Episodes

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It’s easy to get excited about new books at the library or in stores, but sometimes we forget just how many great books we already have at home. In today’s episode Sarah and Allegra each choose four books – across multiple age levels and genres from picture books through YA fiction – to spotlight from our home shelves. We share why we chose them, why we love them, and who else might love them too. As always, we close the show with what we’re reading lately, and welcome two special guest voices to share what THEY’re reading right now too. Enjoy!

• Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
• Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Magic by Betty MacDonald
• Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
• Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle
• A World Below by Wesley King
• The Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker

• Allegra just finished A Spy in the House by Y. S. Lee (the first book in The Agency series)
• Sarah is reading Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi (we also mentioned the young reader’s edition, Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You)

What you’re reading:

• Reid just finished the six-book series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott (no, not THAT Michael Scott); the best book he’s read at school in 5th grade this year is Blood on the River: James Town, 1607 by Elisa Carbone
• Violet is into Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (a read-aloud with dad), and loves puppy books at school, like Abandoned! by Jenny Dale. Her teacher is reading aloud Friendship According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

Email us at hello@kidliteratepodcast.com – we’d love to hear from you!

Image by Ria Sopala from Pixabay

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From encyclopedias to biographies, nonfiction additions to your home library make for great learning–and fun–at all ages. In Episode 29 we share some of the reasons we love a well-curated nonfiction collection, recommendations for capturing kids’ natural interest through nonfiction books, tips for reluctant readers, and more. Plus, as always, we share what we’re reading and what YOU’re reading. Join us!

• Don’t overlook picture books that tell a true story as an entry into nonfiction. We love:
  • Everything by Emma Bland Smith, but especially Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West and Odin, Dog Hero of the Fires
  • Raise Your Hand! by Alice Paul Tapper
• Visual encyclopedias like Smithsonian’s Animal!, Dinosaur!, and anything from the DK / Smithsonian partnership (we’re eyeing the Human Body! one, and we also own/love Timelines of Everything)
• Multi-topic compilation fact books are a hit in our house, like 5,000 Awesome Facts series
• We mentioned our episode History Through Books, which specifically touches on biographies, history books, and historical fiction
• The Who Is? and Who Was? (and What Is? / What Was?) series is a hit for a reason; we also hear the Netflix adaptation is great!
• For emerging and early readers who prefer nonfiction, we got a lot of mileage out of paperback readers like these from National Geographic or these from Ranger Rick

• Allegra finished the first book in the Twilight series (Common Sense Media review here) and is now reading This Tender Land
• Sarah is still reading Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Dr. Sanjay Gupta

What you’re reading:

Helen emailed to share that her 11-year-old just finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. She recently read Charlotte’s Web aloud to her six-year-old, followed by The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. Helen herself recently loved Homegoing (which Sarah misread as Homecoming – oops!) by Yaa Gyasi.

Email us at hello@kidliteratepodcast.com – we’d love to hear from you!

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If you’re listening, you probably identify as a reader. But do you give much thought to WHERE, WHEN, and HOW you read? Today’s episode is all about our family’s reading habits; with two grownups and three kids, we run the gamut between late-night marathon readers to early birds who read in the morning, and everything in between. In this episode we also chat about electronic vs. paper books, reading in bed vs. outside, and more. Plus we’ll share what we’re reading and what YOU’re reading. Join us!

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• Allegra mentioned that she’s reading Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling
• Allegra also mentioned The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Violet (age 8) has been totally obsessed with The One & Only Ivan and The One & Only Bob, both by Katherine Applegate
• Allegra (12) and her 10-year-old brother both have Kindle Paperwhite e-readers, which Sarah has set up so that they only show certain books and aren’t browser-enabled
• Allegra has this cover for her Kindle and Reid has this one

• Allegra just finished The Selection series by Kiera Cass (here’s the Commonsense Media review)
• Sarah is finishing up The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham
• Sarah has on deck All Creatures Great & Small by James Herriott (our family also loves the James Herriot Treasury for Children, and can’t wait to watch the PBS series soon!)
• Sarah also has Untamed by Glennon Doyle on her nightstand

What you’re reading:

• Jaida wrote to share that she’s been listening to audiobooks lately, especially as a way to hear unfamiliar cultures and language pronounced by native speakers. She especially enjoyed Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Email us at hello@kidliteratepodcast.com – we’d love to hear from you!

Image by 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay

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Whether it’s through an old attic, a mysterious tree house, or a speeding Delorian, the idea of traveling through time to another era makes for great storytelling. Inspired by a new television series that hooked us recently, we look at time travel as a genre: from why we love it to how different authors handle it. We offer some book, TV and movie suggestions for other fans of time travel and, of course, we also share what we’re reading and what YOU’ve been reading lately. Join us!

Want to help us out? Take our short listener survey by clicking here.

Secrets Of Sulphur Springs

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Thanks to Momtourage and the team at @DisneyChannelPR for inviting the Powers family to join the cast of Secrets of Sulphur Springs for a premiere of the brand new time travel mystery series on Disney Channel!

The series follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell, whose world is upended when his family moves from Chicago to Louisiana to take ownership of an abandoned hotel property. Investigating rumors that the hotel is haunted, Griffin and his new friend Harper discover a secret portal that allows them to travel back in time and uncover clues about the town mystery.

Check out Secrets of Sulphur Springs on Disney Channel, in Disney Now, and on Disney Channel YouTube!

• Time Traveling with a Hamster, by Ross Welford
• We loved this book roundup Time Travel Books For Ages 8-14 from Erica at WhatDoWeDoAllDay.com
• We mentioned Encino Man, Back To The Future, and Back To The Future Part II as examples of time travel in movies
• The Magic Half by Annie Barrows
• The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
• The Flashback Four series by Dan Gutman
• The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (for adults)

Sarah finished 5 Love Languages Of Children: The Secret To Loving Children Effectively, by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell (listen to Episode 196 of The Mom Hour to hear it discussed!), and is now loving The Soul of America: The Battle For Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham

Allegra is reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and is also working her way through Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

What you’re reading:

Jade, mom to Eva (8) and Anna (10), wrote to say that she’s reading Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow.

Eva is reading Katt vs. Dogg by James Patterson, The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase by Wendy Mass, and If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late by Pseudonymous Bosch.

Anna is reading the Keeper Of The Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger, and just finished How To Disappear Completely by Ali Standish

Email us at hello@kidliteratepodcast.com – we’d love to hear from you!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay