The SSR Podcast

Long-time listeners of The SSR Podcast will hardly be surprised to discover that Alli is not the biggest fan of survival stories, but on Episode 95, she and her guest revisit Jean Craighead George’s Newbery Honor-winning novel My Side of the Mountain . After all, it is a classic! Tune in to find out if this is the book to change Alli’s mind about the survival genre and to hear her frustrations abo...

When it comes to The Baby-Sitters Club and SSR, too much of a good thing is never enough… so it’s lucky for you that Episode 94 is yet another Super Special installment, New York, New York! In this book — the sixth BSC Super Special — the crew has a big apple adventure for their spring break, during which each baby-sitter finds her own NYC story. Some are much more interesting than others, but on...

Alli experiences a serious case of retroactive FOMO on Episode 93, thanks to a discussion about the first book in Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series, I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You . Along with guest Phoebe Wright, she discusses the many, many cool aspects of the Gallagher Academy, considers how the series may have planted some early feminist seeds, ponders alternate endi...

Once again, we return to an SSR *~queen~* — Judy Blume! On Episode 92, it’s all about the Hatcher family — Peter, Fudge, baby Tootsie, their parents, and the many adventures and misadventures they get into in Superfudge , published in 1980. Tune in to hear Alli and her guest discuss Blume’s expert portrayal of sibling and family dynamics, the honesty with which she seems to write about parenting,...

On Episode 91, get snowed in with Alli, the Stoneybrook babysitters, and guest Margaret Willison , who read her first-ever BSC book for SSR! Alli and Margaret chat through the situations in which each babysitter finds herself in an unexpected blizzard, discuss how much easier it is to weather a bad storm in 2020 than it was in 1991 when the book was published, and talk more generally about the ser...

SSR gallops into the world of horse books for Episode 90! Alli and her guest Hannah Williams are chatting about the first book in Lauren Brooke’s Heartland series, Coming Home . Tune in to hear them swap notes about their own horse girl pasts, reminisce about the many horse books they loved as kids, and consider why kids are so drawn to horses and stories about them. They also take a deep dive int...

It’s rare that Alli’s met a reader who has been as deeply affected by a book as the guest on Episode 89 has been affected by Lurlene McDaniel’s Don’t Die, My Love . You don’t want to miss this story! On this episode, Alli and her guest Hitha Palepu also talk about the power of books like McDaniel’s tragic teen romances to help kids better understand and cope with crisis situations. They discuss th...

On Episode 88, Alli and her guest Uli Beutter Cohen discuss their first experience reading Louise Erdrich’s The Birchbark House , which was a National Book Award finalist for young people’s fiction in 1999. In their conversation, they get real about the gaps in American education regarding the true history of indigenous people, talk about the importance of own voices stories, and share their love...

For Episode 87, Alli comes to Katherine Paterson’s Newbery-winning Jacob Have I Loved for the first time — and what a ride it was! This middle grade book is a story of sibling rivalry, resentment, privilege, and family responsibility. It’s also a story about learning to take responsibility for your own path… although Alli has some seriously mixed feelings about how that last part is handled. Tune...

XOXO, it’s (finally!) time for the SSR Gossip Girl episode! On Episode 86, Alli and guest Alexandra Monir discuss the elements of the Gossip Girl universe that don't hold up so well in 2020, both in terms of technology and teen behavior. They consider parental objections to the book’s racy content and look at multiple sides of the argument for “light reading” versus no reading at all. They also ta...

As we all know, Alli loved A LOT of books when she was a kid, but for some inexplicable reason, Elizabeth Winthrop’s The Castle in the Attic seems to have buried itself in her subconscious more than most. On Episode 85, she and her guest Amanda Lovelace try to figure out why it’s been so memorable to her for so many years! Tune in to this episode to hear Alli and Amanda discuss The Castle in the A...

On Episode 84, SSR finally enters the American Girl universe, this time with a conversation about Meet Felicity ! Alli and her guest Rachel King discuss the gender politics of Felicity’s world, the frankness with which the author approaches issues like alcohol and animal abuse, and the book’s apparent whitewashing of race relations. They also consider Felicity Merriman from a feminist perspective!...

