The SSR Podcast

It’s Episode 45 and about time that we take a journey to the Island of the Blue Dolphins — AKA a small island off the coast of California where a woman actually survived alone for eighteen years alone in the nineteenth century. This woman’s incredible story inspired Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins , a book written in 1960 that won the Newbery Medal in 1961 and has continued to be a favo...

In Episode 44, Alli is introduced for the first time to Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness quartet, and HuffPost’s Claire Fallon joins to discuss the first book in the series, aptly named Alanna: The First Adventure . In it, our heroine Alanna seeks to circumvent the expectations of girls in her society by dressing as a boy named Alan and taking her twin brother’s place at the palace, where she c...

Published in 1967, Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s Newbery Honor-winning book The Egypt Game is the story of April Hall and Melanie and Marshall Ross, three smart, imaginative kids who create their own land of ancient Egypt in the backyard of a mysterious local curio shop. They establish a series of rituals and ceremonies and even go on to welcome three more children into the group (boys included!). In th...

It’s the 1930’s in rural Mississippi, and nine-year-old Cassie Logan is learning to face the realities of racism. She has her brothers — Stacey, Christopher John, and Little Man — to help her find her way, and a host of strong-minded adults to guide her in figuring out the best way to approach the tensions and prejudice she faces. This is the set-up for Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My...

On Episode 41 of The SSR Podcast, we’re diving into the fascinating world of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass . And it is fascinating — and complicated! Tune in to hear discussions about politics, a child’s loyalty, the Garden of Eden, the pros and cons of seeing the future, the nature of souls, puberty, loneliness, ruling religious bodies, failed movie adaptations, and so much more. Thanks to...

A century and a half after its publication, it’s time to give Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women the SSR treatment! With the help of comedy writer and satirist Caitlin Kunkel , Alli relives the adventures of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, as well as their parents and suitors. Together, they reflect on the 1994 movie, fangirl about Gerta Gerwig’s forthcoming adaptation, discuss the big questions — Do...

On Episode 39, we discuss Laurie Halse Anderson’s groundbreaking 1999 novel Speak , which explores the troubling issues of sexual and assault and trauma through the story of 14-year-old Melinda. Alli and guest Morgan Hoit — better known as nycbookgirl — talk about the value of the diary-style/epistolary novel, chat about their experiences with high school gossip culture, and break down in great de...

You may know her as @molliereads from her blog Mollie Reads and her podcast No Thanks We’re Booked , and on this week’s episode of SSR, Mollie Turbeville joins Alli to discuss Caroline Cooney’s 1990 YA thriller The Face on the Milk Carton . In Episode 38, they break down the plot that’s been freaking teens out for the last three decades (what if you suspected that your parents might have kidnapped...

Allow us to (re)introduce you to Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden. You probably know them better as The Boxcar Children and the protagonists of the now 150+ titles in the beloved series of the same name. Having been orphaned, the children are left to fend for themselves, and they rebuild their lives in an abandoned boxcar. In Episode 37, writer and educator Abby Wolfe joins Alli to chat abou...

If there’s one book that’s been requested for the podcast time and time again by women of all ages, it’s Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret . This 1970 novel has served as a kind of guidebook for girls preparing to navigate middle school, puberty, and all of the confusing things that come with them for the last four decades. Joining Alli to talk all things religion and being a lady...

Before I Know What You Did Last Summer was a blockbuster hit movie, it was a 1973 young adult thriller by Lois Duncan, and with the help of Literary Roadhouse ’s Anais Concepcion, we’re chatting about it on Episode 35. Of course, we break down the plot, but we also talk about hotness in YA, discuss the roots of the #MeToo movement in chauvinistic literary characters, and LOL at various relics of t...

Happy Valentine’s week, listeners! In honor of all things love, we’ve picked something a little dreamy and romantic for Episode 35 — Natalie Babitt’s 1975 novel, Tuck Everlasting . Tune in to hear us talk symbolism, Alexis Bledel, the creepy child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , and the trouble with first impressions. We also dive into the pros and cons of immortal life and debate the natur...

Having never read Anne of Green Gables before, Alli finally meets the strong-willed, imaginative Anne Shirley for Episode 33. With the help of freelance writer Julie Vadnal, Alli discusses Anne as a role model, debates the decision our heroine must ultimately make between work and family, and considers the possibility that she might actually be a little annoying. Julie’s work has been featured in...

