Category Archives: Middle Grade

The Beatryce Prophecy – an interview with Greg Howard

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Podcast #122

For my one hundred twenty-second Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Greg Howard about the middle grade novel The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo .

Greg Howard is the author of such middle grade books as The Whispers and Middle School’s A Drag, You Better Werk!. His latest middle grade book is The Visitors, which was published this past year. You can find more information about Greg at www.greghowardauthor.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: After this podcast , I am going to be taking a very long hiatus from the Dream Gardens podcast. This is my one hundred and twenty second podcast, and like so many before it, I enjoyed making it and I think it’s worth your time to listen to. However, I’ve also got to the point in this podcast where I need to step back for awhile and think about what I want to do going forward. Maybe it will be this podcast with a few modifications, maybe it will be an entirely different podcast. Or something else. I really don’t know, which is why I need the time to think. I am aiming for September as the month to start again or restart or whatever it is I end doing, but it is by no means a date set in stone. But once I’ve figured out what I want to do, I will let you know.

Honey I Love, and Other Love Poems – an interview with Alice Faye Duncan

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Podcast #121

For my one hundred twenty-first Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Alice Faye Duncan about the children’s book of poems Honey I Love, and Other Love Poems written by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Diane and Leo Dillon.

Alice Faye Duncan is author of such books as Just Like a Mama, Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop,  and the recent Evicted: The Struggle for the Right to Vote.  She is also author of the picture book Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth, which was released earlier this year. You can find more information about Alice at alicefayeduncan.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think. If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Greg Howard about the middle grade novel The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo. It will be published on May 16, 2022.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – an interview with Mahtab Narsimhan  

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Podcast #120

For my one hundred twentieth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Mahtab Narsimhan about the classic children’s novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis .

Mahtab Narsimhan is author of The Tiffin, You and Me Both, and Genie Meanie.  Her latest book is the middle grade novel Valley of the Rats. You can find more information about Mahtab at www.mahtabnarsimhan.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think. If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Alice Faye Duncan about children’s poetry book Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems by Eloise Greenfield. It will be published on May 2, 2022.

Kit’s Wilderness – an interview with Jessica Vitalis

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Podcast #114

For my one hundred fourteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Jessica Vitalis about the young reader’s novel Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond. When Kit moves the coal mining village Stoneygate to take care of his grandfather, Kit is introduced to a few unusual friends, an unexpected enemy, a strange game of death, and more that a few ghosts.

Jessica Vitalis’s debut middle grade, THE WOLF’S CURSE, came out September, 2021. You can find more information about Jessica and THE WOLF’S CURSE at jessicavitalis.com.

I also spoke to Dwaine Millard, Senior Vice President of Family & Community Engagement at Scholastic, about the 13th annual World Read Aloud Day, taking place in 2022 on Wednesday, February. You can find more information about World Read Aloud Day at scholastic.com/worldreadaloudday .

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

My next podcast will be with author Nicole Magistro about the YA historical novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It will be published Monday, February 7, 2022.

Small Spaces- an interview with Rosena Fung

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Podcast #113

For my one hundred thirteenth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author and illustrator Rosena Fung about the middle grade horror novel Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. Eleven year old Ollie is already dealing with a heavy burden. However, things are about to get heavier and a whole lot creepier when her school bus break downs in front of field of very strange scarecrows.

Rosena  Fung is author and illustrator. Her debut book is a graphic novel for kids called Living with Viola. You can find more information about Rosena and Living with Viola at www.rosenafung.com.  

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! If you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

I also want to put a call out to librarians who specialize in kids books. I wanted to try a new segment sometime this year in which I would have a librarian come on with a book recommendation for a kids book. The book could be a picture book, a chapter book, a middle grade novel or a YA novel, or even a nonfiction book. You could have several recommendations, so one recording sessions could actually cover several podcasts. All the interviews are done over Zoom, so it doesn’t really matter where you are. Also, it shouldn’t take up too much of your time. It is a way of letting others know what great books are out there for kids and adults alike. If you are interested, go to the contact page on this website and leave me a note.

My next podcast will be with author Jessica Vitalis about the middle grade novel Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond. It will be published Monday, January 17, 2022.