The place where young readers meet to talk about books. The show includes a celebrity reader and an interview with the author. The host is award winning public radio journalist Kitty Felde. Book Club won the California Library Association Technology Award and the DC Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Humanitites. Named one of the top 10 podcasts for kids by THE TIMES of London.
Would you like to live forever? When is it okay to lie? How do we prepare for a disaster? These and other big questions are tackled by students at Farmdale Elementary School in Los Angeles as they discuss The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. …
We take the show on the road to the Enoch Pratt Free Library Children's stage at the Baltimore Book Festival for a conversation about Robbie Shell's novel BEES ON THE ROOF. Our group of readers have been meeting to talk about books almost since they first
Get out the Kleenex and a warm jacket and gloves. This week is a heartbreaking tale of troubled foster kid who finds comfort among a herd of cows in Maine. Readers from Carter G. Woodson Charter School in Chicago discuss Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. U.…
Got a favorite book? These future scientists have a few suggestions:…
We take a trip to Mississippi in the summer of 1964 - Freedom Summer. The second in writer Deborah Wiles' 1960's trilogy. "Revolution" is discussed by a trio of George Washington Middle Schoolers at the neighborhood bookstore Hooray for Books! in Alexandria, V…
Looking for a late summer thriller? We discuss the first book in Jacqueline West's Books of Elsewhere series The Shadows with the Girlfriends BookClub Baltimore. Public radio journalist Doualy Xaykaothao is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.…
We take our microphone out to the 2026 City of Stem/LA Maker Faire to ask these young scientists and astronauts about their favorite books. Several of them are OUR favorite books, too! And you can click on the links to hear the Book Club for Kids episode about…
Before she wrote children's books, Lisa Graff worked as a nanny. What lessons from that experience did she bring to her work on the page? Lisa talks to host Kitty Felde.
How do we measure up to our parents' expectations? Does everybody deserve a day off? What's the toughest part of being a homeschooled kid? Our group of readers from the Broomfield Public Library in Colorado weigh in on these questions and more as they discuss …
Ever wonder what kids in Georgia and Florida are reading? Here's a few suggestions from readers at Druid Hills Middle School in Decatur, Georgia and Indian Trace Elementary School in Weston, Florida.…
The Book Club for Kids podcast began in the smallest quadrant of Washington DC called Southwest. It was the waterfront for DC, the place where ships would dock bringing everything from building supplies to fresh fish to slaves. This week marks the 178th annive…
You've been calling us with your favorite books. Here's the latest list:…
Witches, monsters, and a brave little thief. Those are the ingredients in Claire Legrand's novel "Foxheart." The book was chosen by Book Club for Kids fan Kailas. She and her two fellow readers Iona and Gabi discussed the novel one sunny Sunday afternoon upsta…
What's it like to be adopted? Does your adopted family's history become your history or do you feel the need to find your biological story? Our book this week is "The Length of a String" by Elissa Brent Weissman. It's a Holocaust story about a Jewish family se…
Last week, we heard a bit from writer Jennifer L. Holm when we discussed her book "Turtle in Paradise." In this Bonus Episode, we hear more about Jenni's trilogy of books inspired by family stories.
Got a nickname? Everybody in Key West seems to have one. Including a little girl named Turtle. Readers at the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library in Broomfield, Colorado discuss Jennifer Holm's "Turtle in Paradise" with host Kitty Felde. KQED public radio's R…
Students from Washington DC's Jefferson Academy reflect on desegregation sixty years after the Little Rock Nine. They discuss Kristin Levine's novel The Lions of Little Rock. The author describes how she came to tell the story. Former U.S. Education Secretary …
Ever wonder what it's like to write one of the American Girl novels? We get the inside scoop from Lisa Yee.
We explore an immigration story: a Chinese immigrant who ends up in Minnesota. It's the Newbery Honor Award winning tale "Maisie Chen's Last Chance." Writer Lisa Yee tells readers at Overland Elementary School that the book is based on her own family's histor…
Can a book be funny and deal with one of the toughest topics around? "Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze" is writer and illustrator Alan Silberberg's tale of 7th grade angst and dealing with the loss of a parent. Seventh graders from Eliot-Hine Middle School in…
Writer Edward Bloor talks about the biggest lesson he learned about writing and how to handle criticism with host Kitty Felde.
