Tag Archives: kid lit

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins: an interview with author Kat Shepherd

Podcast #043

For my forty-third Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Kat Shepherd about her favorite children’s book, the middle grade novel  Criss Crosswritten  and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins.

Originally published in 2005, and awarded the Newbery in 2006, the novel tells the story  a single summer in the life of a group of young teens. There is Debbie, who wishes something would happen, though she isn’t quite sure what, and Hector, who’s hoping he can find a way to connect to someone special out there through the guitar he’s learning to play.  Their stories, and the stories of several others, intersect with each other in unexpected ways, and though things don’t quite work out for anyone in the ways they’d hoped for, by the end of the summer they’re a little bit wiser about what life has to offer them.  Criss Cross is a unique novel, thoughtful and lyrical and even somewhat experimental in its stream of consciousness narrative and structural playfulness, but at its heart a coming of age story about the joys, the discoveries, the disappointments, and the heartaches of growing up.

Kat Shepherd is author of The Shadow Hand, Book 1 of the series Babysitting Nightmares, and coming in 2019, the interactive mystery series The Gemini Mysteries. You can find Kat’s website at katshepherd.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and now Spotify. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. And 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 Margaret Petersen Haddix, talking about Lisa Yee’s middle grade novel Millicent Min, Girl Genius. It will be published on November 16th.

Holes by Louis Sachar: an interview with author Mary Kole

Podcast #042

For my forty-second Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author and freelance writing consultant Mary Kole about her favorite children’s book, the classic middle grade novel  Holes by Louis Sachar.

Originally published in 1998, and awarded the Newbery in 1999, the novel tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, a boy who’s had nothing but bad luck in his life, no thanks to his “no-good-dirty-rotten pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather”. But things get even worse when Stanley is accused of stealing a pair of sneakers and sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility where all the boys are forced to dig holes in the dry lake bed to, supposedly, build their character.  But does the camp director have another, more nefarious reason for the digging, and what does it LL have to do with the strange story of the bandit Kissing Kate Barlow from a hundred years before? Along the way Stanley will learn some surprising answers, as well as find a new friend in Hector Zeroni, who despite his nickname, turns out to be a lot more than a “Zero”. Part satire, part comedy, part mystery, and unlike any other book around, Holes is about finding out that the truth, and friendship, is sometimes where you least expect it.

Mary Kole is author of the WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers and a freelance consultant for writers. You can find Mary’s website about her book at kidlit.com and her website about her consulting services at marykole.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and now Spotify. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. And 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 Kat Shepherd, talking about Lynne Rae Perkins middle grade novel Criss Cross. It will be published on November 1st.

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: an interview with Michelle Callaghan

Podcast #041

For my forty-first Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed librarian and children’s book reviewer Michelle Callaghan about her favorite children’s book, the classic middle grade novel  Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh.

Originally published in 1964, the novel tells the story of eleven year old Harriet M. Welch, a precocious watcher of people in her school and around her neighborhood on the East Side of Manhattan. Harriet records her observations and her sometimes very pointed opinions of the people she spies on in the notebook she carries around with her everywhere.  But when that notebook ends up in the hands of her fellow classmates and they read what she has been writing about them, everyone, including her best friends Sport and Janie, turn their backs on her. And the only person in the world who understands her, her caretaker Old Golly, has moved away, Harriet feels completely alone, and isn’t quite sure what to do. Make amends? Take revenge? Is all very confusing, but somehow, with a few helpful words from Old Golly, Harriet finds her way through in her own unique way.  Harriet the Spy is a book that is still as funny and heartbreaking as when it was first published, with a character that is a true original.

Michelle Callaghan is  a children’s librarian in Canada and host of the book review site Fab Book Reviews . You can find Michelle’s website at fabbookreviews.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and now Spotify. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. And if you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page. My next podcast will be published on October 16th.

Podcast #40: The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan

An Interview with Matthew Winner

For my fortieth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed librarian and podcast host Matthew Winner about his favorite children’s book, the graphic novel  The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan.

Published in 2009, The Storm in the Barn is set in Kansas during the Dustbowl of the 1930’s, and focuses on eleven year old Jack who has more than his share of difficulties to deal with: the torment of town bullies, a disappointed father who he can’t please no matter what he does, and a sister who’s fallen ill.  But when a mysterious light in the family barn draws him out one night, he discovers a mysterious stranger hiding there who seems to have a connection with the lack of rain–a stranger who may not be human.  What can Jack do about this interloper, or is this only a case of “dust dementia’, and there’s no one there at all? Part historical fiction and part fantasy, this graphic novel  is a unique and captivating look at moment in American History as told through the eyes of a young boy trying to make sense of the world, natural and supernatural, in which he finds himself.

Matthew Winner is an elementary school librarian in Maryland, co-founder of the website All the Wonders and  host of the podcast The Children’s Book Podcast. You can find Matthew’s website at www.matthewcwinner.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and now Spotify. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. And if you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

I will be taking a short break from podcasting until September 1st, 2018, when I will return with a new podcast with Michelle, a children’s librarian in Canada and host of the book review site Fab Books,  about Louise Fitzhugh’s classic children’s novel Harriet the Spy. During that time I will be making a few small changes to both the website and the podcast.  When I return on September 1st, please let me know what you think in the comments, or send me a note on the contact page.

Podcast #39: Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness) by Tamora Pierce

An Interview with Laura Martin

For my thirty-ninth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Laura Martin about her favorite children’s book, the  middle grade fantasy novel  Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce, the first book of the Song of the Lioness series.

Originally published in 1983, Alanna: The First Adventure  is the first of four novels, the other three being In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, and Lioness Rampant.  Alanna is a  young girl with a gift for magic who wants nothing more than to be a knight, so she trades places with her brother, disguises herself as a boy, and travels to the palace to begin her training as a page.  There she must endure the hardships of  grueling practice and the torments of a viscous bully, and when a mysterious sickness finds its way to the castle and one of her closest friends, Prince Jonathan, she must dig deep within her magic reserves to find a way to save him. And that is just the beginning of her adventures, culminating, at least for this book, in a dangerous and eventful visit to the legendary Black City.

Laura Martin is the author of the Edge of Extinction series, including the books The Ark Plan and Code Name Flood, and the newly released middle grade novel Float. You can find Laura’s website at lauramartinbooks.com.

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