To All the YA I've Loved Before

This episode is all about Titanic Culture, one of the most important things to hit our little 8 year old brains. Everyone was hopping on the Titanic obsession back in the late 90s, and Scholastic was no exception. Enter Voyage on the Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 (By Ellen Emerson White). Yep, we’re finally getting into the Dear America books that were absolutely everything in our childhood. 

Discussions of topic include: Billy Zane, what it means to be consumptive, and the class dynamics of the Titanic. Plus, the universal truth of Britney Spears' “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” and how it weaves its way through Young Adult Fiction. 

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In this episode, Phoebe’s Diary by Phoebe Wahl (pub. 2023) allowed us to take our own trip down memory lane back to being a teenager in 2006. In a fictionalized diary based on her teenage years, Phoebe Wahl explores embarrassing moments, first boyfriends, and know-it-all older sisters that we spend the episode connecting with and sharing our own stories of. 

Discussions of topic include: getting weird old-timey illnesses in high school, the time of skinny jeans (and thinking it was so cool when our boyfriends wore ours), and how much we miss Myspace. Plus, how the YA books we’re reading now have been inspiring us to try new things as adults.

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We revisited The Healing Time of Hickeys by Karen Rivers (published in 2003) about 20 years after we read it the first time, which means we spotted a lot of the things that made us who we are in the pages of this book.

This weird girl lit came at us in a time we needed it the most our freshmen year of high school. Haley Andromeda went through all the same things we did — bad haircuts, terrible crushes, complex friendships — with so much humor and love. Two decades later, we still recognize the things she taught us about ourselves…and about hickeys. 

Content Warning: This book talks a bit about an inappropriate student/teacher relationship, and we have a brief discussion about it.

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A contemporary queer YA romance novel written in letters? Set in Minneapolis, Minnesota? With lots of Prince talk? Wow, what a treat We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra (published in 2019) was for us this week.

Topics of discussion include: stinky ex-boyfriends, lots of Minneapolis talk, and poetic boners. Plus, we love a YA character who can’t help but cry! So relatable.

Content Warning: Abuse, homophobia, brief mentions of suicide, and drug use

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This week’s book is all about learning how to stay Best Friends 4Ever from across the country, something we personally know a little about after moving so far away from each other :(. We read P.S. Longer Letter Later by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin, published in 1998. Main characters Tara*Starr and Elizabeth’s only source of communication is snail mail as they write to each other about their problems of finding new friends, dealing with their changing families, and the complications of seventh grade.

Discussions of topic include: preteen girl rage, our AIM screen names of the past, and great book outfit descriptions featuring Doc Martens. Plus, our own experiences of the hell that was middle school. We loved looking back on this piece of nostalgic “juvenile” fiction so much!

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This week, we have a much more nuanced, empathetic take on teens, drugs, and addiction than our last entry in the YA Diary genre. We read Things I’ll Never Say by Cassandra Newbould, published in 2023. It's a beautiful story about grief, love, and what comes next in life.

Other topics of interest include sword-crossing erotica, the booze-soaked fruit drinks of our youth, and Vanilla Ice’s Ninja Rap.

Unlike Go Ask Alice, Nixon never would’ve given this book his seal of approval…so you know it’s a good one.

Content Warning: Drug Use, death by drug overdose, loss, and weight talk

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We’re starting this season off with a novel that was near and dear to a naive twelve-year-old Kaycee’s heart. Go Ask Alice, a book that boasted being a REAL diary from a REAL fifteen-year-old girl was published in 1971, and the journey this book took through history is quite a tale.

In this episode, we air out our frustrations on Go Ask Alice as we talk Beatrice Sparks (the so-called editor and finder of the diary), her extended universe of found diaries, and how the War on Drugs and Nixon’s 70’s America ties into it all. 

Content warning: Weight talk, sexual assault, drug use, violence, graphic imagery

**Correction: Kaycee wrongly states the title of this book came from a Beatles song, but it’s actually Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”.**

In 2002 a drug called ecstasy and a little Canadian teen drama by the name of Degrassi: The Next Generation combined to make one of the best television episodes of our young lives

Degrassi proves a lot can happen in 23 minutes, and we discuss it all at length. Plus, we talk favorite and least favorite characters, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, The D.A.R.E. program promising free drugs to kids, and the logistics of certain urban legends. 

