The Bookish Society Podcast

Jenn interviews Esme about her favorite tea, writing fast, and, most importantly, her amazing middle-grade novel: Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston.

Sometimes you need a quiet book to really make you think about things. The Ice House is one of those. I'm still thinking about different aspects of the plot weeks later. I hope you enjoy listening in as I chat with the author, Monica Sherwood.

Listen in as our Tween group peppers one of the many SG Wilson's of the multiverse about his amazing book.

Listen in as our Advanced Kids Class Ages 6-9 absolutely inundates Sarah with questions!

This podcast was a joy to record. Lisa is awesome and her book intertwines what is a sweet animal story with the more serious backdrop of 9/11 seamlessly. Elvis and the World as it Stands is available now!

YA!! It's our first YA author visit to the blanket tent where the Bookish Society Secrets is recorded in plush secrecy. 

Glitter Gets Everywhere sort of like grief. This Middle-Grade Novel is one of the best stories I read this year.

This is a new special kind of episode for us. The Bookish Society kids have a recorded Q and A with author Chrystal Giles, and they put her through the wringer.

Chris Baron, the author of The Magical Imperfect and All of Me joins us and we covered a lot of Bookish ground.

ES Christison and I talk again- the first time we had technical difficulties and it turned out okay because the time we felt like old friends.

In this second half, we manage to talk about Cat Story and more about comics/ graphic novels

I guess you could say that Ursula and I hit it off- we talked for so long that I cut this one into two parts. 

Today I'm talking to Cliff Burke, the author of An Occasionally Happy Family, which releases on May 18, 2021- which is today!!

This story is told from the perspective of a thirteen-year-old boy whose family goes on a week-long vacation to Big Bend National Park in West Texas. It’s the first vacation since his mother has passed away, and soon after they leave, his father announces that he has a surprise for them at the end of the trip. 

Most everyone has experience with a car trip/family vacation and will relate the ups and downs of the endeavor. Parents and kids get frustrated with each other, and chaos ensues. 

Novels in verse- I am obsessed.

Such a great way to say more with fewer words. Lisa and I hit it off right away and chit-chatted about not only her story- but fat-phobia and how it affects all humans. Starfish is a book you'll be thinking about long after you turn the last page.

Bookish Society kids will also be reading this book next Fall- we'll read 22 books next school year!!

Finally!!! This is the 6th episode I recorded, and I had to hold onto it -ALL THIS TIME. Torture, I tell you. Sam and I talk about Norse Myths and how they relate to his new book- The Last Shadow Warrior, which premiers in just 2 days!! 

He is really the closest I'll ever get to talking with Neil Gaiman, and I totally fangirl about his story, which is full of the girl power and adventure that all kids love to read about! 

Truly this is one book you won't want to miss. Bookish Society kids should note we'll be reading it this Fall in class. 

I know lots of kids who will love Clementine! Her story is dark (of course, as an evil warlord) but also caring. That’s why I invited Sarah on the podcast to chat about it.

The Dark Lord Clementine has everything you need in a modern fairy tale:

A bird made out of a book lays eggs that turn into spells.

Hair that changes color according to your mood- handy for avoiding cranky people.

Unicorns and Night Mares

Hedge Witches (my second encounter with them this year!)

It would make a solid read-aloud/bedtime story. I read it in 2019 and then again before writing this review for the paperback edition. I want to slide it into next year’s Kid Bookish Academy Roundtable line-up because I think we could have some interesting discussions about familial expectations and how hard it can be to try and “fix” big problems as a kid.

We had such fun talking about all sorts of Bookish things.

Happy Book Birthday to Jennifer Adam and her book- The Last Windwitch.

Brida spends her days being a sort of apprentice/ adopted daughter to Magdi, the town’s forest witch. Little by little, she discovers more about her own powers, past, and with the help of friends, settles into a future she never imagined.

If you or your kids love a story full of magic, this one is for you. It'll be one of our Tween Bookish Society selections in December! 

Listen in as we chat about life on a Horse Ranch and what Storycakes might taste like.

Jennifer suggested these book-

I am currently reading A PLACE TO HANG THE MOON by Kate Albus, which is about 3 orphaned siblings sent to live in the country during WWII in search of a permanent home. Although the story's circumstances are sad, it has such a core of compassion and kindness that it really feels like a comfortable read. I am also reading SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK by Richard Beatty because my book has been compared to his, and I’ve never read it before! I’m not very far in, but I’m enjoying it immensely so far.

Listen in while Chrystal and I chat about her new book- Take Back the Block, and how it’s not too early to introduce middle-grade kids to concepts like gentrification that they may not encounter in their everyday lives.

Here’s my elevator pitch: Wes would rather play video games than attend a protest march with his parents until one day when it’s his neighborhood being threatened by developers.

This story makes it easy to see how it affects someone their age and how gentrification is pricing people out of their neighborhoods all over the US.

Join me as I chat with Alyssa about her new book: The Gilded Girl. 

In this world, magic is real, and Emma arrives at a school to kindle her magic only this world isn't perfect. Any child can spark magic, but only the elite are allowed to kindle it. Those denied access to the secrets of the kindling ritual will see their magic snuffed out before their thirteenth birthday.

Also, house dragons!!

How do you say Ophiocordyceps? Cause I love when real science pushes into fiction. Learn how by listening to this episode of Society Secrets. 

Summer and I chat about her book The Mutant Mushroom Takeover. Spoiler: There is a sequel!

I haven’t laughed so hard in a very long time.

Here’s the deal with this book: After he gets a note from someone in his own handwriting on an origami octopus
Meade finds out that there is a multiverse, and in each one, there is a different version of himself. Another “me” and they meet up for a “Me Con” - where everyone gets your obscure references. This story is just so funny and educational all at once. Highly recommend!

In this episode, SG and I talk to ourselves and you of this Earth and compare notes on all sorts of things. Enjoy!

I could not have loved this story more. I chose it to close out our first year of The Bookish Society this Summer. (it'll be a two-book month)
Other reviewers have called it whimsical, and that is such a perfect description I have to use it.
I can't wait to get it into the hands of kids- I know it will become one of their favorites.

Kate and I had a lovely conversation about books, kids, and reading. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Think Black Mirror for kids. Adam Perry is my guest today, and his new book, The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children's Books, is one that you will want to pre-order if you are listening now, or purchase after March 2, 2021.

This story within a story may be hard to explain, and that is just what makes it one of the most creative books I've read in the Middle-Grade realm.

Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of The Eye of Ra adventure series for middle graders. His books The Eye of Ra and Sol Invictus take kids on adventures through time.

In The Eye of Ra, John and his sister Sarah explore a cave in the mountains behind their home and mysteriously time travel to Egypt. In Sol Invictus, they are surrounded by clashing cultures on the ancient Roman frontier. They must fulfill their quest to unite the Roman Emporer or risk being stuck in time forever.