Everybody wants to go to Paris…especially Nikki Maxwell! Readers from Hollingworth Elementary School discuss the latest entry in Rachel Renée Russell’s series. It’s Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Posh Paris Adventure. Rachel and daughter Nikki Russell, who illustrates the books, answer questions from the kids. Our celebrity reader is actress/screenwriter Kate Orsini. Kitty Felde is host.

Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughters share their memories about their legendary grandmother and talk about some of her writing practices. Come see us at Comic Orange Saturday, April 13th from 11-3 at the Tustin Library.

We continue our series of episodes about books that have been banned or challenged around the country. This time, it’s the Newbery Award winning novel by Madeleine L’Engle: A Wrinkle in Time. According to the Carnegie Mellon Banned Books Project, the book was challenged in 1985 by parents in Florida who said the book “opposes Christian beliefs and teaches occult practices. The school principal did not remove the book from 4th grade curriculum. In 1990, a parent in Alabama asked to have...

Want to be on a future Book Club for Kids podcast episode? Listen to this special episode to find out how. Here's the favorite books on this episode: Wings of Fire - Tui Sutherland Never Let me Go - Kazuo Isiguro The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger The Cricket in Times Square - George Selden Dino-Mike - Franco Aureliani The Little Book of the Avengers - Roy Thomas Join us Saturday, April 6, 2024 at...

You may know John Cho from his acting work in "Star Trek" and "Harold and Kumar" movies. But listen to this thoughtful conversation Cho and host Kitty Felde about his work as a writer - including convincing his Korean immigrant parents that his work was his work as an artist was making the world a better place.

On April 29th, 1992, a jury in Simi Valley, a town just north of Los Angeles, did not convict four LAPD officers for the beating of an African American motorist named Rodney King. Within hours, rioting broke out across the city. A particular target was liquor and convenience stores owned by Korean immigrants. The event is at the heart of actor and writer John Cho’s novel Troublemaker.  Cho joins us to talk about his inspiration for the book and LAPD Officer Tony Hyong Im is our celebrity...

Looking for your next favorite book? Here are some suggestions from readers at  Watkins Elementary School on Capitol Hill: Geronimo Stilton - Geronimo Stilton Athletes vs Mathletes - W.C. Mack Scare Stories to Tell in the Dark - Alvin Schwartz Guts - Raina Telgemeier Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Basil and Oregano - Melissa Capriglione  Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan Matilda - Roald Dahl Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Chamber of...

"Divergent" writer Veronica Roth talks about finding the courage to call yourself a writer...and bouncing back from failure.

We continue our Banned Books series, airing episodes that have been banned or challenged around the country. This week, it’s Vernica Roth’s dystopian adventure Divergent. Back in 2015, Ashland High School in Oregon banned Divergent because – according to the school’s online newspaper - the book “shows a girl fighting against society which we do not want to strengthen.” What do you think? Give a listen to our discussion of Veronica Roth’s Divergent. We venture into a dystopian universe...

What are the challenges of writing in two languages? Christina Diaz Gonzalez talks about some of the pitfalls of getting the nuances right when Spanish speaking characters are from different countries.

There are some people we just don't notice. A quiet student, immigrants speaking in their own language, a homeless person living in a van - you could call them invisible. That's the name of our book Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. Students from Swanson Middle School in Arlington, Virginia discuss the bilingual graphic novel with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is Monica Sanchez. Favorite Books from Swanson Middle School: Fifth Quarter - Mike Dawson The Tryout -...

Who says kids who love STEM subjects aren't readers? We take to the stage for a live taping of the Book Club for Kids podcast at the 2023 LA Maker Faire/STEM Festival where host Kitty Felde asks kids our hardest question: What's your favorite book and why? Here's their answers: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling The Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborn Frog and Toad are Friends - Arnold Lobel The Golden Books - Disney Little Blue Truck - Alice Schertle Percy Jackson -...

Looking to start the New Year with some new books? Kids in LA County share their favorites with host Kitty Felde. Refugee - Alan Gratz The Secret Lives of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd Harry Potter and the Sourcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton Parrot in the Oven - Victor Martinez Enola Holmes - Nancy Springer The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan Dork Diaries - Rachel Renée Russell The Couch Potato - Jory John

More than 100 million people have fled violence and persecution around the world. But that's just a number. Who are these refugees? Meet Omar. Readers from Dorothy Hamm Middle School in Arlington, Virginia discuss When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohammed and Victoria Jamieson. Our celebrity reader is Matthew Saltmarsh from the UNHCR. Kitty Felde is host.

We're happy to report that our most popular episode in 2023 is no mystery...actually, it IS a mystery: Varian Johnson's The Parker Inheritance. And by the way, if your school is in LA County, we'll come out and tape a Book Club for Kids episode in your classroom! Just have your teacher, parent, or librarian contact us at the website and click on the "Want to be on the show?" button.

How do you know which books make the best gifts? Kids in LA County share a few suggestions with host Kitty Felde. The Last Kids on Earth - Max Brallier  The Art of Seduction - Robert Greene Dogman - Dav Pilkey You Matter - Christian Robinson What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night - Refe and Susan Tuma King and Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth - Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers The Hunger Games -  Suzanne Collins Amulet - Kazu Kibuishi Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Mickey...

We continue to look through our many episodes of the Book Club for Kids podcast to examine the titles that have been banned or challenged. Today, we look at the 1977 Newbery Medal awarded novel by Mildred D. Taylor Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The book has been challenged in school districts from Burbank, California to Oviedo, Florida to Huntsville, Alabama mostly for the use of the "N" word. In Burbank, the book was removed from required reading lists, though kids can choose to read the...

Writer Greg Neri talks to Kitty Felde about the role of luck and his rule of saying "yes" to new projects. 

Where do gangsters come from? How can we keep kids out of gangs? Our readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington, D.C. have some ideas. They discuss G Neri’s graphic novel Yummy and have a few questions for him. Celebrity reader is Ariel Richardson.     FAVORITE BOOKS FROM CHARLES HART MIDDLE SCHOOL: Demon Slayer - Natsuki Hokami One Piece - Eiichiro Oda Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling G NERI’S FAVORITE BOOK: The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster ARIEL RICHARDSON’S FAVORITE BOOK:...

It's the hardest question in the world: what's your favorite book? Kids from LA County schools have some answers for host Kitty Felde. The Fashion Fairies #2: Claudia the Accessories Fairy - Daisy Meadows Rascal - Sterling North Goosebumps - R.L. Stine Dog Man - Dav Pilkey Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland Jedi Academy - Jeffrey Brown The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan

Last year, nearly two thousand books were challenged in libraries across America. According to the American Library Association, that’s a 20 percent jump over a year ago.    We looked back at the nearly 150 episodes of the Book Club for Kids and realized how many titles have been challenged over the years. We’re going to revisit those episodes and bring them to you over the coming months, along with the reasons they have been challenged. Our first book is James and the Giant Peach by...

Writer Claribel Ortega talks about why she loves writing fantasy. She also confesses that she's been writing about witches for a long time. Kitty Felde is host. And give a listen to our Dia de los Muertos episode of The Fina Mendoza Mysteries podcast. Here's a link to the free curriculum guide.