Join us back in Ashley’s suburban split-level basement bedroom for some Degrassi the Next Generation

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A carnival slasher for the last episode of the season (and the year) just felt so right! We read Tastes Like Candy by Ivy Tholen (published in 2020), and absolutely loved the cool year-round Halloween carnival setting, friendships, and very high school themes of moving on.

This episode got us deep in our feelings, because we spend a lot of time exploring the feelings of our own high school years, and the ways we appreciate YA and the things that teenage girls love. Discussions of topic also include: Ashley’s new pink piano, the gospel of Buc-ee’s, and letting teenage girls be gross in media. Plus, abnormal thyroid function representation and Kaycee’s forever vendetta against high school dress codes. 

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When will the people of Shadyside finally abandon this horror of a town altogether? Absolutely never, if the many Fear Street spin-offs have their way (and we love it). Welcome to Fear Park, an amusement park that shows the horrors of imminent domain and exploiting huge tragedy for entertainment. R.L. Stine really knocked it out of the (theme) park with this one.

Discussions of topic include: Robbie Williams, Kaycee’s own teenage carnival tryst, and the bumpy rollercoasters of our youth.

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Staring longingly across parking lots, bad wigs, and Jasper…these are only a few of the things Stephenie Meyer has to answer for as we take on the popular 2008 teen vampire flick Twilight this week. 

Topics of discussion include: the vampire version of Wonderwalling a girl, 2008 fashion, and being Team Rosalie (and Team Eternal Vampires Need to Stay Away from High Schools). Plus, Ashley’s unsurprising obsession with Nosferatu as a child. 

Content Warning: discussions of emotional abuse

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We are back in 1995 this week with another vamp novel Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn. Sixteen-year-old, shy and self-conscious Cynda goes to live with her father and his new family in their old Maine inn. She just wants to feel closer to her dad, and maybe experience a little normal teenage life after growing up a Navy brat with her mom and stepdad. A winter visiter at the inn, charming GROWN ADULT MAN Vincent, seems to put Cynda under his spell when he begins to make her feel special. Shudder.

Discussions of topic include: a perfect Taylor Swift song for the occasion, Kaycee’s theory on why vampire boyfriends are always so old in teen media, and more Pretty Little Liars talk. Plus, the most emo teenage moment Ashley ever had…and it involved rain, natch.

Content warning: The book Look for Me by Moonlight and this episode both contain talk of grooming and sexual assault. 

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Kaycee and Ashley take on another vampire in the Bailey School Kids Universe — penned by Debbie Daley and Marcia Thornton Jones — with Dracula Doesn’t Drink Lemonade. The core four crew of Howie, Eddie, Liza, and Melody are a bit creeped when they meet Mr. Drake, their new school counselor. He dresses in all black and is ice cold. Plus, he may or may not have hypnotic powers.

Discussions of topic include: the wild and newsworthy year 1995 was, our own history of being Hot Topic teens, an attempt to build out more of the backstory of Bailey City, and themes of paranoia and othering. Plus, we set the scene for the next two weeks of YA vampire stories on the pod with what vampires mean to Young Adult Fiction. 

Episode Notes and More 

It’s baby’s first graphic novel on the pod today with Maggie Tokunda-Hall and Lisa Sterle’s Squad. We are diving right back into the whole werewolf of it all, and this one is such a treat…just like the human boys our girl squad snacks on once a month. This novel weaves a wonderfully contemporary supernatural tale of popularity, finding where you belong, sapphic romance, and dealing with white woman victimhood. We loved the fashion, our main character Becca, and all the female rage.

Topics of discussion include: revenge narratives, the body issues that mothers pass down to their daughters, and Ashley completely nerding out with her gameshow knowledge. Plus, more Taylor Swift talk as Ashley sinks further into the Swifty Sinkhole where Kaycee has been waiting for her.

Content Warning: The graphic novel Squad contains mentions of sexual assault, and so does this episode. 

Episode Notes and More 

The Wakefield twins are leaving good old Sweet Valley and crossing the pond to London, England in this miniseries that includes #104 Love and Death in London, #105 A Date With a Werewolf, and #106 Beware the Wolfman. Don’t you worry, though, everyone is just as obsessed with Jessica and Elizabeth in the UK as they are back in the US. In this episode, we tackle a lot of useless side characters, including a princess who Gone Girls the entire country, and a blast from a book of the past, Rene Glize, who is still obsessed with Liz after their kiss in France (ref. Super Edition #3 Spring Break). But, Liz isn’t interested in Rene or trusty boyfriend Todd back home, because she’s got her eyes on werewolf-obsessed poet Luke. Jessica falls for a distant member of the royal family, Little Lord Pembroke, who may or may not be a werewolf serial killer. 

Topics of discussion include: the fact that people from Liverpool are called Liverpudlians, the confusing stance on the rich and aristocracy these stories take, and a long forgotten memory from our own teen years of a super sketchy underage dance club in the suburbs of St. Paul, MN. Plus, we once again ask the question of who is the worst twin, Liz or Jess (spoiler alert, it’s sanctimonious Elizabeth).

Episode Notes and More 

We felt a deep, magical connection this week with The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams, and we think all our fellow 80s/90s nostalgia lovers will feel the same. We seriously loved this book, which pays homage to the books and pop culture of our youths in a fantastic, meta way, while giving us the great girl friendships we love in contemporary YA, and the perfect supernatural vibes. We loved this book enough to say it…kind of made us miss high school? Topics of discussion also include Craigs always being the worst, The Outsiders movie as a sexual awakening, and teen girls being discredited in culture (even though they’re really complex and cool). Plus, Kaycee gets so excited when Ashley gives a Greek mythology lesson — but is surprised when she learns Ashley herself wasn’t a Greek mythology girly.

Episode Notes and More 

What would a podcast about Young Adult Fiction be without talking about The Baby-Sitters Club? A bad one, probably. In this episode, we discuss an installment of the popular 80s/90s teen girl paperback series Baby-sitters' Fright Night (Super Mystery #3). We analyze the series' lasting impact, try to figure out which club member we are (with disastrous results), and question Stacey's newfound knowledge of insurance, money safes, and the economy. We cover this book’s weird stance on bullying and how it relates to the Salem Witch Trials, while marveling at how much the BSC are bullies themselves. Plus, the legacy of babysitting in culture, urban legend, and horror.

Links and Further Reading

Happy Ace Week! On this bonus episode, Kaycee talks with YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Ace author Lyssa Chiavari all about the release of One World, the last book of the Iamos Trilogy, out Tuesday, October 24th. Topics of discussion include asexuality, representation in YA, and a look into the wonderfully written world Lyssa has created. 

Links & Further Reading

We’re back on our creepy doll bullshit with the 2018 middle grade horror book The Collector by K.R. Alexander. We have a lot of questions (and a few answers) after reading this book like are the baby dolls in this story all children that have been turned into dolls? What’s with all these creepy doll stories being set in the midwest? Are we going to talk about Reagan, Taylor Swift, and the Barbie movie every episode (probably)? We get philosophical when it comes to what the baby doll means in childhood and girlhood, and talk about the specialness of grandma’s basement — including Kaycee’s grandma’s weird Disney knock-off VHS movies. Plus, bird baths full of baby doll heads…there’s not much more to say about that.

Episode Notes & Further Reading

We step foot into spooky book season with the 1983 children’s classic The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. This episode is full of horrors like creepy dolls and Reagan’s America as we explore the scary story of what happens when families refuse to talk through their issues. Discussions of topic also include a history of mental health treatment from Ashley, Cabbage Patch Kids being lost to time, and a trip down memory lane of our own childhood toys. Plus, would you believe it, Kaycee finds a way to connect this back to Pretty Little Liars.

Episode Notes & Further Reading

“Being normal is vastly overrated”

We open up Spooky Season 6 welcoming special guest (and Disney Channel Historian) Allison McClain Merrill to discuss the fabulously nostalgic Halloweentown. We talk meeting Kimberly J. Brown (and each other) at 90s Con Tampa and lament over all the content Disney Plus refuses to give us (hello, Life-Size and In A Heartbeat). Plus, the lasting power of Disney Channel Original Movies and what they taught us about ourselves. And, Kaycee once again brings everything back around to Pretty Little Liars.

Note: This episode discusses Harry Potter in the context of children’s fantasy and pop culture in the 90s/early 2000s, but this podcast absolutely does not endorse J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views.

Episode Notes 

Helpppp! We’re melting during the recording of this episode. Not because it’s about witches, but because we’re over the summer heat. Good thing we’ve got the autumnal, Halloween spirit of Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches to get us through to fall. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, Improbable Magic is a queer YA Romance that fits perfectly into the grumpy/sunshine trope. We talk about wanting to join a queer witch boat party, needing a sequel with the rest of the coven (especially the fashion and kitchen witches!), and growing up trying to be the low-maintenance “cool girl”. Plus, Kaycee’s dabbles with witchcraft as a teen, Ashley’s new appreciation of tarot cards, and our friendship hangs by a thread because of a surprising revelation from Ashley. 

