Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

We're staying gold through the end of 2020 with arguably one of the most significant YA texts in history! This is ultimate "YA for boys" (although it is written by a woman); it's also deeply nostalgic and kinda terrifying. Expect comparisons to our previous discussion on Stephen King's The Body / Stand By Me , talk about whose story this really is and why Hinton's staunch refusal of a queer readin...

In the final minisode of 2020, we each selected a news item to capture a trend in YA for the year. Brenna looks at an evidence-based study out of the UK that has found improvements in the percentage of published authors of colour Flood, Allison. " Number of young adult writers of colour doubles to almost 20% " The Guardian. Sept 29, 2020 Joe , meanwhile, tackles the dominance of Netflix as the mai...

 This week on the pod, we're getting literary with a deep dive into Selvadurai's acclaimed queer coming of age novel (or is it a collection of short stories?) and the long-delayed, highly controversial film adaptation (now available on CBC Gem in Canada and on Netflix in the US). Up for discussion: how the book seamlessly interweaves history and coming of ages narratives, negotiating discomfort ab...

We're on the edge of great courtesy of Julie and the Phantoms , the candy coloured confection of a Netflix trifle that isn't good per se, but is incredibly enjoyable.  Up for discussion: the surprisingly heartfelt exploration of grief and music (shocking no one, both of us cried watching!); the very Vancouver production, Brenna's bemusement at Julie's "hologram" box and an appreciation of "out" di...

It's the most wonderful time of the year...for a scavenger hunt across NY city!  Brenna and Joe are feeling nostalgia for Big Apple circa Dec 2019 (when the series was filmed), though there's a bit less passion for stars Austin Abrams and Midori Francis, who are well-cast and also mildly aggravating. Plus: we speculate who writes who in the book, tackle the ridiculous written ending, praise direct...

Happy 2 years listeners! We're celebrating this milestone with 10 essential texts (ok 11, but who's counting?) that we've covered on the show. Care to wager what makes the list? Plus: Our six least fave texts Our top ten episodes Our "Wish List" of books & comics that we want to see adapted so that we can cover them! Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter: Brenna: @brennacgray Joe: @...

The time has come to cover the fall season's buzziest YA adaptation, in which high school seniors are mysteriously popping! And the verdict is: both texts are fine. Lol. For this episode, we're asking the hard hitting questions: -What happens when a book about friendship becomes a movie about romance? (Bye Tess!) -Why do so many wealthy, successful people have bad hair? Charlie Plummer -What's mor...

Brenna: Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins (Nov. 10) A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey (Nov 10) The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley (Dec 1) Honourable Mentions:  Captain Marvel YA Novel by Shannon and Dean Hale (Dec 31) Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Nov 13 - Netflix)  The Prom  (Dec 11 - Netflix)  Joe: The Way Back by Gavriel Savit (Nov 17) Super...

As we head into the last two months of the year, we're in need of some guaranteed enjoyment. Enter The Princess Diaries , wherein 15 year old Mia finds out - and detests - that she's the princess of a fictional European nation called Genovia. Now, we have questions (would the world really be interested in such a small country? Also: why does it have such a tiny banquet hall?). Overall though we're...

We're heading to the East Coast of Canada to discuss class, isolation and abortion. The recently released on VOD film is anchored by an amazing performance by Kelly Van der Burg as a small town Newfoundland teen who falls in love with a much older man, Joel Thomas Hynes' Danny Sharpe. Topics include: how appreciative we are that Oates doesn't attempt to rescue Danny, region differences and univers...

Just in time for spooky season, we go hunting for bodies in King's novella (or is it a novel?), as well as Rob Reiner's seminal 80s film, which boasts an all-star cast of young male actors (RIP River Phoenix) Up for discussion: the meanness of Castle Rock and the tragic backstories (and future lives) of these protagonists; the purpose of that infamous pie-eating contest; disagreements over the suc...

On the advice of Max (and liberally stealing a page from Joe's friends' podcast - thanks Talk Movie To Me ) we're putting the careers of Kevin Williamson and Judy Blume under the microscope to consider how and why they've made an impact in YA. Homework : Brenna: Lucky Penny by Anath Hirsch & Yuko Ota Giant Days by John Allison A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt Joe:  Cemetery Boys by...