On Episode 83 of SSR, Atlas Obscura newsletter editor Ashley Wolfgang joins Alli to discuss all things Meg Cabot’s All-American Girl . Is this the patriotic book that we need in these trying political times? Tune in and find out! Alli and Ashley chat about the fine line between being angsty and being annoying, recall their days of listening to CDs at FYE, and wonder why *both* of the love interest...

Manuary is over and the ladies are back! On Episode 82, Alli welcomes Christie and Izzy from the From Where She Sits podcast for a conversation about Erich Kästner’s The Parent Trap , the little-known German children’s book that inspired the blockbuster 1998 movie. The book is nothing like the sparkly summer camp movie you might remember, though! Tune in to hear Alli, Christie, and Izzy chat about...

Episode 81 of SSR is an extra special one, not only because it’s the final installment of Manuary 2020, but because it features Alli’s husband Matt as the guest! She can’t wait for the pod community to get to know him a little better. Matt decided to take things in the required reading direction for his episode, and Episode 81 is all about Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . Ever sin...

It’s Week 3 of Manuary, and we’re finally tackling Lois Lowry’s The Giver . Published in 1993, the book won the Newbery Medal in 1994 and is basically the OG dystopian YA of our generation. The Giver follows 12-year-old Jonas in his journey to fulfill his newly assigned role: the Receiver of Memory for a community that has done away with all memories and feelings in favor of a state of sameness. J...

It’s another week of Manuary 2020, and Alli is welcoming Andrew and Craig from Overdue Podcast for a conversation about the first book in the beloved Bailey School Kids series, Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots . Tune in for discussions about everything from class clowns and popcorn reading to ambiguous cliffhanger endings and Emily Deschanel. You’ll also hear Andrew, Craig, and Alli attempt to decip...

Happy 2020 and Happy Manuary, listeners! To kick off this special month, we’re welcoming Hunter from Shelf by Shelf for a conversation about Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . Published in 1964, the book tells the story of Charlie Bucket, an underprivileged young boy who — along with a zany group of kid characters and their parents — gets the chance to tour Willy Wonka’s mysterious c...

For the first time ever, we’re inviting SSR listeners on to the show to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences about the books they loved most as kids… and maybe even some of the books the podcast has ruined for them. (Sorry!) Enjoy this special episode — and happy new year! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2004, Lisi Harrison’s The Clique series launched with its first book, which was aptly titled The Clique . The book brought the mean girls content that was so popular during this time period to the middle school set, introducing readers to a seventh grade queen bee named Massie Block, her gaggle of rich besties, and the new girl who she’s being forced to befriend. Alli didn’t read The Clique whe...

At long last, SSR tackles the infamous “Judy Blume sex book” — her 1975 YA novel Forever ! On Episode 75, Alli and her guest discuss the way that the book portrays teen sex and informs readers about the importance of consent and safety. They also chat about the ways in which mixed messages about sex and relationships can inform the way a teenager makes decisions and the ways in which different kid...

After a fabulous month of New Reads November, it’s back to literary throwbacks on the pod this week, and we’re psyched to be kicking things off with a discussion of Louis Sachar’s 1988 novel There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom . Over the course of this hour, Alli and her guest Lisa Schwartz chat about mental health (and the stigmas around it!), toxic masculinity, and the importance of modeling a...

It’s the final week of New Reads November 2019, and Jeopardy! champ (and SSR fan!) Emma Boettcher is joining Alli to discuss Opposite of Always , the 2019 debut novel from Justin A. Reynolds. On this episode, Alli and Emma chat about the book’s unique time travel structure, unrequited love within friendships, and the reasons it can be difficult for us as adults to buy into the intensity of young r...

Fun fact: Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow was the single most requested title for New Reads November 2019, and on Episode 72, Alli talks all about it with middle school ELA teacher Alex Fahey. They chat Harry Potter comparisons, world building, strong female protagonists, character development, isolation, immigration, and the appeal of power versus the appeal of community...

For Week 2 of New Reads November 2019, we’re chatting all things fandom, life swapping, and sci-fi conventions, thanks to Ashley Poston’s The Princess and the Fangirl . a twist on old school fairy tale The Prince and the Pauper . Alli and guest Rachel Strolle talk about the struggles of celebrity, the misleading nature of fame, and the good and scary sides of the fan community. They also chat abou...