Episode Notes and More 

Enemies-to-lovers is one of our favorite tropes, and we’re so glad the STEM-forward My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Carol Follmuth did not disappoint! This YA novel will transport you back to a time when it was uncool to care about anything, but you’ll definitely be caring about the amazing friendships, cool fashion, and beautiful chemistry of Bel and Teo. In this episode, we talk about our own dreadful experiences of being a woman navigating this world, make Barbie movie connections, and agree that the patriarchy was the real enemy all along.

Episode Notes and More 

We’re back with more from the To All the Boys Extended Universe (TAtBEU) talking about Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever. Kaycee is once again joined by Cousin Kristen (who you’ve heard in our Christmas Home Alone 2 episode). We ask if it’s possible to go back to high school and date a Peter Kavinsky, agree with how much we love the redemption arc for mean girl Gen, and discuss the greatness of John Corbett as a teen movie dad. Plus, as most of Kaycee’s conversations do, we end up pissed off about the nonsense that was the Pretty Little Liars series finale.

Episode Notes and More 

In today’s episode, Kaycee crawls out of her Covid hell cave to talk with Ashley about the absolutely delightful To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han and another favorite trope Fake Dating. The ladies love Lara Jean’s sweet, poetic love letters, have a total hate on for Josh (Peter Kavinsky all the way!), and discuss the evolution of YA Romance. Plus, Kaycee shares a bit about the most embarrassing letter she ever wrote to a boy in high school (while dying a little bit on the inside) and they learn what a cravat is.

Episode Notes and More 

The Green Ranger, Dick Van Dyke’s character in Mary Poppins, Usher, and Devon Sawa in Now and Then. What do these people have in common? Not much, except that we were in love with them when we were kids! This episode is all about the guys and gals we loved from teen TV, movies, YA books, and more. Plus, we dive into the terrible characters we’re throwing up big ole red flags for, talk about the Cary Elwes effect, and debate crushes on siblings. 

Episode Notes and More 

Collect your YA faves at The Book Bundler. Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

This week is a little more scary than romantic with the 1992 Fear Street Series novel First Date. Kaycee and Ashley are here to enthuse about R.L. Stine’s ability to write incredibly authentic teen girl characters while telling a very captivating story about a serial killer and the dangers of teenage boys — Shadyside has a lot of problems, and toxic masculinity is definitely up there. Plus, we ponder over the red flags we’ve ignored (and are lucky we didn’t get murdered for), continue our denim talk from the Sweet Valley High episode, and agree that we would’ve definitely gone out with a boy named Sparks.

Episode Notes and More 

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We’ve got a sweet sapphic romance for you all for Pride Month with the Young Adult classic Annie On My Mind from 1982. Join Ashley and Kaycee as they talk about how this is one of the best uses of the Friends to Lovers trope, a history of the banning of this book, and the prevalent themes of home and belonging throughout this truly lovely story. Plus plenty of cult chat, character connections to the young Christian Bale flick Swing Kids, remembering landlines, and the experiences of being bisexual teens in the 2000s. 

Episode Notes and More 

Kaycee is back to talk about more forbidden love with Husband of the Pod Ryan on the 1996 modernized adaption of Romeo and Juliet. They’re smitten over Paul Rudd’s silly portrayal of Paris, Kaycee finds a way to relate a classic play to the Gossip Girl TV show, and they have a bone to pick with ole Billy Shakespeare about giving Juliet more to do. Plus, they discover the key to a great forbidden love story…it was toxic masculinity all along.

Episode Notes and More 

This week, Ashley and Kaycee take on the task of not just one, but three books all about forbidden love. In this episode, they detail Sweet Valley High’s Betrayal Miniseries, which includes #120 In Love With the Enemy, #121 The High School War, and #122 A Kiss Before Dying.  This is Kaycee’s ultimate favorite YA series, so be prepared for a lot of details of the SVEU (Sweet Valley Extended Universe) and all the ridiculous plot lines of the SVH books. The ladies talk about interesting (and impressive) ways these stories handle toxic masculinity, an actually good book boyfriend (and maybe the worst one yet), and chin tattoos. Plus they come to a consensus on their favorite Wakefield Twin.

Content Warning: Mentions of emotionally and physically abusive relationships and self-harm.

