Book Club for Kids

Writer Nidhi Chanani always wanted to be a writer. Kitty Felde talks to Nidhi and finds out how did she end up writing her graphic novel "Pashmina."

Is a podcast about a graphic novel like dancing about architecture? Give a listen to our latest episode "Pashmina" by Nidhi Chanani. It's a tale about a magical pashina and secrets and mothers and daughters. Our readers are students at Kelly Miller Middle School in Washington, DC. Rasika Mathur is our celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

Williamsburg has changed enormously since Betty Smith published "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" in 1943. But a trio of DC readers tell host Kitty Felde that they find contemporary themes - the chasm between rich and poor, the rise of the #MeToo movement - in the novel. Nancy Smith Pfeiffer, the 95 year old daughter of Betty Smith, tells us about rushing home from school to read the latest pages of the novel, hot off her mother's typewriter. Actress Sonia Manzano (Maria from "Sesame Street") is celebrity reader since the book is her favorite.

It's our 100th episode!

To celebrate, we travel up to the Bay Area Book Festival to tape a live show celebrating "The Storm Runner" by J. C. Cervantes. This fantasy tale with Mayan mythology is a "Rick Riordan Presents" novel. Public radio journalist Erika Quilar from KQED is celebrity reader. Our readers are 6th graders at Albany Middle School in Northern California and they quiz our author. Kitty Felde is host.

Imagine a world where deadly tornadoes are so common, kids can't ride their bikes outside anymore. That's the future Kate Messner writes about in Eye of the Storm. Students from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Laura Furgione, Deputy Director of the National Weather Service is celebrity reader and talks about the science of tornadoes.

What makes a good collaboration between writer and illustrator in children's books? We ask longtime illustrator Shawn Harris.

We take a little trip into space with some of the oddest astronauts you'll ever meet. It's Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris' graphic novel "The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza." Students from Grover Heights Elementary School in Central California deconstruct the story and celebrity reader Jonathan Cormur from the Dorktales Storytime podcast give us a taste of the humor. Cowriter and illustrator Shawn Harris answers questions from our young readers.

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

The Last Fallen Star - Graci Kim

Calvin and Hobbes - Bill Watterson

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

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

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 student readers from Gunston Middle School talk about their own experiences volunteering at a homeless shelter. Actor Rodney Lizcano from the Denver Theater Center is our celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

Book Club for Kids goes to Omaha where this month, the Omaha Public Library is sponsoring the Omaha Reads program, encouraging the city to read local author Rainbow Rowell's unlikely romance ELEANOR & PARK. Members of the Book Worm Girls Book Group discuss the show with host Kitty Felde. Omaha Congressman Brad Ashford is our celebrity reader. Writer Rainbow Rowell tells how the book she pitched to her agent became very personal indeed.

The worst summer vacation ever? Being stuck in the middle of a New Mexico desert with the crabbiest grandfather on planet earth. But there are also magical bees that promise the end of of a drought.

Students from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia discuss HOUR OF THE BEES and writer Lindsay Eager tells where the tale began. 

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham from New Mexico is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

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

Summer reading book suggestions from kids at the LA Maker Faire:

The Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger

Jazzies Big Imagination - JaLisa Jackson

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

Whatever After - Sarah Mlynowski

Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan

A Day with the Animal Mechanics - Sharon Rentta

Want to be on a future show? Here's how!

www.bookclubforkids.org

We meet the writer behind Pseudonymous Bosch: Raphael Simon. Host Kitty Felde chats with him about all things writing.

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.

Our producer Chad Francis picked this episode as his favorite!

www.bookclubforkids.org

We take the show on the road to the Enoch Pratt Free Library Children's stage at the Baltimore Book Festival for a conversation about Robbie Shell's novel BEES ON THE ROOF. Our group of readers have been meeting to talk about books almost since they first

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.

