Book Club for Kids

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. bookclubforkids.org

. 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 a complaint that the book was “propaganda” against the police. A rural school district in California removed the book from curriculum after a parent complained about political views in the book.  Give a listen to our discussion of “Ghost Boys.”

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 the story; the book or the movie. Favorite Books from the Culver City Book Festival: The Apothacary - Sarah Penner These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong Captain Underpants - Dav Pilkey The Wild Robot - Peter Brown Dog Man - Dav Pilkey Angels and Demons - Dan Brown   If you're a teacher or librarian in LA County and you'd like your readers to star on a Book Club for Kids podcast, send us an email to bookclubforkidspodcast@gmail.com and we'll send you all the information.

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’s the story of an interracial couple who only wanted to marry the person they loved. Our celebrity reader, actress Crystal West. Readers from Virginia discuss the book and the legal case that took place in their own state. Kitty Felde is host.  

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. FAVORITE BOOKS FROM THE CITY OF STEM/LA MAKER FAIRE: Orphan, Monster, Spy - Matt Killeen Wonder - R.J. Palacio Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins Heidi Heckelbeck and the Never-Ending Day - Wanda Coven Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling The Fourth Closet - Christopher Hastings, Scott Cawthon, Kira Breed-Wrisley Felix and Phoebe's Robot - Team 4 Element Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

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 host.

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, California. Sportswriter Keith Thursby is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. Favorite Books from Valley Beth Shalom Day School: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket Harry Potter - JK Rowling Dragon Masters - Tracey West A Girl's Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson Ofir Lobel's Favorite Book Little Nicolas -Rene Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempe Keith Thursby's Favorite Book:  The Jim Murray Reader - Jim Murray & Vin Scully We’ll have a list of everybody’s favorite books at our website, www.bookclubforkids.org. And if you have a favorite book, you can be on the BookClub for Kids podcast, too. Just have your parent, teacher, or librarian send us an email at kitty@bookclubforkids.org and we’ll send you all the information.   We have a free newsletter for teachers, parents, and librarians, full of free tips about how to turn kids into lifelong readers. You can sign up at our website: www.bookclubforkids.org.   This episode is made possible by a grant from the LA County Department of Arts and Culture as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan. I’m KF, thanks for listening.  And by the way, the makers of Book Club for Kids have created a very different podcast, a mystery about the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman who solves mysteries on Capitol Hill…and teaches civics along the way. It’s called The Fina Mendoza Mysteries and it’s available now for free wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you like the series, check out the books the podcast is based on. Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza and State of the Union are available in both English and Spanish and book 3 Snake in the Grass – about how the bitter partisanship on Capitol Hill has led someone to put snakes in the gym bags and trash cans of members of Congress – comes out April 1, 2025. Get it here.

Looking for your next favorite read? We've got it, courtesy of kids at the City of Stem/LA Maker Faire. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo Magic Treehouse - Mary Pope Osborne Bunny vs Monkey -Jamie Smart A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett Fart Quest - Aaron Reynolds Hilo - Judd Winick Masterminds - Gordon Korman The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart We have LOTS of other book suggestions at our website

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 conversations once a month and we start with readers from St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Hacienda Heights, California discussing Gail Carson Levine’s classic take on Cinderella “Ella Enchanted” with host Kitty Felde. You can WATCH this episode on YouTube. Click here.

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 place January 6th, 2021 and is designed to help adults talk to kids about the events of that day. It's based on the book LOSING IS DEMOCRATIC: HOW TO TALK TO KIDS ABOUT JANUARY 6TH and contains curriculum for use in the classroom or homeschool.  Here's a link to purchase an autographed copy of the book.