election episode coming out next week. It's designed to inspire the next generation of voters to become civicly engaged NOW. The episode features a real-life congressman - Mark Takano (D-CA) - who takes questions from our fictional characters. Here's a preview. Subscribe now to THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES.
Did your class field trip to DC get cancelled? No worries, we'll take you on "The Worst Class Trip Ever" with writer Dave Barry. Kids from Washington debunk the stereotypes folks outside the beltway have about their hometown. Congressman Jeff Denham of California is celebrity reader. Dave Barry talks about why he's funny. Kitty Felde is host. Find out how you can be on the show: bookclubforkids.org
Running out of book suggestions? We ask kids in England and Ireland to share their favorite book titles. We also tell you how you can be on the show. Kitty Felde is host. bookclubforkids.org
How did you spend your summer? Did you write a book? That's what the Smith girls did. This week, we discuss "The Struggle: Mom and the Summertime Blues" by Patrice, Donna, Shannon, Charity, and Faith Smith. Our readers are budding writers themselves from the Girlfriends Book Club Baltimore and our celebrity reader is actress Makeda Declet. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
This is an episode for teachers, librarians and parents. Book Club for Kids host Kitty Felde was invited to share some tips about starting your own virtual book club by the School Librarians United podcast. We thought it could give you some ideas about starting your own virtual book club. Amy Hermon of School Librarians United thanks composer Nazar Rybak at Hooksounds.com for the music you’ve heard today.  https://www.facebook.com/SchoolLibrariansUnited/ bookclubforkids.org Twitter: @BookClubfo...more
We are always thrilled when a middle grade novel is turned into a movie and this month, Katherine Applegate’s tale of a very special gorilla THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN began airing on Disney Plus. We love Katherine Applegate. In fact, we talked to her a couple of years ago about another of her books about another wonderful animal: an invisible cat. So here’s to you, Katherine Applegate: we reprise our episode of Crenshaw. The book is the story of a family on the verge of becoming homeless. Our studen...more
Overseas travel may be impossible this summer...at least in person. But we take a virtual trip to Great Britain to find out what kids in England are reading. Kitty Felde is host.
It’s all about poetry and body image and standing up for yourself. It’s the National Book Award winning novel "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington, DC talk about the book with host Kitty Felde. Actress Monica Vigil from THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES podcast is celebrity reader. Writer Elizabeth Acevedo talks about why she writes. www.bookclubforkids.org
Looking for a great last book of summer? We've got lots of suggestions from Southern Californians who attended the Los Angeles Public Library's Maker Faire. And we have a special invitation to teachers and librarians looking for an opportunity to engage their students in reading this fall. Listen to the end of the episode for details. bookclubforkids.org Â
In this week, as the country lays to rest Congressman John Lewis, one of the heroes of the Civil Rights movement, we thought it was a good time to revisit one of the darkest days of the struggle, the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, told through the eyes of young people. It’s "The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963" by Christopher Paul Curtis. Teaching guide at the website bookclubforkids.org.
Last week, we discussed the novel “Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen” by Anne Nesbet. It’s a tale set during the early days of movie making. One character in the book is a real-life person, a larger than life woman whose contribution to filmmaking has been largely forgotten over the years. Anne Nesbet, who also teaches film history at UC Berkeley and she fills us in a bit more about Alice Guy-Blanche. We’ll have links to one of Alice Guy-Blanche’s films and to a documentary about her work at o...more
Summertime's the perfect time to go to the movies...even if we can't go in person. Meet "Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen," a heroine from the early days of movie making. Taped remotely at the Bay Area Book Festival, a trio of 7th graders from Albany Middle School in northern California discuss the novel by Anne Nesbit and interview the author. Our celebrity reader is Pam Rogers from the Buttons & Figs podcast. Kitty Felde is host. To see a video of this Zoom episode, check out our website, ...more