A story about family divisions, economic divides, history, and growing citrus trees. It's "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor. Our readers from the Laurence School in Los Angeles discuss the novel and interview our writer. Actress Jovita Molina is celebrity reader. Ki…
We had a longer conversation with Jack Gantos at the Nantucket Book Festival - too much to include in Episode 36, our discussion of DEAD END IN NORVELT. Jack talks about his first 36 rejections, his switch from teaching to writing full time, and about his belo…
Writer Jack Gantos has his own unusual take on a childhood in the town named after Eleanor Roosevelt - the real-life place called Norvelt, Pennsylvania. Readers from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia discuss DEAD END IN NORVELT with host Ki…
What makes a great book? Readers from Loyola Village Elementary School in Los Angeles have some answers.
Sophie's quest to find her mother takes her from London to Paris - mostly rooftop to rooftop. Katherine Rundell's novel "Rooftoppers" is our book this episode. Students from the British International School of Washington discuss the book with host Kitty Felde.…
Katherine Marsh says her son helped a lot with the creation of "The Door by the Staircase." She also offers some writing tips.
This week, we get a new look at an old fairy tale – the story of the Russian witch known as Baba Yaga. A boys book club in Portland, Oregon met us at Powell's Books to discuss Katherine Marsh's novel "The Door by the Staircase" with host Kitty Felde. Congressm…
How does a White House speechwriter turn into a writer for kids? How do you become a Washington speech writer to begin with? We speak to Sean O'Brien, former speechwriter to then-Vice President Joe Biden. Kitty Felde is host.
Former White House speechwriter Sean O'Brien takes us inside the building to a secret passageway to the past in his mystery "White House Clubhouse." Readers from Oak View Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia discuss how Theodore Roosevelt's mantras are still…
If you've listened to the show before, you know that we ask everybody our favorite question: What's your favorite book and why. We ask it in classrooms, we ask it in libraries, and we ask if of YOU. A pair of twin brothers from Washington state picked up a pho…
We have a conversation with "A Little Wicked" author Janet Macreery about two kids of writers: plotters and pantsers. Kitty Felde is host.
We have a conversation with "A Little Wicked" author Janet Macreery about two kids of writers: plotters and pantsers. Kitty Felde is host.
We pay tribute to NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg as we reprise an episode taped before a live audience at the National Archives in 2017. Readers from the Girlfriends BookClub Baltimore discuss A Little Wicked by Janet Macreery with host Kitty Felde. …
Does a background in radio help you write dialogue? What's the one thing you should never include in a book designed for readers with dyslexia? We ask the expert: Lisa Thompson, author of "The Light Jar" and other middle grade novels.
Did you have an imaginary friend when you were little? Nate did. And he's back. Just in time. Students from Garvanza Elementary School in Los Angeles discuss Lisa Thompson's novel "The Light Jar." NPR newscaster Dale Willman is celebrity reader and Kitty Felde…
We visit Maine to talk to readers at Manchester Elementary School about their favorite books.…
It's banned books week, as we continue our look at books that have been challenged or banned. This week, it's Gennifer Choldenko's tale "Al Capone Does My Shirts." Back in 2016, the book was challenged by a group that said the book "perpetuates negative stereo…
What does it mean to be "gifted?" Don't we all have unique gifts to share with the world? Readers from Eliot-Hine Middle School on Capitol Hill discuss Gordon Korman's story of a prankster who lands in a "Gifted" program. KNX sports anchor (and Talking About C…
Kitty Felde talks to the author of Lupe Wong Won't Dance Donna Barba Higuera about creating an unlikeable character. She also gives us a sneak preview of a new science fiction novel she's writing.
Does square dancing count as an athletic activity? Lupe Wong doesn't think so and is willing to fight the system to make her point. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington, DC discuss the book with host Kitty Felde and interview the writer Donna …
In 1925, newlyweds Pete and Gert packed up their lives and headed west for California in a Model T Ford. Gert chronicled the…
Did Harry Potter make you wish you were going to boarding school? This week, we visit another extraordinary boarding school with invisible students and k'lepreechons. It's Hypatia Academy by Esther Goldenberg. It's the favorite book of this trio of Maryland re…
Americans have a romanticized image of English boarding schools. RIBBLESTROP is the opposite of that. Writer Andy Mulligan has created what must be the most dangerous school on planet earth. And this trio of readers at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, New Je…
Thinking of writing a series? We ask New York Times bestselling writer Shannon Messenger about the 101 things a series writer has to think about. Kitty Felde is host.
