Book Club for Kids

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.bookclu...

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...

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 Az...

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 bab...

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 th...

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 A...

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...

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"...

What's it like to be adopted? Does your adopted family's history become your history or do you feel the need to find your biological story? Our book this week is "The Length of a String" by Elissa Brent Weissman. It's a Holocaust story about a Jewish family separated by the war. Readers from the Girlfriends Book Club of Baltimore at Hazelwood Elementary Middle School discuss the book and pose lots...

Last week, we heard a bit from writer Jennifer L. Holm when we discussed her book "Turtle in Paradise." In this Bonus Episode, we hear more about Jenni's trilogy of books inspired by family stories.

Got a nickname? Everybody in Key West seems to have one. Including a little girl named Turtle. Readers at the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library in Broomfield, Colorado discuss Jennifer Holm's "Turtle in Paradise" with host Kitty Felde. KQED public radio's Rachel Myrow is celebrity reader.   Favorite Books from Laura, Leah and Juliet: Wonder - RJ Palacio A Dog's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron Harry...

Students from Washington DC's Jefferson Academy reflect on desegregation sixty years after the Little Rock Nine. They discuss Kristin Levine 's novel The Lions of Little Rock . The author describes how she came to tell the story. Former U.S. Education Secretary of Education John King is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

Ever wonder what it's like to write one of the American Girl novels? We get the inside scoop from Lisa Yee.

We explore an immigration story: a Chinese immigrant who ends up in Minnesota. It's the Newbery Honor Award winning tale "Maisie Chen's Last Chance." Writer Lisa Yee  tells readers at Overland Elementary School  that the book is based on her own family's history. Our celebrity reader is public radio journalist Josie Huang from LAist.  Favorite Books from Overland Elementary School: Rick - Alex Gin...

Can a book be funny and deal with one of the toughest topics around? "Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze" is writer and illustrator Alan Silberberg's tale of 7th grade angst and dealing with the loss of a parent. Seventh graders from Eliot-Hine Middle School in Washington, D.C. discuss the book and ask questions of author Silberberg. Actor Joshua Malina ("West Wing," "Scandal," the "West Wing Weekl...

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