Category Archives: YA

The Graveyard Book: an interview with Matt Harry

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Podcast #076

For my seventy-sixth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Matt Harry about The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” So begins the unusual coming of age story of Nobody Owens and his strange and wonderful adventures in and out of the graveyard home he shares with the ghosts who live there and other creatures of the night.

Matt Harry is a filmmaker and author of the Codex Arcanum Series, which includes the books Sorcery for Beginners and the most recert novel, Crytozoology for Beginners. You can find Matt’s website at www.mattharrywork.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! 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 co-founder of Jambo Books Mijha Godfrey about the middle grade novel Listen, Slowly by Thannha Lai. It will be published on Monday, May 18th, 2020.

The Diary of Anne Frank: an interview with Lesa Cline-Ransome

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Podcast #075

For my seventy-fifth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Lesa Cline-Ransome about the The Diary of Anne Frank. Since it was first published in 1947 by Anne’s father, Otto Frank, Anne’s diary of her life in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands has been read by several generations of readers who have been won over by her exuberant spirit and insight, and saddened that such a singular voice was not allowed to reach its full potential.

Lesa Cline-Ransome is the award winning author of such picture books as Before She Was Harriet, Game Changers, and Counting the Stars, as well as the middle grade novel Finding Langston.  Her latest picture books are Overground Railroad  and The Power Of Her Pen: The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne, and her latest middle grade novel is Leaving Lymon. You can find Lesa’s website at lesaclineransome.com.

Podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! 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 Matt Harry about The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It will be published on Monday, May 4th, 2020.

Call Me Maria – an interview with Dania Ramos

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Podcast #061

For my sixty-first Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author and playwright Dania Ramos about the young readers novel Call Me Maria by Judith Ortiz Cofer. Maria is torn between two worlds, her old home in Puerto Rico where her mother lives, and her new home in the barrio in New York City with her father. Told in a mix of poems, letters, and prose, this lyrical novel tells of a young girl’s search for a place where she can feel like she belongs, and a voice to express the life around her and within her.

Dania Ramos is an educator and playwright as well as author of the 7th Grade Sleuths books Who’s Ju and Ignacio in the Dark. In addition she is podcast manager for the Cocatazo Audio theater, for which she has written the children’s audio fiction series Time Storm. You can find Dania’s website at www.daniaramos.com and the Cocatazo Audio theater  at www.cocotazomedia.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify. Please link, share, comment, write a review or subscribe. Let me know what you think! 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 Christina Uss talking about the middle grade novel Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater and The Trolls by Polly Horvath. It will be published on October 7th.

Podcast #27: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

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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.