Required Reading

TV writer Jillian Tsai of Netflix's Haunted Hotel joins me to discuss the first entry into the mega-series WARRIORS from 2003! Rusty is a cozy house cat who chooses to join Thunderclan, a group of feral cats who live in the woods behind his house and are having a land dispute with other clans. He becomes a warrior apprentice, Firepaw, and uncovers mysteries within the clan and within himself.... C...

Author Sierra Marilyn Riley ( The Dark Cove Theatre Society ) joins me to discuss one of MY all-time favorite books from childhood: THE WESTING GAME! When wealthy paper magnate Samuel Westing dies he leaves a complicated will demanding 16 "heirs" - most of whom live at an apartment building across a field from his creepy mansion - partake in a game to inherit his fortune. Check out Sierra's book,...

Mind-blowing writer Jenny Bicks (Welcome to Flatch, Sex and the City) joins me to discuss our second Roald Dahl book JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. Fun fact: same year as Phantom Tollbooth! Little James finds himself inside a giant peach, surrounded by several very large and very friendly bugs! Support the podcast!

Bellbottoms, capris, cargos: its the summer of pants. Kelly Krauter joins me to discuss Ann Brashare's 2001 immortal classic THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS. And don't you dare roll your eyes. Best friends Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bridget are about to spend a summer apart for the first time in their 15 years of life. Just before they go their separate ways they find a magical pair of jeans t...

Kelsey Buckley returns to wrap up our summer camp series with a nonfiction book: THEATER GEEK. Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin chronicles one summer at renowned theater camp Stagedoor Manor. Follow Kelsey ! Follow Erin ! Support the podcast ! As of this writing (8.26.25) we have earned $3.56 from ad revenue! Thank you for listening!

Writer Joanna Truman joins me to discuss one of the most iconic characters in children's literature: Harriet M Welsch AKA Harriet the Spy !! From Louise Fitzhugh in 1964, Harriet the Spy follows Manhattanite 11 year old kid spy Harriet M Welsh as she writes infinitely in her trusty notebook about her pesky classmates in order to survive the departure of her dear nanny, Ole Golly. Follow Joanna ! F...

Comedian Maggie Winters joins me to discuss THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster with illustrations from Jules Feiffer! The Phantom Tollbooth follows bored schoolboy Milo as he enters a mystical and very unreasonable land in search of the princesses of Rhyme and Reason! AND - episode 100 is approaching! Let me know what you'd like me to do! I have very few ideas! Follow Maggie ! Follow Erin ! Su...

Broadway's Natalie Ortega returns to discuss another entry in Camp Required Reading: CAMP ROCK! From 2008, the DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie, of course) Camp Rock follows Mitchie (Demi Lovato) at the celebrated music camp where dreams are made, as long as no one finds out her mom is the new cook! Follow Natalie! Support the podcast! Follow Erin!

Keara Sullivan returns to Required Reading to go to camp and, frankly, it's horrifying. We dive into Goosebumps THE HORROR AT CAMP JELLYJAM by RL Stine. Wendy and her brother Elliot fall off their parent's car, down a mountain, and into Camp Jellyjam where something STINKS. Follow Keara ! Read her Substack ! Support the podcast ! Follow Erin !

Camp Required Reading is BACK, campers! Victoria Harley (A Breath of Fresh Movie podcast) joins me to discuss RL Stine's 12th book in the Fear Street saga: Lights Out . Holly doesn't like the outdoors, but she'll be a camp counselor to help her uncle save his failing camp - but someone's trying to sabotage it all! Check out some of our other camp episodes: Sunkissed and Goosebumps: Welcome to Camp...

Author, creator, and marketing maven Madeline North returns to discuss a dragon classic: ERAGON by Christopher Paolini. Young Eragon finds a dragon egg and quickly Saphira the dragon hatches. All matter of mayhem breaks loose as forces from throughout the kingdom seek out the egg. Follow Madeline! Check out Madeline's new marketing agency! Listen to Madeline's previous episode on The Princess Brid...

