Episodes - Book Club for Kids

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.

How do you write a novel together without destroying a friendship? We ask the writers of "A Place at the Table," Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan. 

What does it mean to be an ally? How do you confront racism face to face? What's it like to be the child of an immigrant? And can food bring people together? We talk about it all with a trio of students from Columbia Heights Educational Campus in Washington, DC. Writers Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan answer questions about writers block from our readers. Our celebrity reader is USA Today journalis...

Got a favorite book? Need a great book to read next? These fourth graders from Cienega Elementary School in Los Angeles have LOTS of suggestions.

Want to keep that Halloween feeling going? We offer a Southern tale of witches and spooky houses. And the Civil War. It's 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 Felde.

Today and Tuesday are special days in the Catholic and Mexican calendar: Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. As an added bonus episode of Book Club for Kids, we wanted to share this snippet from our other podcast The Fina Mendoza Mysteries. It's the story of a 10-year-old detective on Capitol Hill, but it's also a family story about coming to terms with the death of Fina's mother. In this mini...

He's known as Pseudonymous Bosch, but writer Rafael Simon talks to us about structuring a series and how he considers himself both a plotter AND a pantser. Kitty Felde is host.

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. www.bookclubforkids.org

The 4th and 5th graders in the Bookopolis Book Club meet weekly to discuss, share, and celebrate their love of books. They share some of their favorites with us.

Did Harry Potter make you wish you were going to boarding school? This week, we visit another extraordinary boarding school with invisible students and k'lepreechons. It's Hypatia Academy by Esther Goldenberg. It's the favorite book of this trio of Maryland readers. NPR's Morning Edition host Rachel Martin is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.   www.bookclubforkids.org  

Is there a connection between archeology and writing? Writer Gina McMurchy-Barber digs deep with host Kitty Felde. www.bookclubforkids.org

Suppose you had a sibling with Down Syndrome? How would this change your life? That's the question in The Jigsaw Puzzle King by Gina McMurchy-Barber . Readers from Hamilton Wentworth District School Board Remote School in Ontario, Canada discuss the book and discuss the merits of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.  We're joined by celebrity reader Tammy McLeod , who just broke the Guinness World...

Where do ideas come from? Writer Sherri L. Smith shares some of the things that inspired her writing. She also has some advice for young writers. Kitty Felde is host.

Hurricanes and pandemics - sounds like the latest headlines. But it's a dystopian novel by Sherri L. Smith called Orleans. Readers from the Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy in Maryland discuss the book with host Kitty Felde and talk about why dystopian novels are so popular with young readers. Public radio journalist Cheryl Devall is celebrity reader. More episodes at bookc...

Book Club for Kids wants to send you back to school with some inspiration from kidcasters from around the country. In this special bonus episode, you'll get a taste of what's available for young ears, produced by our colleagues at Kids Listen, a collaborative of creators of content for kids.

Ever wonder what kinds of books kids halfway across the world like to read? We've got the answers from readers in Hamilton, New Zealand. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org And check out The Fina Menoza Mysteries podcast!

Did you ever wonder if your parents were really your parents? Maybe you were kidnapped. That’s a question facing Janey in the book “The Face on the Milk Carton” by Caroline Cooney. Readers from New Los Angeles Middle School have a lively discussion about best friends, parenting skills, and  writing. Actor Peter Michael McDonald is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Note: the book and the discu...

A conversation about writing with Newbery Award winning author Christopher Paul Curtis about "The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963," writing in libraries and donut shops, and creating a soundtrack for writing.  www.bookclubforkids.org

"The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963” touches on a tragic moment in American history: the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. But it’s really a family story about a road trip. Readers from Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, DC discuss the novel with host Kitty Felde. On the 25th anniversary of the book's publication, writer Christopher Paul Curtis tells us the first title of the...

We hear from readers who share their favorite books. You can, too! Just record yourself on the voice memo app of your smartphone, telling us your FIRST NAME, city where you live, the name of your favorite book, and WHY YOU LOVE IT. Email the file to us at bookclubforkidspodcast@gmail.com . And you can be on the show. www.bookclubforkids.org

Students from Alisal Elementary School in Alisal Elementary School in Pleasanton, California have a few favorite books to share with you. Also, information about how your students can star on the show.  www.bookclubforkids.org

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

As we look forward to a better 2021, we look back at the great book suggestions made by the kids who appeared on Book Club for Kids last year. This episode full of terrific titles that so reflect this past year, whether it’s the social justice issues of Black Lives Matter or a need to escape the realities of covid. It’s our end of the year gift to you faithful Book Club for Kids listeners. Thank y...

In a year when we can't gather together to celebrate the holidays, we offer a special bonus episode: a tale of Christmas in Washington from our other podcast The Fina Mendoza Mysteries.

Writer Edward Bloor talks about the biggest lesson he learned about writing and how to handle criticism with host Kitty Felde.