Monthly Archives: January 2018

Podcast #27: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Graphic Novel, Interview, Podcast, YA, Young Adult, , , , ,

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An Interview with E. Lockhart

For my twenty-seventh Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author E. Lockhart about one of her favorite YA graphic novels,  Nimona by Noelle Steveson.

Published in 2015, Nimona originally started as a Web comic in 2012, telling the story of shapeshifter and sidekick wannabe Nimona, who attaches herself to the super villain Lord Ballister Blackheart in his quest to undermine the Institute of Law Enforcement and Heroics, and in particular, his old nemesis Sir Goldenloin. But even for a villain like Blackheart, Nimona’s impulsiveness and tendency to cut a wide swath of destruction whenever she leaps into the fray is all a bit too much.  However, when they stumble across a dangerous secret at the Institute, everything turns upside down, and nothing will ever be the same again, especially Nimona.   Nimona is a book that is both funny and frightening, and whatever else you may think of Nimona, she is a true original  character not easily forgotten.

E. Lockhart’s books include the New York Times bestseller We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, which was a Printz Award honor book, a National Book Award finalist, and recipient of the Cybils Award for best young adult novel.  Her latest novel is the young adult suspense novel Genuine Fraud, published this year by Penguin Random House. In addition, she teaches creative writing at Hamline University’s low-residency MFA program in Writing for Children. You can find E. Lockhart’s website at http://www.emilylockhart.com/.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on February 1st, 2018.

Podcast #26: Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants by Sam Swope

Interview, Middle Grade, Podcast, , , , , ,

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An Interview with Roxanne Hsu Feldman

For my twenty-sixth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed librarian Roxanne Hsu Feldman about one of her favorite children’s books,  Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants by Sam Swope.

Published in 2004, Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants borrows story elements from Jack the Giant Slayer and Jack and the Beanstalk to tell the tale of a boy (named Jack of course) who’s blamed for the sudden appearance of seven deadly giants in the countryside. “Bad attracts bad,” is what he’s told, so he takes off on the back of a magic cow in search of the mother who abandoned him when he was a babe. One by one he encounters the giants, such as The Terrible Glutton, The Wild Tickler,  and Orgulla the Great. And one by one, using only his wits, as well as a bit of luck, he defeats them, until he encounters the Green Queen and makes a surprising discovery. Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants is a lively and humorous book, especially when done as a read-aloud.

Roxanne Hsu Feldman is a middle school librarian at the Dalton School in NYC. In addition, Roxanne has served on several book awards committees over the years, such as the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Notable Books for Children, and the Newburys. You can find Roxanne’s contributions for the blog Heavy Medals at blogs.slj.com/heavymedal.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on January 16th, 2018.