It's week two of Camp Required Reading and Chelsea Pope returns to discuss Goosebumps #9: Welcome to Camp Nightmare! The food at Camp Nightmoon isn't great. The counselors are a little strange. And the camp director, Uncle Al seems sort of demented. OK, Billy can handle that. But when other campers disappear... and his parents don't answer his letters... Camp Nightmoon is turning into Camp Nightma...

This week I am debuting a special summer camp series!! Haley OC joins me to discuss SUNKISSED by Kasie West, a YA romance inspired by Dirty Dancing. Avery has always used music as an escape. But after her best friend betrays her, even her perfectly curated playlists can't help her forget what happened. To make matters worse, her parents have dragged her and her social-media-obsessed sister to a re...

Writer Chad Morton (Abbott Elementary) joins me to discuss the most banned book of the 21st century: Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. Fourth graders George and Harold accidentally hypnotize their terrible principal into actually becoming Captain Underpants, the comic book hero they drew! See Chad's work on Abbott Elementary on ABC! Check out the work of Beetle Moses ! Follow Erin ! Support the po...

Krista Moy returns to discuss William Golding's 1954 classic Lord of the Flies! Also it's EPISODE 75!! We did it babes! A group of boys crash-land on an island and all hell breaks loose. Check out Krista's previous episode about A Streetcar Named Desire! Follow Krista! Follow Erin! Support the podcast!

This week Justine Engel joins me to read our first American Girl DOLL book: Meet Samantha! In 1904 wealthy orphan Samantha Parkington realizes the injustices that exist in the world around her, including child labor, segregation, and women's suffrage. Next week is our 75th episode! We will be reading Lord of the Flies - come prepared! Follow Justine! Follow Erin! Support the podcast!

Filmmaker Molly McGlynn joins me to discuss our first poetry collection - Shel Silverstein's WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS! We ask the critical question: was Shel Silverstein hot? Let us know. Follow Molly ! Follow Erin ! Support the podcast !

Longest episode title ever? Perhaps. You're welcome. Teaching artist Sara Childrey joins me to discuss TWO movies: The Swan Princess (1994) and Barbie of Swan Lake (2003)! Follow Childrey's substack! Check out some other movie episodes: The Nightmare Before Christmas! The Last Unicorn! Support the podcast ! Follow Erin !

Poet and author Erin Taylor joins me to discuss Kate Chopin's 1899 novel THE AWAKENING. Edna Pontellier struggles between her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century Louisiana. (Wikipedia) Erin Taylor's book Bimboland ! Support the podcast! Follow Erin!

Author Alex Brunkhorst joins me to discuss what was almost our very first book - The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. It just turned 100! Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire with an obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. (Wikipedia) Read Alex's...

Another solo episode! Do you like these? Please let me know. Goosebumps book 3 follows Evan Ross when he discovers a can of "Monster Blood" in an old toy store. And it's got an appetite. Follow Erin ! Support the podcast ! Listen to Goosebumps Book 2 ! Listen to Goosebumps Book 1 !

Book two in our Goosebumps deep dive! Something weird is going on with Dad ever since he got fired from his job - and why is he wearing that hat all the time? Could be he's a mad scientist! Follow Erin ! Support the show! Listen to Goosebumps Book 1 !

Zannah Schorer returns to discuss Brandon Mull's absolutely buck wild novel: FABLEHAVEN. Kendra and Seth discover their grandparents live on a nature preserve for all the world's mythical creatures (a haven, you might say, for fables...) Follow Zannah ! Follow Erin! SUPPORT THE PODCAST Listen to Zannah's previous episode about The Tail of Emily Windsnap !

I love this one :) Writer Christin Campbell joins me to discuss the 1982 Rankin/Bass film THE LAST UNICORN! A unicorn leaves the protection of her enchanted forest to discover if she really is the last of her kind. Follow Christin ! Follow Erin ! Support the podcast ! Another Required Viewing episode: The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Rachel Moss joins me to discuss Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo from 2002! Many write it off as a Harry Potter rip-off but - hear this - it might be a whole lot better. When Charlie Bone discovers he can hear the voices of people in photographs he is whisked away to the Bloor Academy to train his powers, where he becomes entrenched in a generations-old battle for power. AND: Erin is in la...