Episode Notes and More 

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Recollect YA faves like Sweet Valley High at The Book Bundler. Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

At To All the YA, we love 90s music and we love YA, so why wouldn't we have two amazing authors who wrote a YA novel incorporating our fave throwback tunes come on the pod? Erin and Sam of writing team E.S. Rosalynn joins us to talk about their first novel Mixtape Volume One, give us a preview of what's to come in Volume Two (out May 30th!!), and help us make a To All the YA 90s Mixtape of our own. Join us for (inner) divas, boy bands, and the perfect roller skating rink songs of our youth.

This season, we’re all about love and our favorite romance tropes! We’re starting out with the classic first love novel Forever by the iconic Judy Blume. Kaycee and Ashley had a wonderful first time with this novel, and unlike main character Katherine’s, it did not disappoint. We discuss new front-runner for worst YA boyfriend Michael and his audacity, take a trip back to when soaking was all over TikTok, and have a lesson in embracing the awful teenagers we were. Plus, Kaycee reveals the embarrassing story of her first kiss outside a public bathroom. This is our love letter to Judy Blume and all her fantastic work!

Content Warning: Forever contains talk of self-harm and suicide. We talk about these topics in our episode, as well as brief mentions of sexual assault.

Links

Do you like us? Check yes or no. Kaycee and Ashley are back next week with a brand new season of crushes, first loves, and romantic tropes!

Links

Join hosts Kaycee and Ashley for a deep dive into the 90s pop culture that made them who they are today. This is a top 20 list of madness, complete with the Nickelodeon vs Disney debate we all had to pick a side on (Ashley was a Nickelodeon kid because she was a dirty gal), a defense of Hootie and the Blowfish from Kaycee, and their continued love of Scholastic Book Fairs. Plus, a larger than life discussion on Backstreet Boys’ Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) as a sexual awakening.

Links

This episode of Supplemental Watching is a celebration of the (early) birthday of co-host and BFF Ashley with the 1996 kids’ classic Wish Upon a Star. Kaycee and Ashley almost lose a friendship over if this is a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) or not, and the internet brings them mixed results. They also talk how Katherine Heigl was a victim of the shitting on women culture of the 2000s (and forever), the lessons the Disney machine tried to feed us versus what was really happening on screen, and a bob hairstyle they both coveted from a Great Clips hairstyle book in the 90s.

Grab your matching silk pajama and robe set and tune in for this body-swap flick with To All the YA!

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Have you ever reread a book and discovered that’s what you based your entire personality around? Kaycee and Ashley’s teenage years (and beyond) were totally shaped by Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, the 1999 British YA novel by Louise Rennison. They spend much of the episode connecting their experiences of youth with the awkward, hilarious Georgia Nicholson and pondering how the character taught them how to let their weirdo flags fly. Other topics of discussion include the beauty of lists, spending half their teens walking around with soaking wet flared jeans, and coming to grips with their own mortality after talking about the trends that have re-emerged from their teen years. Plus, a good pet digression inspired by the titular Angus, Georgia’s huge cat.

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Let’s get spooky in spring with the first book of The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series, Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots. Kaycee and Ashley talk about their wishes for an aged-up, live-action Bailey School Kids series (Netflix, call us), minced vs. powdered garlic, and they determine (after long, considerable thought and grueling research) if Mrs. Jeepers is really a vampire or not. Plus, things might get a little racy on the pod when Kaycee ponders Mrs. Jeepers’ activities out on the town as a single gal.

Links:

On this week’s Supplemental Watching, we take a trip down memory lane with the ultimate romance bet movie She’s All That. Husband of the pod Ryan is on to present his defense of this mess of a movie. Topics of discussion also include being clumsy as a personality trait, the anticlimactic makeover scene, and M. Night Shyamalan’s surprising role in all of this. Plus, a theory on if Usher ever actually had a scene with anyone else in the (stacked) cast.

This episode was a toughie for our girls Ashley and Kaycee, but worth it for the important discussion on the poignant 1999 novel Speak. This is a reread that they couldn’t put down, filled with beautiful symbology and realistic portrayals of trauma. Topics of discussion also include Kaycee’s Hot Pop-Punk Boy Island, the best teachers we ever had, and the beauty of bathroom stall wall graffiti. Plus, Ashley goes off on an integrated math tangent.

Content Warning: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson deals with topics of sexual assault, self-harm, and PTSD, all of which are discussed on this episode.

This episode of Supplemental Watching is a case study on what Mighty Morphin Power Rangers does to a child’s brain. This week, Kaycee has on husband of the pod Ryan to talk about Yellow Ranger Trini the fashion icon, Kaycee’s crush on Green Ranger Tommy Oliver (it wasn’t just a phase, MOM!), and how Ryan was a toy boy (not to be confused with a boy toy). Plus, Kaycee is a disgusting reboot apologist.

