Tag Archives: kid lit

Podcast #38: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

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An Interview with Caroline Starr Rose

For my thirty-eighth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Caroline Starr Rose about her favorite children’s book, the classic middle grade fantasy novel  The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Originally published in 1961,  The Phantom Tollbooth tells the story of a young boy named Milo who doesn’t quite know what do with himself until a he receives a mysterious package with a tollbooth that will take him on an adventure unlike anything he has ever known.  There he’ll meet Tock, a watch dog with an actual watch on his stomach, Alec Bings, a boy who will float in the air until he grows down and touches it, and King Aza who takes Milo to a banquet where the guests eat their words. Literally.  Along the way he’ll travel through the lands of Digitopolis and the Doldrums, among many others, in his quest to find the princesses Rhyme and Reason and restore balance to the kingdom. Full of memorable characters, fantastic situations, and rampant word play, The Phantom Tollbooth has been a favorite of children and adults for many years.

Caroline Starr Rose is the author of the middle grade novel Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mines, the picture book Ride On Will Cody, and coming in 2020, the middle grade historical novel Miraculous. In addition, she offers critique services through Writing One on One. You can find Caroline’s website at carolinestarrrose.com.

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

Podcast #37: The Accelerati Trilogy by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman

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An Interview with Cindy Mitchell

For my thirty-seventh Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed librarian Cindy Mitchell about her favorite kid’s book,  The Accelerati Trilogy by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman, which includes the books Tesla’s Attic, Edison’s Alley, and Hawking’s Hallway.

Published in 2015 through 2017 by Disney-Hyperion, the three sci-fi adventure books tell the story of a fourteen-year-old boy named Nick who is  trying to pick up the pieces of his life in a new Colorado home with his father and brother after the death of his mother in a house fire.  But that won’t be easy once he discovers a trove of what look like everyday objects in his attic, but which turn out to be inventions of the late Nikola Tessla, objects with extraordinary and sometimes dangerous powers.  When they get sold, Nick and his new found friends have to find them and assemble them into a single machine that just might save the world.  But they also have to contend with a secret organization known as the Accelerati, who want the objects for their own, not necessarily altruistic purposes, and are willing to do anything to get their hands on them, including getting rid of Nick.

Cindy Mitchell is a librarian for the South Jordan Middle School in Utah and host of the book review blog Kiss the Book. You can find Cindy’s website at kissthebook.blogspot.com

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

Podcast #36: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Dan and Audrey Wood

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An Interview with Laurisa White Reyes

For my thirty-sixth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Laurisa White Reyes about her favorite children’s book,  The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear, written by Dan and Audrey Wood and illustrated by Dan Wood.

First published in 1989 by Child’s Play, this big picture book with a very long title tells a simple story about a mouse who finds a large and luscious strawberry, only to discover that  a bear may be on the prowl for it. What is a poor mouse to do to protect his new-found treasure? Full of big, bright pictures and a sly sense of humor, this book about sharing with others may leave you hungry for more just like it. As a bonus, if you have a copy of the book, or can lay your hands on one, follow along as Laurisa reads it at the end of the podcast.

Laurisa White Reyes is the an award winning author of  such middle grade novels as Mickey Malloy, Wonder Boy and the Seer of the Guilde series, YA novels such as Petals and The Crystal Keeper series, as well as non-fiction books like The Kids Guide to Writing Fiction . In addition Laurisa is Senior Editor of Skyrocket Press and teaches English composition at College of the Canyons. You can find Laurisa’s website at www.laurisawhitereyes.com.

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

Podcast #35: The Witches by Roald Dahl

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An Interview with Robert Kent

For my thirty-fifth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author and blogger Robert Kent about his favorite middle grade children’s novel,  The Witches by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake.

First published in 1983, The Witches tells the story of a young boy and his grandmother who stumble upon a devious plot cooked up by witches across the world. Led by the perfectly evil Grand High Witch,  they plan to turn every child into a mouse using Formula 87 Delayed-action mouse-maker and then wiping them out. Even after the boy is changed into a mouse himself, he and his grandmother come up with their own plan to turn the table on the witches and give them a taste of their own medicine.  Part horror, part comedy, and part fantasy-adventure,  The Witches is dark little novel that will either delight or appall the reader – or maybe even both! – but for Roald Dahl fans it is a must read for sure.

Robert Kent is author of the middle grade book Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees and host of the blog Middle Grade Ninja. Robert also writes horror fiction for adults and conducts occasional writing workshops at the Indiana Writer’s Center. You can find Robert’s website at www.middlegradeninja.com.

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

Podcast #34: The Art of the Swap by Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone

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An Interview with Melissa Stoller

For my thirty-fourth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Melissa Stoller about her favorite middle grade novel,  The Art of the Swap by Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone.

First published in February, 2018 by Aladdin Press , The Art of the Swap tells the story of two young girls who live a century apart–Maggie, who lives at the Elms in 1905, and Hannah from the twenty-first century where the mansion is now a museum.  But thanks to a mysterious and magical mirror, they’ve  swapped bodies and centuries and have to figure out a way to get back. For Hannah, that means figuring out who was really responsible for an art heist and clearing the name of a young kitchen boy named Jonah. For Maggie, it means negotiating the perils of modern life, like cell phones, soccer practice, and boys. Part fantasy, part mystery, and part historical fiction, The Art of the Swap charts the adventures of these young protagonists who have a lot to learn about each other’s history as well as a lot about themselves.

Melissa Stoller is author of the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush and Ready Set, GOrilla, both coming out in 2018. In addition, she writes the Enchanted Snow Globe Collection series: Return to Coney Island, published in 2017, and The Liberty Bell Train Ride,  coming out this summer, 2018.  She is also author of the resource book The Parent-Child Book Club.  You can find Melissa’s website at www.melissastoller.com.

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