The place where young readers meet to talk about books. The show includes a celebrity reader and an interview with the author. The host is award winning public radio journalist Kitty Felde. Book Club won the California Library Association Technology Award and the DC Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Humanitites. Named one of the top 10 podcasts for kids by THE TIMES of London.
Summer reading book suggestions from kids at the LA Maker Faire: The Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger Jazzies Big Imagination - JaLisa Jackson Animal Farm - George Orwell Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Whatever After - Sarah Mlynowski Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan A Day with the Animal Mechanics - Sharon Rentta Want to be on a future show? Here's how! www.bookclubforkids.org
Would you like to live forever? When is it okay to lie? How do we prepare for a disaster? These and other big questions are tackled by students at Farmdale Elementary School in Los Angeles as they discuss The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. Actress Satomi Hofmann is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Our producer Chad Francis picked this episode as his favorite! www.bookclubforkids.org
We take the show on the road to the Enoch Pratt Free Library Children's stage at the Baltimore Book Festival for a conversation about Robbie Shell's novel BEES ON THE ROOF. Our group of readers have been meeting to talk about books almost since they first
Get out the Kleenex and a warm jacket and gloves. This week is a heartbreaking tale of troubled foster kid who finds comfort among a herd of cows in Maine. Readers from Carter G. Woodson Charter School in Chicago discuss Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. U.S. Senator Angus King is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
Got a favorite book? These future scientists have a few suggestions: The Heck series - Dale E. Basye 13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything - DK Publishing Teenage Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution - Kevin Eastman and Tom Walz Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling Dog Man - Dav Pilkey The Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger Charlotte's Web - E.B. White Sophie Mouse - Poppy Green and Jennifer A. Bell The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis The Land of Stories - Chris Colfer More favorite book at our website: bookclubforkids.org
We take a trip to Mississippi in the summer of 1964 - Freedom Summer. The second in writer Deborah Wiles' 1960's trilogy. "Revolution" is discussed by a trio of George Washington Middle Schoolers at the neighborhood bookstore Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, Virginia. Wiles talks about writing fiction from the facts of history. News Anchor Mark Austin Thomas is celebrity reader.
Looking for a late summer thriller? We discuss the first book in Jacqueline West's Books of Elsewhere series The Shadows with the Girlfriends BookClub Baltimore. Public radio journalist Doualy Xaykaothao is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Free reading tips at the website: bookclubforkids.org.
We take our microphone out to the 2026 City of Stem/LA Maker Faire to ask these young scientists and astronauts about their favorite books. Several of them are OUR favorite books, too! And you can click on the links to hear the Book Club for Kids episode about that book. Kitty Felde is host. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L'Engle To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowlings Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins My Wierd School - Dan Gutman Wonder- R.J. Palacio The Forgotten Five - Lisa McMann Last Gamer Standing - Katie Zhao
Before she wrote children's books, Lisa Graff worked as a nanny. What lessons from that experience did she bring to her work on the page? Lisa talks to host Kitty Felde.
How do we measure up to our parents' expectations? Does everybody deserve a day off? What's the toughest part of being a homeschooled kid? Our group of readers from the Broomfield Public Library in Colorado weigh in on these questions and more as they discuss Lisa Graff's novel Absolutely Almost. Lisa talks about where the characters came from and how she wrote her first book for her newborn baby brother. NYC actor Thaddeus Fitzpatrick is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. FAVORITE BOOKS FROM THE BROOMFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY: Eragon - Christopher Paolini Warriors - Erin Hunter Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel - Megan Morrison Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente LISA GRAFF'S FAVORITE BOOK: Holes - Louis Sachar FAVORITE BOOKS FROM THE BROOMFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY: Eragon - Christopher Paolini Warriors - Erin Hunter Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel - Megan Morrison Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente LISA GRAFF'S FAVORITE BOOK: Holes - Louis Sachar
Ever wonder what kids in Georgia and Florida are reading? Here's a few suggestions from readers at Druid Hills Middle School in Decatur, Georgia and Indian Trace Elementary School in Weston, Florida. Somewhere Beyond the Sea - TJ Klune Superman Smashes the Klan - Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru Unwind - Neal Shusterman Percy Jackson the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan The Giver - Lois Lowry (click on the link and hear an interview with Lois Lowry!) You can find more favorite books at our website!
The Book Club for Kids podcast began in the smallest quadrant of Washington DC called Southwest. It was the waterfront for DC, the place where ships would dock bringing everything from building supplies to fresh fish to slaves. This week marks the 178th anniversary of what Washington Post writer Colbert King calls "one of the most courageous acts in antebellum America": the attempted escape of African American slaves on a ship docked at the Southwest waterfront, a ship called the Pearl. This week, Book Club for Kids honors its roots by reprising our one episode featuring a non fiction book: Passenger on the Pearl by Winifred Conkling, taped before a live audience at Virginia's Fall for the Book Festival. Lolita Marie is our celebrity reader. www.bookclubforkids.org
You've been calling us with your favorite books. Here's the latest list: Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger House Arrest - K.A.Holt The Running Dream - Wendelin Van Draanen Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus - Barbara Park That Pigeon Needs a Bath - Mo Willems A Dinosaur in the Toilet - Horace Hughes Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery The Land of Stories - Cris Colfer Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen Sarafina and the Black Cloak - Robert Beatty Missing Since Monday- Ann Martin The Cat I Never Named - Amra Sabic-El-Rayess Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules -Jeff Kinney The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins Diary of Steve the Noob - Steve the Noob If you have a favorite book, you can be on the show, too! Just give us a call at 424- 209-2285 and tell us your first name, the city where you live, the name of your favorite book, and why you love it.