Someone has finally sunk some money into a new Indigenous YA adaptation and we couldn't be more excited! After attempting to tackle the sprawling, slow burn narrative of Robinson's book (don't call it magical realism), Brenna and Joe discuss why this tale needed to be adapted by an Indigenous creative. Expect lots of gushing praise for break out Joel Oulette, as well as Crystle Lightning. Plus: th...

After a fortuitous series of social media connections, Meredith Russo joins us for a chat that encompasses a little bit of class politics, a little bit of video gaming and a little bit of punning. In addition to giving us an overview of her career, Meredith tells us about the ways that fiction is always already autobiography, how her work addresses the traditional depictions of the American South...

As requested by listeners, we're kicking off a new season of the pod with a book that combines manic pixie dream people with healthy doses of ableism! Strap yourselves in for a mixed episode from Brenna and a downright hostile episode from Joe, who finds both texts "baffling." Up for discussion: Haley's many blandly titled projects, Niven's confounding creative decisions adapting her own text, Jus...

Ready for a 40 year run down of Degrassi ? Well Brenna has you covered as she walks Joe through the cultural importance of the series, its evolution across multiple broadcasters (public and private), how it handled sensitive topics in non-patronizing, but still teen-friendly ways and why suddenly we may need to consider a future episode on Road to Avonlea ! Episodes (if you wanna watch along with...

We're finally getting around to a listener request. Poor Kadija requested Holes ages ago, but we're finally ready to tackle the story of poor Stanley Yelnats. Up for discussion: how femininity is used as a weapon, as well as the absence of mothers and maternal figures. We're very impressed at the readability of Sachar's book considering it's basically a take-down of the prison industrial system. ...

Right off the top, we're super excited for Michelle Latimer's Trickster (click for the trailer), an adaptation of Eden Robinson's Son of a Trickster. Brenna: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, Exonerated Five (Sept 1) Charming as a Verb by Ben Phillipe (Sept 8) Thoughts and Prayers by Bryan Bliss (Sept 29) Honourable mentions: bookstore theme!  This Is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Saf...

After hearing so much about what this book means to fans - particularly young girls - Brenna and Joe are surprised to discover that it has not aged with. Blame the current pandemic, but a story that prioritizes individuality above all else doesn't quite the same way in a society that refuses to even wear a mask for the greater good. There's also the strange critique of communism/totalitarianism th...

To celebrate the great Kirsten Dunst/Gabrielle Union showdown of 2000, Joe makes Brenna watch Bring It On ! While some of the racial politics and its approach to queerness haven't aged particularly well, we appreciate the white girls coming in second, a competitive approach to female rivalry and a bounty of sassy dialogue. Faring less well is director Laura Terruso and writer Alison Peck's Work It...

When we said we wanted more female stories in YA, this isn't *exactly* what we meant. Sadly Gloeckner's autobiographical comic/memoir is a misfire for us from both a storytelling and content perspective. Heller's film is a stronger, more streamlined approach but it features a distractingly beautiful Alexander Skarsgård in what is meant to be a frumpy, middle-aged man role. Up for discussion: why i...

After bringing this bizarre oddity to our attention, we invite returning guest Lucia Lorenzi to chat with us about just what creators Keetgi Kogan and David H. Steinberg are trying to do with the series (spoiler: they think they're making ground breaking television).  Nothing about this makes sense, and yet the series is compulsively watchable thanks to performances by Siena Agudong, Melissa Joan...

Perhaps the second time is the charm? After a *not great* experience  with Yoon's first book Everything, Everything (see previous episode), Brenna and Joe tackle her most recent text, which balances a timely discussion and racism, immigration and deportation with a falling-in-love-in-one-day perfect date.  Brenna is much more in favour of the book, especially Natasha's Jamaican background and Yoon...

In addition to checking out the New YA film, which apparently has no idea how universities work, Brenna forgets our most covered actress Theresa Palmer, but did read a German poem (all 14 stanzas). In other news, we address some more reader mail, address our plans to include an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement (coming in two weeks) and review some homework: Brenna: The new Apple TV Ghostwriter and...

Are you a Claudia, a Kristy, a Mary Anne, a Stacey, or a Dawn? Brenna certainly has her dream answer (and her reality) as we nostalgically revisit one of the most enduring YA series of the 90s. As a novice to the series, Brenna walks Joe through the format of each book, why these characters played such a significant role in her life and why Logan is so dreadful! Questions for discussion include wh...