Book Club for Kids

How do you work with your mother on a book? How do you work on 15 books with your mother? We talk to the mother/daughter team behind Dork Diaries, Rachel Renée and Nikki Russell. Kitty Felde is host.

Everybody wants to go to Paris…especially Nikki Maxwell! Readers from Hollingworth Elementary School discuss the latest entry in Rachel Renée Russell’s series. It’s Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Posh Paris Adventure. Rachel and daughter Nikki Russell, who illustrates the books, answer questions from the kids. Our celebrity reader is actress/screenwriter Kate Orsini. Kitty Felde is host.

Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughters share their memories about their legendary grandmother and talk about some of her writing practices. Come see us at Comic Orange Saturday, April 13th from 11-3 at the Tustin Library.

We continue our series of episodes about books that have been banned or challenged around the country. This time, it’s the Newbery Award winning novel by Madeleine L’Engle: A Wrinkle in Time. According to the Carnegie Mellon Banned Books Project, the book was challenged in 1985 by parents in Florida who said the book “opposes Christian beliefs and teaches occult practices. The school principal did not remove the book from 4 grade curriculum. In 1990, a parent in Alabama asked to have the book removed because it “sends a mixed signal to children about good and evil.” The school board and superintendent voted unanimously to deny the request. Six years later, the book was challenged in North Carolina for undermining religious beliefs.The school board denied the request. Madeline L’Engle herself told the New York Times in 2001 that “it seems people are willing to damn the book without reading it.” We read it with a group of young readers and this is what they have to say about A Wrinkle in Time. This week, we tackle a classic – the 1963 winner of the Newbery Award “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. Our readers are 5th graders from the British International School in Washington, DC. Our celebrity reader is public radio journalist Stephanie O’Neill. Madeline L’Engle passed away in 2007, but we're joined by her granddaughters Charlotte Jones Volklis and Lena Roy. They've written a biography of their grandmother based on her journals called “Becoming Madeleine.” Kitty Felde is host. FAVORITE BOOKS FROM BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: Panda-monium - Stuart Gibbs Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling The Tiger Rising - Kate DiCamillo Space Case - Stuart Gibbs FAVORITE BOOKS FROM CHARLOTTE JONES VOIKLIS AND LENA ROY A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L’Engle A Gentleman in Moscow - Amor Towles STEPHANIE O’NEILL’S FAVORITE BOOK: Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

Want to be on a future Book Club for Kids podcast episode? Listen to this special episode to find out how. Here's the favorite books on this episode: Wings of Fire - Tui Sutherland Never Let me Go - Kazuo Isiguro The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger The Cricket in Times Square - George Selden Dino-Mike - Franco Aureliani The Little Book of the Avengers - Roy Thomas Join us Saturday, April 6, 2024 at the City of STEM/LA Maker Faire all day at the Los Angeles State Historic Park north of downtown Los Angeles for YOUR chance to be on a future show!

You may know John Cho from his acting work in "Star Trek" and "Harold and Kumar" movies. But listen to this thoughtful conversation Cho and host Kitty Felde about his work as a writer - including convincing his Korean immigrant parents that his work was his work as an artist was making the world a better place.

On April 29, 1992, a jury in Simi Valley, a town just north of Los Angeles, did not convict four LAPD officers for the beating of an African American motorist named Rodney King. Within hours, rioting broke out across the city. A particular target was liquor and convenience stores owned by Korean immigrants. The event is at the heart of actor and writer John Cho’s novel Troublemaker. Cho joins us to talk about his inspiration for the book and LAPD Officer Tony Hyong Im is our celebrity reader. Readers from Tyler Elementary School in Washington D.C. discuss their own solutions to finding solutions to a community’s anger. Kitty Felde is host. Favorite Books from Tyler Elementary School: My Year in the Middle - Lila Quintero Weaver Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling City Spies - James Ponti Godzilla - Shigeru Kayama JOHN CHO’S FAVORITE BOOK The Joke - Milan Kundera OFFICER TONY IM’S FAVORITE BOOK The Mickey Mantle Murder - Walt Brown

Looking for your next favorite book? Here are some suggestions from readers at Watkins Elementary School on Capitol Hill: Geronimo Stilton - Geronimo Stilton Athletes vs Mathletes - W.C. Mack Scare Stories to Tell in the Dark - Alvin Schwartz Guts - Raina Telgemeier Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Basil and Oregano - Melissa Capriglione Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan Matilda - Roald Dahl Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling Flora and Ulysses - Kate DiCamillo Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul - Jeff Kinney Another Kind - Trevor Bream Last Kids on Earth - Max Brallier The Babysitters Club - Ann M. Martin Stone Fox - John Reynolds Gardiner The Day the Crayons Quit - Drew Daywalt Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborne The Getaway - Jeff Kinney Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan Grandude's Green Submarine - Paul McCartney Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland

"Divergent" writer Veronica Roth talks about finding the courage to call yourself a writer...and bouncing back from failure.