Witches, monsters, and a brave little thief. Those are the ingredients in Claire Legrand's novel "Foxheart." The book was chosen by Book Club for Kids fan Kailas. She and her two fellow readers Iona and Gabi discussed the novel one sunny Sunday afternoon upstairs at Boulder Bookstore with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is actor Wesley Mann. And writer Claire Legrand explains how "Foxheart" began as a short story on a website.
What's it like to be adopted? Does your adopted family's history become your history or do you feel the need to find your biological story? Our book this week is "The Length of a String" by Elissa Brent Weissman. It's a Holocaust story about a Jewish family separated by the war. Readers from the Girlfriends Book Club of Baltimore at Hazelwood Elementary Middle School discuss the book and pose lots of questions to our writer. Actor and producer Bari Hochwald is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
Last week, we heard a bit from writer Jennifer L. Holm when we discussed her book "Turtle in Paradise." In this Bonus Episode, we hear more about Jenni's trilogy of books inspired by family stories.
Got a nickname? Everybody in Key West seems to have one. Including a little girl named Turtle. Readers at the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library in Broomfield, Colorado discuss Jennifer Holm's "Turtle in Paradise" with host Kitty Felde. KQED public radio's Rachel Myrow is celebrity reader. Favorite Books from Laura, Leah and Juliet: Wonder - RJ Palacio A Dog's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling Rachel Myrow's Favorite Book: Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein Jennifer L. Holm's Favorite Book: The Black Cauldron - Lloyd Alexander
Students from Washington DC's Jefferson Academy reflect on desegregation sixty years after the Little Rock Nine. They discuss Kristin Levine's novel The Lions of Little Rock. The author describes how she came to tell the story. Former U.S. Education Secretary of Education John King is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
We explore an immigration story: a Chinese immigrant who ends up in Minnesota. It's the Newbery Honor Award winning tale "Maisie Chen's Last Chance." Writer Lisa Yee tells readers at Overland Elementary School that the book is based on her own family's history. Our celebrity reader is public radio journalist Josie Huang from LAist. Favorite Books from Overland Elementary School: Rick - Alex Gino Amulet - Kazu Kibuishi The City of Ember - Jeanne Duprau Lisa Yee's Favorite Book: Honestly Katie John - Mary Calhoun Josie Huang's Favorite Book: Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery And check out our other podcast The Fina Mendoza Mysteries!
Can a book be funny and deal with one of the toughest topics around? "Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze" is writer and illustrator Alan Silberberg's tale of 7th grade angst and dealing with the loss of a parent. Seventh graders from Eliot-Hine Middle School in Washington, D.C. discuss the book and ask questions of author Silberberg. Actor Joshua Malina ("West Wing," "Scandal," the "West Wing Weekly" podcast) is our celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. NOTE: the phone number mentioned in the episode doesn't work anymore. But if you want to be on the show, email us for information about how your school or library can be featured on a new episode: bookclubforkidspodcast@gmail.com. Favorite Books from Eliot-Hine Middle School: Holes - Louis Sachar The Girl Who Fell - S.M Parker Out of My Mind - Sharon M. Draper ALan Silberberg's Favorite Book: Half Magic - Edward Eager Joshua Malina's Favorite Book: Busy, Busy World - Richard Scarry
A story about family divisions, economic divides, history, and growing citrus trees. It's "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor. Our readers from the Laurence School in Los Angeles discuss the novel and interview our writer. Actress Jovita Molina is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. www.bookclubforkids.org
We had a longer conversation with Jack Gantos at the Nantucket Book Festival - too much to include in Episode 36, our discussion of DEAD END IN NORVELT. Jack talks about his first 36 rejections, his switch from teaching to writing full time, and about his beloved hometown of Norvelt, Pennsylvania. It's a conversation we had at Mitchell's Book Corner on Nantucket Island. Jack received the 2012 Newbery Award and the Scott O'Dell Award for Best Historic Fiction for "Dead End in Norvelt." His other works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert honors; Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, and Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book.
Writer Jack Gantos has his own unusual take on a childhood in the town named after Eleanor Roosevelt - the real-life place called Norvelt, Pennsylvania. Readers from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia discuss DEAD END IN NORVELT with host Kitty Felde. Wenzel Jones is celebrity reader. Favorite books from Belvedere Elementary in Virginia: The Fault in Our Stars - John Green Candymakers - Wendy Mass Wereworld - Curtis Jobling Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis Warriors series - Erin Hunter Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland Hatchet - Gary Paulsen Jack Gantos' Favorite Book: Moby Dick - Herman Melville "Hard to find another classic on my shelf that I reread every five years - the language, themes, journey, spleen and spine of it are very satisfying." Wenzel Jones' Favorite Book: Onions in the Stew - Betty MacDonald
Sophie's quest to find her mother takes her from London to Paris - mostly rooftop to rooftop. Katherine Rundell's novel "Rooftoppers" is our book this episode. Students from the British International School of Washington discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Director and audio book actress Stevie Zimmerman is celebrity reader. Katherine Rundell talks about writing for the stage vs. writing books for kids. Favorite Books from the British International School of Washington: Agatha Christie mysteries FunJungle series - Stuart Gibbs The Maze Runner - James Dashner Katherine Rundell's Favorite Book: Charmed Life - Diana Wynne Jones Stevie Zimmerman's Favorite Book: Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