We added up the numbers and found our NUMBER ONE top listened-to episode over the past decade of Book Club for Kids! It's Shannon Messenger's fantasy adventure Keeper of the Lost Cities. Readers from St. Elizabeth School in Maryland discuss The girls ask our w…
It was our fourth episode and Roald Dahl's first book for children. Number Two on our top ten list is "James and the Giant Peach" with Cash Peters as celebrity reader. Students from LA's Equitas Academy discuss the book with host Kitty Felde.…
What makes a good mystery? We talk to writer Varian Johnson, author of The Parker Inheritance. Kitty Felde, who writes her own mystery series THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES is host.
We're happy to report that the number 3 most popular episode of Book Club for Kids is no mystery...actually, it IS a mystery: Varian Johnson's The Parker Inheritance.…
Can you believe it? Book Club for Kids began ten years ago in the summer of 2015. And we're celebrating by counting down our top ten most listened to episodes over the past decade. This week, just in time for the second installment in the Bad Buys series is th…
Writer Jerry Craft confesses that he wasn't much of a reader when he was a kid. Kitty Felde is host.
We continue our celebration of ten years of podcasting by looking back at our most popular episodes. This week, it's number 5 on our top ten list: New Kid.…
Peter Brown is both a writer and illustrator. We talk to him about how he plots a story and the teacher he hated who set him on his path to becoming a professional artist. Kitty Felde is host.
Do you have a relationship with the robot in your life? You'll fall in love with "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown. 4th graders from Flora Hendley Elementary School in Washington, D.C. discuss artificial intelligence and their own favorite robotic devices. U.S. …
We're celebrating our ten year anniversary as a podcast! And to celebrate, we're counting down our list of the TOP TEN MOST LISTENED TO EPISODES. This week, it's number 7: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. We're lucky to have DC's Congress…
Ever wonder what a writer uses for inspiration? Angie Thomas tells us what gets her fingers flying over the keyboard.
Today it's a book for older kids – "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas. Our main character is an aspiring rap star dealing with sudden fame and the reputation of her late father. Our readers are from West Education Campus in Washington, D.C. Actress Tallie Johnso…
What's your favorite book?…
What's your favorite book?…
Students from Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, DC talk about "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. The conversation covers everything from death to Nazis to books. Actress Melanie MacQueen (Robotech) is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Markus Zusak…
This week, host Kitty Felde asks future scientists what they are reading. Here's some suggestions:…
Last week, we talked about "Refugee," Alan Gratz' tale of kids fleeing violence and political oppression around the world. It's a tough read. I had to put it down a few times. But how difficult is it to write a book about a tough subject? We asked Alan Gratz.
What would it be like to leave everything you know, everything you own, everyone you love to escape war, persecution, or poverty? In "Refugee," Alan Gratz imagines how three young people struggle to survive as they excape to freedom. Students from Washington L…
We brought our giant microphone to the 2025 City of Stem/LA Maker Faire in Los Angeles on Saturday, asking kids our favorite question: what's your favorite book? Here are just some of the titles:…
We continue our series highlighting episodes that feature books that have been banned or challenged. This week, it's Walter Dean Myers' tale of a kid on trial for murder "Monster."…
Last week, we took a trip to Hawaii to discuss "Lei and the Fire Goddess." This week, we talk to author Malia Maunakea about using Google maps as a writer, the difference between writing fiction and non-fiction, ADHD, even tax write-offs! Kitty Felde is host.
This week, we talk about myths – whether it's on Capitol Hill or Hawaii. Our book is "Lei and the Fire Goddess" by Malia Maunakea. Our readers are members of the Page Turners Book Club at East City Bookshop in Washington, DC. Our celebrity reader is playwright…
This week we talk to some older readers at the Culver City book Festival about their favorite books. Once again, fantasy seems to be the fan favorite. Give a listen.…
Jewell Parker Rhodes, winner of the American Book Award, talks about the difficulty of writing "Ghost Boys" and about her own reading journey with host Kitty Felde.
