Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Thanks to Covid, the typically hopping summer book release schedule has shifted to September, but we've still come up with some great picks to occupy your time. After some feedback on racial stereotypes in Never Have I Ever, we tackle Indigenous and lesbian book recommendations: Indigenous: Rhymes for Young Ghouls (dir: Jeff Barnaby, 2013) #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women , Edited...

In a freewheeling discussion that can't help but address J.K. Rowling's recent transphobic comments, we also tackle the need for critical fandom, as well as Chamber of Secrets ’ fat phobia and obsession with blood purity.  Also on the table: Why Gilderoy Lockhart is an obvious villain in the Rowling tradition and speculation about his real reason for joining Hogwart’s as the Defence Against The Da...

Brenna and Joe - with special returning guest star Terry Mesnard (of Gayly Dreadful ) - check out the first season of Disney+...er...Hulu's Love, Victor .  We're primarily discussing the first five episodes (with helpful hints from Brenna, who watched the whole series) which follows new transfer student Victor (cutie Michael Cimino) who immediately falls into a love triangle with uber-popular Mia...

Oh for the love of Judi Dench, what is going on here?! Brenna and Joe tackle the character-lite, action-heavy world of villainous child genius Artemis Fowl as he kidnaps, blackmails and holds for ransom the Fairies. It's a tale as old as time...but one we struggle to connect to. Of course, our *shrug* for the book pales in comparison to the WOOF of the film, which may just be one of the worst film...

At the behest of critics (and a few listeners), we dive into Never Have I Ever, which has a great lead performance by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as a grief-stricken teen who directs her energy into becoming popular and having sex. We discuss the cultural comedy, the show's nuanced treatment of female agency, and debate the mother/daughter relationship. We also have some strong thoughts about what's not...

We're so ready to discuss the most flattering pair of shared jeans you've ever owned! After a few weeks in the arena, a gentle realist YA is just what we need, so let's dive into the shared adventures of Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bee. Up for discussion: Joe's flip flop appreciation for two stories in the book and the other two in the film, the antiquated ableism of the book, frustration at the sex o...

For a second week in row, Brenna and Joe dive into The Hunger Games, but this time we're venturing back to its 10th iteration, when Coriolanus Snow was but a mere 18 years ago. Little did he know he was about to create literally Every. Single. Component that defines the Games 64 years later! We joke because we're tired. Reading this 528 page tome in 6 days is not recommended, as Collins' capacity...

Prepare your fire retardant costumes and choose your allies carefully because we are headed back into the dystopian wilds of The Hunger Games . For our second episode on a podcast namesake, we break out the big topics: Why is the love triangle so exhausting? Logistical questions about the need to return to the arena Peeta (once again) getting short shrift Is the book ableist or is it a critique of...

While Joe refuses to read a Victorian-era play, he's more than happy to watch film adaptations of them! This week we're checking out a plethora of YA tropes: the collaboration between suitors in an impersonation ruse, a "tricky kiss" and an epistolary romance.  On one side of the ring is Sierra Burgess Is A Loser , one of our few remaining Noah Centineo joints, which gets as many things right as i...

No one is more surprised than us to discover that the escapism we need and want could be found in the tale of three teenage girls from different backgrounds who meet at Shoplifters Anonymous. But here we are! Brenna and Joe find the novel, filled with as many innovations as it has YA tropes, is an absolute delight. Alas the TV show, which has been unnecessarily stretched out to two (!) ten episode...

It's time for another YA Forecast as we run down our top picks for May & June 2020. First up we discuss homework: Brenna lauds Tiffany D Jackson's fall release, Grown , as well as Nic Sheff's Tweak , while Joe  praises Liz Lawson's The Lucky Ones . Then it's time for our interview with former The Hunger Games guest, Alex Heeney. She stops by to discuss Seventh Row 's new ePub, The 2019 Canadian Ci...

Grab your magical item and prepare for a road trip across America because Brenna and Joe are embarking on a quest fit for a (Demi) God as we dive into Rick Riordan's 2005 YA franchise starter, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief , as well as Chris Columbus' 2010 adaptation of the same name. We discuss how the genesis of Riordan's epic is both empowering and also far too long. The au...

Now we're talking!  After a provocative minisode, listeners reached out to share their thoughts and stories on Sex in YA.  Clearly it's a topic that resonated because we got a wide variety of fascinating insights! In homework : Brenna highlights Julie Murphy's Faith: Taking Flight (due in July) while Joe circles back to Catherine Linka's What I Want You To See , which he mentioned in the Feb YA Fo...