Got a favorite book? These future scientists have a few suggestions:

The Heck series -  Dale E. Basye

13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything - DK Publishing

Teenage Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution - Kevin Eastman and Tom Walz

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

Dog Man - Dav Pilkey

The Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger

Charlotte's Web - E.B. White

Sophie Mouse - Poppy Green and Jennifer A. Bell

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

The Land of Stories - Chris Colfer

More favorite book at our website: bookclubforkids.org

We take a trip to Mississippi in the summer of 1964 - Freedom Summer. The second in writer Deborah Wiles' 1960's trilogy. "Revolution" is discussed by a trio of George Washington Middle Schoolers at the neighborhood bookstore Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, Virginia. Wiles talks about writing fiction from the facts of history. News Anchor Mark Austin Thomas is celebrity reader.

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.

We take our microphone out to the 2026 City of Stem/LA Maker Faire to ask these young scientists and astronauts about their favorite books. Several of them are OUR favorite books, too! And you can click on the links to hear the Book Club for Kids episode about that book. Kitty Felde is host.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L'Engle

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowlings

Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan

Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

My Wierd School - Dan Gutman

Wonder- R.J. Palacio

The Forgotten Five - Lisa McMann

Last Gamer Standing - Katie Zhao

Before she wrote children's books, Lisa Graff worked as a nanny. What lessons from that experience did she bring to her work on the page? Lisa talks to host Kitty Felde.

How do we measure up to our parents' expectations? Does everybody deserve a day off? What's the toughest part of being a homeschooled kid? Our group of readers from the Broomfield Public Library in Colorado weigh in on these questions and more as they discuss Lisa Graff's novel Absolutely Almost. Lisa talks about where the characters came from and how she wrote her first book for her newborn baby brother. NYC actor Thaddeus Fitzpatrick is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

Eragon - Christopher Paolini

Warriors - Erin Hunter

Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel - Megan Morrison

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente

LISA GRAFF'S FAVORITE BOOK:

Holes - Louis Sachar

Eragon - Christopher Paolini

Warriors - Erin Hunter

Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel - Megan Morrison

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente

LISA GRAFF'S FAVORITE BOOK:

Holes - Louis Sachar

Ever wonder what kids in Georgia and Florida are reading? Here's a few suggestions from readers at Druid Hills Middle School in Decatur, Georgia and Indian Trace Elementary School in Weston, Florida.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea - TJ Klune

Superman Smashes the Klan - Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

Percy Jackson the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

The Giver - Lois Lowry

(click on the link and hear an interview with Lois Lowry!)

You can find more favorite books at our website!

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 178th 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 week, Book Club for Kids honors its roots by reprising our one episode featuring a non fiction book: Passenger on the Pearl by Winifred Conkling, taped before a live audience at Virginia's Fall for the Book Festival. Lolita Marie is our celebrity reader.

www.bookclubforkids.org

You've been calling us with your favorite books. Here's the latest list:

Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger

House Arrest - K.A.Holt

The Running Dream -  Wendelin Van Draanen

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus - Barbara Park

That Pigeon Needs a Bath - Mo Willems

A Dinosaur in the Toilet - Horace Hughes

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

The Land of Stories - Cris Colfer

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Sarafina and the Black Cloak - Robert Beatty

Missing Since Monday- Ann Martin

The Cat I Never Named -  Amra Sabic-El-Rayess

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules -Jeff Kinney

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Diary of Steve the Noob - Steve the Noob

If you have a favorite book, you can be on the show, too! Just give us a call at 424- 209-2285 and tell us your first name, the city where you live, the name of your favorite book, and why you love it.

Witches, monsters, and a brave little thief. Those are the ingredients in Claire Legrand's novel "Foxheart." The book was chosen by Book Club for Kids fan Kailas. She and her two fellow readers Iona and Gabi discussed the novel one sunny Sunday afternoon upstairs at Boulder Bookstore with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is actor Wesley Mann. And writer Claire Legrand explains how "Foxheart" began as a short story on a website.