Book Club for Kids

What makes a good mystery? We talk to writer Varian Johnson , author of The Parker Inheritance . Kitty Felde, who writes her own mystery series THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES is host.

We're happy to report that the number 3 most popular episode of Book Club for Kids is no mystery...actually, it IS a mystery: Varian Johnson's  The Parker Inheritance. Do you love a mystery? Do you love playing detective, looking for clues on every page? This week's novel is about a lot of things – segregation, bullying, and most of all, a family mystery.  This week's episode is "The Parker Inheri...

Can you believe it? Book Club for Kids began ten years ago in the summer of 2015. And we're celebrating by counting down our top ten most listened to episodes over the past decade. This week, just in time for the second installment in the Bad Buys series is the graphic novel that started it all: number four on our top ten list, Aaron Blabey's The Bad Guys. Can bad guys turn over a new leaf? 5th gr...

Writer Jerry Craft confesses that he wasn't much of a reader when he was a kid. Kitty Felde is host.

We continue our celebration of ten years of podcasting by looking back at our most popular episodes. This week, it's number 5 on our top ten list: New Kid . How do you fit in at a new school? Readers from  Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C. discuss the Newbery Award-winning graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft . They even suggest an alternate version of the book. Actor Gary Ant...

Peter Brown is both a writer and illustrator. We talk to him about how he plots a story and the teacher he hated who set him on his path to becoming a professional artist. Kitty Felde is host.

Do you have a relationship with the robot in your life? You'll fall in love with "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown. 4th graders from Flora Hendley Elementary School in Washington, D.C. discuss artificial intelligence and their own favorite robotic devices. U.S. Congressman Scott Peters from San Diego is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Favorite Books from Flora Hendley Elemetary School: Diary...

We're celebrating our ten year anniversary as a podcast! And to celebrate, we're counting down our list of the TOP TEN MOST LISTENED TO EPISODES. This week, it's number 7: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl . We're lucky to have DC's Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton as our celebrity reader. Students from Washington DC's Jefferson Academy discuss the novel with host Kitty Feld...

Ever wonder what a writer uses for inspiration? Angie Thomas tells us what gets her fingers flying over the keyboard.   www.bookclubforkids.org

Today it's a book for older kids – "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas. Our main character is an aspiring rap star dealing with sudden fame and the reputation of her late father. Our readers are from West Education Campus in Washington, D.C. Actress Tallie Johnson is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.  Favorite Books from West Education Campus: Lost and Found (Bluford High Series #1) – Anne Schra...

What's your favorite book? A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 7 -Lemony Snicket Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan Angry Aztecs (Horrible Histories) - Terry Deary Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery Invisible Inkling - Emily Jenkins Cat Kid Comic Club - Dav Pilkey Aru Sha - Roshani Chokshi Frizzy - Claribel Ortega

What's your favorite book? A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 7 -Lemony Snicket Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan Angry Aztecs (Horrible Histories) - Terry Deary Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery Invisible Inkling - Emily Jenkins Cat Kid Comic Club - Dav Pilkey Aru Sha - Roshani Chokshi Frizzy - Claribel Ortega

Students from Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, DC talk about "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. The conversation covers everything from death to Nazis to books. Actress Melanie MacQueen (Robotech) is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Markus Zusak interview is courtesy of the Australian bookstore Booktopia.  Spoiler Alert: plot points are discussed in this episode. FAVORITE BOOKS FROM...

This week, host Kitty Felde asks future scientists what they are reading. Here's some suggestions: Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas Books of Bayern - Shnnon Hale Five Worlds - Mark Siegel The Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo Percy Jackson 5: The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes - Rick Riordan Wings of...

Last week, we talked about "Refugee," Alan Gratz' tale of kids fleeing violence and political oppression around the world. It's a tough read. I had to put it down a few times. But how difficult is it to write a book about a tough subject? We asked Alan Gratz.

  What would it be like to leave everything you know, everything you own, everyone you love to escape war, persecution, or poverty? In "Refugee," Alan Gratz imagines how three young people struggle to survive as they excape to freedom. Students from Washington Latin Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Actress Amy Solano is celebrity reader. SPOILER ALE...

We brought our giant microphone to the 2025 City of Stem/LA Maker Faire in Los Angeles on Saturday, asking kids our favorite question: what's your favorite book? Here are just some of the titles: The Maze Runner series - James Dashner Twins - Rain Telgemeier My Weird School -  Dan Gutman Ellray Jakes - Sally Warner Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborne Dog Man - Dav Pilkey The Canyon's Edge - Dusti...

We continue our series highlighting episodes that feature books that have been banned or challenged. This week, it's Walter Dean Myers' tale of a kid on trial for murder "Monster."     In 2021, parents in Signal Mountain Middle/High School in Tennessee complained about mature language and sexual content in some 7th grade reading club selections. In response, a teacher told parents she was removing...

Last week, we took a trip to Hawaii to discuss "Lei and the Fire Goddess." This week, we talk to author Malia Maunakea about using  Google maps as a writer, the difference between writing fiction and non-fiction, ADHD, even tax write-offs! Kitty Felde is host.

This week, we talk about myths – whether it's on Capitol Hill or Hawaii. Our book is "Lei and the Fire Goddess" by Malia Maunakea . O ur readers are members of the Page Turners Book Club at East City Bookshop in Washington, DC. O ur celebrity reader is playwright Kiki Rivera . Kitty Felde is host. The kids mention Keeper of the Lost Cities   I mention a book with the DC myth about the Demon Cat of...

This week we talk to some older readers at the Culver City book Festival about their favorite books. Once again, fantasy seems to be the fan favorite. Give a listen. Favorite Books from Older Readers at the Culver City Book Fest Once and Future - Cory McCarthy & A. R. Capetta Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Big Nate - Lincoln Peirce Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger Fourth Wing - Rebecca Y...

Jewell Parker Rhodes, winner of the American Book Award, talks about the difficulty of writing "Ghost Boys" and about her own reading journey with host Kitty Felde. bookclubforkids.org

. We continue our look at books that have been challenged or banned. This week, it's Jewell Parker Rhodes' tale of a young black boy shot by a white police officer "Ghost Boys." The book was temporarily banned in Florida's second largest school district over a complaint that the book was "propaganda" against the police. A rural school district in California removed the book from curriculum after a...

Last Saturday was the culver city book festival and book club for kids was there, gathering great suggestions for your next favorite read. We've got a different take on Shakespeare, a it of underwear humor, and a debate about which does a better job of telling the story; the book or the movie. Favorite Books from the Culver City Book Festival: The Apothacary - Sarah Penner These Violent Delights -...

For Black History Month and Valentines Day, we have a special love story – part fiction, part fact, based on a landmark US Supreme Court case. It's called "Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case" by Patricia Hruby Powell . It's the story of an interracial couple who only wanted to marry the person they loved. Our celebrity reader, actress Crystal West. Readers f...