Did you know that baby skunks are called 'kits'? Have you ever pondered the ethical quandaries of all living life? In this episode, Kaycee is joined by guest and Animorphs expert Marcello to talk about Animorphs #9, The Secret, which dives into some heavy topics (and skunk talk). They talk about the emotional maturity of the book's narrator Cassie, the centrality of the mall to 90s/00s suburban teenage life, and the book series' bad guys the Yeerks using bureaucracy to hatch out their evil plans. Plus, they weigh in on what the Animorphs teach us about ourselves and our morality.

A magical book set in the 90s and filled to the brim with witches, fun nostalgia, and coming-of-age realness? Yes, please! This is a re-release of Kaycee’s interview with author Vanessa Abigail Lambert about her debut novel Cider Mill Coven.

Welcome to Supplemental Watching, the every other week episode of To All the YA I’ve Loved Before where Kaycee invites a guest on to talk about the teen TV and movies relating to the book the hosts read the week before—or, in this case, something totally unlike it in every single way and just an excuse to release a fun Valentine’s Day special.

Kaycee has on friend and To All the YA recurring guest Samantha Koshiol to talk about one of their favorites of all time, Cruel Intentions (1999). Also returning to the pod: bleach blonde dirtbag Joshua Jackson, their favorite version of JJ. Other topics of discussion include THAT kiss, how Cruel Intentions elevated the teen movie genre, and the panopticon. Plus, Kaycee has a lot of feelings about the complexities of Katherine and how the movie (and viewers) judge her as a character.

Content warning: brief mentions of sexual assault, drug use, and all-around (twenty-something-year-old actors playing) teens doing bad things.

To All the YA is back, and they're crashing right into the 90s this season with a middle school favorite of both Kaycee and Ashley's, The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. In this episode, they dive into themes of identity and family, touch on the Stranger Danger panic that was alive and well in the 70s and 80s, and talk about the ways this book surprised us. Plus, we may have a contender for the worst book boyfriend of the year…but it’s only February.

Hey! Or should we say Wazzzzupppp? (No, we shouldn't.)

Season 4 is dropping next week, and here's a little preview of what's to come. New theme, new logo, new co-host...everything's new except the nostalgia.

A long time ago, we used to be friends...

Season 3 is ending with a darker, more modern teen girl detective story with Veronica Mars. Host Kaycee has on husband of the pod Ryan to discuss all of the complex characters of the VM universe, the connections between power and teen girl detective stories, and one Logan Echolls. 

Content warning: The Veronica Mars series dives heavily into stories of sexual assault, and this episode does not shy away from discussing it either.

Light on detective work, heavy on drama. The YA Ladies are back with a big dose of Nancy Drew, and this time she’s going to college in New Lives, New Loves (Nancy Drew on Campus #1). They talk about how Ned sucks as always, Nancy barely being able to solve a mystery (but what’s new), and Bess’s very realistic tale dealing with an aggressive douchebag who can’t take “no” for an answer. Plus, a brief history of HIPAA and the ladies try to rewrite George’s storyline into something more fun and queer!

Content warning: talk of sexual assault, especially how it pertains to college campuses and fraternities. Enthusiastic consent forever!

Who wanted to be one of The Boxcar Children growing up? Boxcar Ashley and Boxcar Kaycee sure did, and today they’re talking about the first book in the series and #116 The Ghost at the Drive-In. Topics of discussion also include their teenage hack for staying out past curfew, why a group of kids with no supervision would continue to follow the rules of society, and the cultural differences between when The Boxcar Children was initially released in 1924 and its resurgence in 1942. Plus, Kaycee has a theory about why the Boxcar Children keep running into so many different mysteries.

Special thanks to Professor Michelle Anne Abate for sending some excellent research materials on The Boxcar Children!

If an orange VHS tape and composition notebook hits you right in the childhood nostalgia, this is the episode for you. Reoccurring guest and friend Samantha Koshiol joins Kaycee to discuss the 1996 children’s classic movie Harriet the Spy. Harriet is truly an icon, a legend, and she opens the door for Kaycee and Sam to talk about being a weird kid, learning about relationships through MTV dating shows, and writing. Plus, Kaycee shares everything she’s learned about the literary character of Harriet and the woman who created her, Louise Fitzhugh.