In Episode 32, Alli resists the urge to fangirl as she welcomes one of her favorite podcasters to wrap up Manuary and discuss Louis Sachar’s Holes . A commercial and critical success, the novel has maintained its popularity for more than two decades thanks to its humor and sense of adventure — but from where we sit in 2019, we realize that there are bigger themes at play, as well, including race,...

Much like a large piece of fruit, Manuary rolls on with Episode 31, in which we discuss Roald Dahl’s 1961 classic James and the Giant Peach . With the help of guest Chris Rosen, Alli wonders about just how violent and scary is too violent and scary for kids, considers how we should talk to young readers about grief and loneliness, and speculates on how creative (and maybe bizarre) Dahl must have b...

There is perhaps no other book in history that captures the importance of imagination — and of sucking it up and having a good attitude about learning new things — better than Norton Juster’s 1961 The Phantom Tollbooth . In Episode 30, Alli jumps aboard a giant toy car with protagonist Milo and his friend Tock (the literal watchdog) and explores the fascinating Kingdom of Wisdom with the help of C...

The Baby-Sitters Club Club ’s Jack and Tanner join Alli for this history-making first episode of Manuary! In it, they break down the ridiculous circumstances that lead Dawn, Claudia, and several children (!!!) to find themselves shipwrecked in Connecticut in Book #4 of the Baby-Sitters Club Super Special series extension, Baby-Sitters Island Adventure . They also make an argument for which babysit...

For the first time ever, SSR host Alli answers listener questions! Tune in to hear her talk about her marriage, her previous job in the publishing world, and her career as a freelance writer… and for plenty of book talk, too. Alli dishes on her favorite titles past and present, her favorite genre, and the books that have been on her TBR list for, like, ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Ever since its publication in 1978, Ellen Raskin’s Newbery Medal-winning The Westing Game has been introducing young readers to key elements of amazing books: a fascinating ensemble cast of characters, a whodunit storyline, and a series of shocking bombshells at the end. It’s no surprise, then, that the novel has endured as a favorite for so many over the years. In Episode 27, guest Lauren Boone j...

Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl was a favorite of Alli’s when she was growing up, and in Episode 26, she discovers that she can still mostly love rereading a book from childhood, while also recognizing that it’s pretty problematic. Is she still a Stargirl fan? Tune in and find out! In this episode, Alli and guest Britta Lokting talk about all things high school stereotype, popularity, and conformity. Th...

Published in 1973, Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Rising feels in many ways like the OG Harry Potter — in it, a young, seemingly average British boy learns on the eve of his eleventh birthday that his fate is much bigger than he ever could have imagined. In Episode 25, Alli (a total newbie to this series!) and guest Erica Berger discuss everything from spiritual energetic centers and childhood nostalg...

Published in 2017, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give has become a bestselling phenomenon and a conversation starter among readers of all ages. The book — which tells the story of 16-year-old Starr Carter in the days and weeks after her unarmed best friend is shot and killed by a police officer right in front of her — makes the Black Lives Matter movement all the more real for teens and assigns a rela...

Fans of the movie “Love, Simon” or the book that inspired it Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda will already be familiar with Leah Burke, Simon’s BFF and the title character of Becky Albertalli’s 2018 novel Leah on the Offbeat . In it, cool, confident, and body positive Leah is keeping two major secrets from her tight-knit group of friends: her bisexuality and her lingering feelings for former best...

Meet Marin, the star of Nina LaCour’s 2017 Printz Award-winning novel We Are Okay . In it, Marin is grappling with the recent loss of her Gramps, whose sudden death reveals the startling and upsetting circumstances of his life. Having moved across the country to start her freshman year of college, she’s isolated herself from everyone back home in order to cope with the fallout of the tragedy. Over...

In the first-ever New Reads November episode, Alli and guest Laura Yamin discuss the 2017 YA novel When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. First-generation teens Dimple and Rishi meet at a coding conference called InsomniaCon, but — twist! — career-focused Dimple has no idea that their Indian parents are actually working behind the scenes to see if they can arrange a marriage between the two. When...