We continue our Banned Books series, airing episodes that have been banned or challenged around the country. This week, it’s Vernica Roth’s dystopian adventure Divergent. Back in 2015, Ashland High School in Oregon banned Divergent because – according to the school’s online newspaper - the book “shows a girl fighting against society which we do not want to strengthen.” What do you think? Give a listen to our discussion of Veronica Roth’s Divergent. We venture into a dystopian universe created by writer Veronica Roth. Divergent is a tale about finding out where you fit in – and whether you’re brave enough to take a literal leap of faith. Our celebrity reader is the 2018 Ms. Senior California and a familiar voice on KUNV Rita Pardue. Our readers are from Benjamin Trasker Middle School and we taped the episode at the Bowie, Maryland branch of the Prince Georges County Memorial Library. Kitty Felde is host.

What are the challenges of writing in two languages? Christina Diaz Gonzalez talks about some of the pitfalls of getting the nuances right when Spanish speaking characters are from different countries.

There are some people we just don't notice. A quiet student, immigrants speaking in their own language, a homeless person living in a van - you could call them invisible. That's the name of our book Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. Students from Swanson Middle School in Arlington, Virginia discuss the bilingual graphic novel with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is Monica Sanchez. Favorite Books from Swanson Middle School: Fifth Quarter - Mike Dawson The Tryout - Christina Soontornvat Cirque du Freak - Darren Shan Every Last Word - Tamara Ireland Stone Miss Quinces - Kat Fajardo Michael Jackson in Comics - Ceka Christina Diaz Gonzalez' Favorite Book: A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle Favorite Books of Monica Sanchez Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling I'll Love You Forever - Owen Hart Books by Monica Brown

Who says kids who love STEM subjects aren't readers? We take to the stage for a live taping of the Book Club for Kids podcast at the 2023 LA Maker Faire/STEM Festival where host Kitty Felde asks kids our hardest question: What's your favorite book and why? Here's their answers: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling The Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborn Frog and Toad are Friends - Arnold Lobel The Golden Books - Disney Little Blue Truck - Alice Schertle Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan The One and Only Ivan - Katherine Applegate Junie B. Jones - Barbara Park Pete the Cat - James Dean and Kimberly Dean Couch Potato - Jory John They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes Bad Kitty - Nick Bruel

Looking to start the New Year with some new books? Kids in LA County share their favorites with host Kitty Felde. Refugee - Alan Gratz The Secret Lives of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd Harry Potter and the Sourcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton Parrot in the Oven - Victor Martinez Enola Holmes - Nancy Springer The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan Dork Diaries - Rachel Renée Russell The Couch Potato - Jory John

More than 100 million people have fled violence and persecution around the world. But that's just a number. Who are these refugees? Meet Omar. Readers from Dorothy Hamm Middle School in Arlington, Virginia discuss When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohammed and Victoria Jamieson. Our celebrity reader is Matthew Saltmarsh from the UNHCR. Kitty Felde is host.

We're happy to report that our most popular episode in 2023 is no mystery...actually, it IS a mystery: Varian Johnson's The Parker Inheritance. And by the way, if your school is in LA County, we'll come out and tape a Book Club for Kids episode in your classroom! Just have your teacher, parent, or librarian contact us at the website and click on the "Want to be on the show?" button.

How do you know which books make the best gifts? Kids in LA County share a few suggestions with host Kitty Felde. The Last Kids on Earth - Max Brallier The Art of Seduction - Robert Greene Dogman - Dav Pilkey You Matter - Christian Robinson What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night - Refe and Susan Tuma King and Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth - Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins Amulet - Kazu Kibuishi Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Mickey Mouse - Phoenix International

We continue to look through our many episodes of the Book Club for Kids podcast to examine the titles that have been banned or challenged. Today, we look at the 1977 Newbery Medal awarded novel by Mildred D. Taylor Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The book has been challenged in school districts from Burbank, California to Oviedo, Florida to Huntsville, Alabama mostly for the use of the "N" word. In Burbank, the book was removed from required reading lists, though kids can choose to read the book and it can be used in small groups after the teacher has undergone training on facilitating conversations on racism, implicit bias, and racial identity. Mildred D. Taylor said "As a parent I understand not wanting a child to hear painful words, but as a parent I do not understand not wanting a child to learn about a history that is part of America, a history about a family representing millions of families that are strong and loving who remain united and strong, despite the obstacles they face." Here's some links to our resources: https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/roll-of-thunder-hear-my-cry/ https://ncac.org/update/letter-from-ncac-to-protest-the-challenging-of-roll-of-thunder-hear-my-cry https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-11-12/burbank-unified-challenges-books-including-to-kill-a-mockingbird 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.