. We continue our look at books that have been challenged or banned. This week, it's Jewell Parker Rhodes' tale of a young black boy shot by a white police officer "Ghost Boys." The book was temporarily banned in Florida's second largest school district over …
Last Saturday was the culver city book festival and book club for kids was there, gathering great suggestions for your next favorite read. We've got a different take on Shakespeare, a it of underwear humor, and a debate about which does a better job of telling…
For Black History Month and Valentines Day, we have a special love story – part fiction, part fact, based on a landmark US Supreme Court case. It's called "Loving Vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case" by Patricia Hruby Powell. It…
We polled readers at the City of Stem/LA Maker Faire about their favorite books. (By the way, Book Club for Kids will be taping more book suggestion interviews at this year's event on Saturday, April 12th at Exposition Park in Los Angeles.) Kitty Felde is host…
We speak to Israeli writer Ofir Lobel, author of "101 Ways to Lose Your Homework: the Snotty Snail" about the difference between writing in graphic novels and writing a screenplay for a movie. He also talks about writing in a country at war. Kitty Felde is hos…
This week, it's a graphic novel with evil twins, lost homework, and a giant snail. Oh, and a talking frog. The book is "101 Reasons Why I Lost My Homework Again: The Snotty Snail" by Ofir Lobel. Our readers are from Valley Beth Shalom Day School in Encino, Cal…
Looking for your next favorite read? We've got it, courtesy of kids at the City of Stem/LA Maker Faire.…
2025 is a very special year for Book Club for Kids as we celebrate our 10th anniversary! But a different version of the show aired on a local cable channel, LA36, taping episodes at the downtown LA public library. This year, we'll be sharing those conversation…
We end the year with a special episode from our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES. Fina is the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman who solves mysteries in the U.S. Capitol with the help of a big orange dog named Senator Something. This episode takes p…
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 …
For a writer who both illustrates and creates the story for a book, which comes first? We ask writer/illustrator Alina Chau who created "Marshmallow & Jordan."
Did you ever wish that you had a pet elephant? Well, Jordan was lucky enough to find one. That unusual relationship is at the heart of our book Jordan and Marshmallow by Alina Chau. Readers from Atwater Elementary School in Los Angeles discuss disabilities, sp…
We continue our series of episodes highlighting banned books. This week, it's Elizabeth Acevedo's novel The Poet X. The novel in verse was challenged in 2020 by parents in North Carolina who argued that the book was unconstitutionally hostile to religion. The …
Are you that aunt or uncle – the one who only gives books for birthdays and holidays? I hope so. But if it's been a few years since you've picked up a middle grade novel, we have help from some experts – kids who visited us at the City of Stem LA Maker Faire t…
Are you that aunt or uncle – the one who only gives books for birthdays and holidays? I hope so. But if it's been a few years since you've picked up a middle grade novel, we have help from some experts – kids who visited us at the City of Stem LA Maker Faire t…
How did Oprah inspire a writing career? Listen to this conversation with Nikki Shannon Smith, author of Stranded.
Readers from Las Vegas are live, onstage at the Las Vegas Book Festival, talking about Nikki Shannon Smith's tale of adventure Stranded. Award-winning journalist Rita Pardue from KUNV is celebrity reader. Taped before a live audience, readers have lots of ques…
Did you ever think you were a little different than everybody else in school? Suppose you found out there's a reason for that and that reason is that you're actually a witch. That's the story of "The Okay Witch," by Emma Steinkellner. Students from Virginia Ro…
This episode began with a chance meeting in a tiny art gallery in the city of Cienfuegos, Cuba. Writer Isora Morales Suarez was minding the store to pay the bills, but just had her first novel for kids published in English. The Girlfriends Book Club Baltimore…
Writer MC Ryder talks about writing song lyrics and middle grade book series with host Kitty Felde.
It's that time of year: Halloween! This week, we tackle M.C. Ryder's tale of romance, betrayal, and creatures of the night The Darkest Side of the Moon. Journalist and actress Hettie Lynne Hurtes is our celebrity reader. Our readers are from Rosecrans Elementa…
Peter Brown's wonderful book is now a movie! This week,we return to the source material.…
September is the perfect time of year to start a new habit. How about 15 minutes a day reading a book YOU want to read? Need some suggestions? Give a listen as we hear from kids as the City of Stem LA Maker Faire about the books they LOVE to read.…
As school is starting up, there are tons of books your teacher wants you to read. But what about a book YOU really want to read? Today we hear from kids as the City of Stem LA Maker Faire about the books ThEY love to read. Give a listen.…
We talk to writer Charles Waters about his life as an actor and how it led to his life as a poet and children's book writer. He also talks about how the Highlights Foundation changed his life. Kitty Felde is host.
What do you do when your long-time school mascot is offensive to others? That's the topic in Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell. Students from Eliot-Hine Middle School discuss the novel and interview the writer. California State Los Angeles theater prof…
Angela Dominguez writes and illustrates the Stella Diaz series. She talks to us about her writing path from drawing to writing.
We continue our look at books that have been challenged or banned. This week, we revisit STELLA DIAZ HAS SOMETHING TO SAY by Angela Dominguez.…
We invited kids onstage at the City of Stem LA Maker Faire with host Kitty Felde to tell the audience about their favorite books:…
Book Club for Kids live onstage!…
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