DUFFs unite! Brenna and Joe are diving back into YA written by teenagers and it's another rocky property as we struggle with Kody Keplinger's 2011 book, The DUFF , as well as its 2015 film adaptation by feature novices Ari Sandel (director) and Josh A. Cagan (screenwriter). Part of the problem? That title! Despite the book's best attempts to reduce the stigma of the term, Brenna can't overcome the...

Under threat of duress, Joe manages to wrangle Brenna into recording a minisode and, given the current state of the world, what better subject to tackle than S-E-X in young adult literature. Prompted by Joe's polarizing reactions to  books that are graphic (Lev AC Rosen's Jack Of Hearts ), pre-occupied (Camryn Garrett's Full Disclosure ) or tepid "fade to black" fantasy (Casey McQuiston's Red, Whi...

Brenna and Joe are joined by Terry Mesnard to discuss Charles Forsman's stark and nihilistic 2017 comic I Am Not Okay With This and Jonathan Entwistle's 2020 Netflix adaptation, starring Sophia Lillis. Up for discussion: Forsman's depiction of young women, why the bleak ending is unearned and one thing the comic actually does well (if we're being charitable). This is in stark contrast with the ser...

Brenna and Joe check out a new Netflix YA series, The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia , using its under-the-radar status to pose some questions about Netflix's changing priorities and the relevancy of its algorithms.  Broad discussion: how Netflix Originals have altered the streamer's original  niche programming angle (the "made for Brenna" channel), why everyone winds up watching Love Is Blin...

Ugh. Brenna and Joe jump back into sick lit for Jesse Andrews' atrocious 2012 novel Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and its (better) 2015 Sundance award winning film adaptation by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, starring Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke and a stunt cast of adults. We dedicate A LOT of time up front addressing our issues with the book, which is racist, misogynistic and features one of the m...

With so little precious podcast time to spare, Brenna and Joe are scaling back the forecasts. Presented for your enjoyment is a double dose for March and April, along with two important pieces of correspondence about our recent episode on Sex Education , which demanded we dig in (and problematize) both our reactions and word choice a little more deeply.  Brenna's Picks: We Are Totally Normal by Ra...

In a Uni miracle, Brenna and Joe are joined by their YA Lit classmate and bestie Jen Crocker to discuss Jenny Han's super cute 2015 realist romance sequel, PS I Still Love You and its (awkwardly titled) 2020 Netflix  film, which reunites Lana Condor and Noah Centineo and introduces Jordan Fisher as fan favourite John Ambrose McClaren. The changes between source and adaptation are significantly imp...

Minisode or regularsode? You be the judge as Brenna and Joe check back in on the British Netflix series Sex Education, which released its second season back in January. How does the series avoid traditional (read: North American) depictions of trauma and abuse? How are new (potentially tokenistic) characters introduced? What aspect does Brenna think the show handles best? And why character has qui...

It's time for a Nuclear dystopia, so Brenna and Joe hunker down in a Garden of Eden...er...valley of plenty in the hopes that a man of science never comes to threaten the peace. Or is it two men? This week, we're traveling back to 1974 to discuss Robert C. O'Brien's Z For Zachariah , a compelling, female-centric YA account of the end of the world. We're also talking about Craig Zobel's 2015 not-YA...

Feb 2020 is a slighter month than January, so there are still great books to add to your library hold lists! Brenna and Joe have poured over the month and selected their top 3-4 picks, along with a few honourable mentions. Joe Alice by Heart by Steven Sater No True Believers by Rabiah York Lumbard Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold What I Want You To See by Catherine Linka Plus: Solstice by Lorence Aliso...

At the request of listener Emily, Brenna and Joe travel Down Under to Sydney to check in on Italian-Australian Josephine Alibrandi, the sassy/spunky heroine of of Melina Marchetta's 1992 Aussie YA Classic, Looking for Alibrandi and its 2000 film adaptation by Kate Woods. The pair are hardly surprised that the book is a staple of the high school curriculum, given its myriad of relevant YA themes fo...

More than a year into the podcast, Brenna and Joe decide to tackle the definition of Young Adult literature (better late than never, right?) Thanks to a prompt from listener Garrett, in the first (true) minisode of the new year, we delve into the specifics: YA as a category, not a genre Using content and age ranges to distinguish Middle-Grade from YA from New Adult The appeal of YA for adult reade...