Episodes - Book Club for Kids

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.

Writer Dana Middleton has some advice about finishing a novel or story. She also looks back at the beginning of her writing career.

You think you've got problems? Try being born with the horn of a unicorn in the middle of your head. Dana Middleton 's tale of fitting in and standing out is discussed by students from Louis Armstrong Middle School , Walter Reed Middle School , and Toluca Lake Elementary School . They've got a list of questions for the writer as well.  Pam Rogers, creator of the poetry and nonsense podcast Buttons...

We return to the Culver City Book Festival to find out what younger kids are reading. Kitty Felde is host. You can see a list of all their favorite books at the website.

We celebrate National Poetry Month with the National Book Award winning novel The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington DC talk about poetry, MeToo, and favorite books with host Kitty Felde. Celebrity reader is Monica Vigil, who costars in The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast, which launches season 2 on May 3rd.

How do you get unstuck as a writer? Author Jacqueline Davies talks about how she took a vacation from the YA novel she was working on and wrote The Lemonade War in 19 days just to prove to herself that she could finish a book. Jacqueline also has advice for writers working on a series. Kitty Felde is host. Free tips for reluctant readers at the website: www.bookclubforkids.org

Did you ever have a lemonade stand when you were a kid? This particular lemonade stand led to The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies . Fifth graders from Loyola Village Elementary School in Los Angeles discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Actress Linda Graves is celebrity reader.

Think scientists and math majors are all about  numbers? Nope. They're great readers as well. We ask kids at the City of STEM festival at the Columbia Space Center in Downey, California to tell us their favorite books.

Writer Dan Gutman talks about his other popular My Wierd School series.

Interested in baseball? Time travel? Civil rights? Anger management? Readers from Murch Elementary School in Washingotn, D.C. tackle them all in this episode about Dodger legend Jackie Robinson. The book is Dan Gutman ’s Jackie & Me, a time travel story that takes us back to 1947 on the night before Jackie’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Another Dodger legend, two time National League batti...

How many rejections did writer A.J. Steiger get before her first book was published? A lot, says A.J. The author talks about rejection, world building, and the very first book she wrote at age 9. Kitty Felde is host.

What makes us human? Do you believe in reincarnation? How does the loss of family affect us? Our book this week Cathedral of Bones raises so many questions for our readers at Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe, Arizona. Writer A.J. Steiger discusses world building in a fantasy novel. Our celebrity reader is actor Gary Lamb . Kitty Felde is host.

What are kids in Southern California reading these days? Host Kitty Felde takes Book Club for Kids on the road to talk to young readers at the Culver City Book Festival to find out. 

Kitty Felde talks to the author of Lupe Wong Won't Dance  Donna Barba Higuera about creating an unlikeable character. She also gives us a sneak preview of a new science fiction novel she's writing.

Does square dancing count as an athletic activity? Lupe Wong doesn't think so and is willing to fight the system to make her point. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington, DC discuss the book with host Kitty Felde and interview the writer Donna Barba Higuera . Our celebrity reader is the former president of United Square Dancers of America . 

Thinking of writing a series? We ask New York Times bestselling writer Shannon Messenger about the 101 things a series writer has to think about. Kitty Felde is host.

Whatever happened to Atlantis? To elves? To magic? This week, readers from St. Elizabeth School in Maryland discuss S hannon Messenger 's fantasy adventure Keeper of the Lost Cities. The girls ask our writer to pick her favorite characters, something she hates to do. Our celebrity reader is KPCC's All Things Considered host Nick Roman . Kitty Felde is host.

Writing a novel is hard enough, why would a writer choose to write one in verse? We continue our conversation with Jasmine Warga , author of Other Words for Home. She also tackles the topic of Own Voices in her choice to write about a family of Syrian refugees.

Kids from Washington, DC consider life as a refugee as they discuss the Newbery-Honor winner Other Words For Home by Jasmine Warga . Readers from Tyler Elementary School talk about learning a new language, moving away from home, and even non-verbal communication in an era of wearing masks. Our celebrity reader is Sarra Gahzi, Country Director for Jordan with the International Rescue Committee . Ki...

Something a little different this week. As we approach January 6th, parents and teachers may be looking for a way to discuss the attack on the U.S. Capitol with children. Our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES created this special 2-part episode to help open a discussion about the events, without scaring kids. In this episode, 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a congressman...

Something a little different this week and next. As we approach  January 6th, parents and teachers may be looking for a way to discuss the attack on the U.S. Capitol with children. Our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES created this special 2-part episode to help open a discussion about the events, without scaring kids.  In this episode, 10-year-old detective Fina Mendoza, the daughter of a...

Newbery Award-winning writer Jerry Craft confesses that he was not much of a reader as a kid. But he wanted to create a book for kids like him. He talks about which comes first in his graphic novels, the pictures or the words. He tells host Kitty Felde how to write a joke in four panels.

We're so excited to talk about the Newbery Award-winning graphic novel  New Kid  by Jerry Craft . Students at Randle Highland Elementary School in Washington, DC debate whether they'd rather go to a fancy pants school on the other side of town, or the school in their own neighborhood. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

What makes a book personal to you? We talk to a group of readers from Albuquerque, New Mexico about the books that mean something special to them. Kitty Felde is host.