🎙️ Podcasts
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Book Club for Kids
kitty felde · Kids & family
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.
More from this show
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A conversation with graphic novelist Nidhi Chanani
Writer Nidhi Chanani always wanted to be a writer. Kitty Felde talks to Nidhi and finds out how did she end up writing her graphic novel "Pashmina."
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Episode 89 - Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani
Is a podcast about a graphic novel like dancing about architecture? Give a listen to our latest episode "Pashmina" by Nidhi Chanani. It's a tale about a magical pashina and secrets and mothers and daughters. Our readers are students at Kelly Miller Middle School in Washington, DC. Rasika Mathur is our celebrity…
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Episode 60 - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Williamsburg has changed enormously since Betty Smith published "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" in 1943. But a trio of DC readers tell host Kitty Felde that they find contemporary themes - the chasm between rich and poor, the rise of the #MeToo movement - in the novel. Nancy Smith Pfeiffer, the 95 year old daughter of…
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The Storm Runner - live from the Bay Area Book Festival
It's our 100th episode! To celebrate, we travel up to the Bay Area Book Festival to tape a live show celebrating "The Storm Runner" by J. C. Cervantes. This fantasy tale with Mayan mythology is a "Rick Riordan Presents" novel. Public radio journalist Erika Quilar from KQED is celebrity reader. Our readers are 6th…
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Eye of the Storm by Kate Messner
Imagine a world where deadly tornadoes are so common, kids can't ride their bikes outside anymore. That's the future Kate Messner writes about in Eye of the Storm . Students from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Laura Furgione, Deputy Director of the…
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A Conversation With Shawn Harris
What makes a good collaboration between writer and illustrator in children's books? We ask longtime illustrator Shawn Harris.
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Episode 161 The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza
We take a little trip into space with some of the oddest astronauts you'll ever meet. It's Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris' graphic novel "The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza." Students from Grover Heights Elementary School in Central California deconstruct the story and celebrity reader Jonathan Cormur from the Dorktales…
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A Conversation with writer Varsha Bajaj
Writer Varsha Bajaj talks to Kitty Felde about the connection between therapy and writing and the importance of having another set of eyes on a developing manuscript. www.bookclubforkids.org
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Episode 115 - Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj
"Count Me In" by Varsha Bajaj looks at the power of social media to combat hate. The story involves a hate crime: an attack on an Indian American family and how that changes a shy girl named Karina and the boy next door who used to hang out with what the grandfather called a pack of hyenas. Our readers are 5th graders…
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Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
We are always thrilled when a middle grade novel is turned into a movie and this month, Katherine Applegate's tale of a very special gorilla THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN began airing on Disney Plus. We love Katherine Applegate. In fact, we talked to her a couple of years ago about another of her books about another wonderful…
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Eleanor & Park - Book Club Goes to Omaha for Eleanor & Park
Book Club for Kids goes to Omaha where this month, the Omaha Public Library is sponsoring the Omaha Reads program, encouraging the city to read local author Rainbow Rowell's unlikely romance ELEANOR & PARK. Members of the Book Worm Girls Book Group discuss the show with host Kitty Felde. Omaha Congressman Brad Ashford…
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Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager
The worst summer vacation ever? Being stuck in the middle of a New Mexico desert with the crabbiest grandfather on planet earth. But there are also magical bees that promise the end of of a drought. Students from Belvedere Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia discuss HOUR OF THE BEES and writer Lindsay Eager…
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Bonus Geoff Rodkey
Geoff Rodkey is both a successful screenwriter and writer of books for kids. Including "We're Not From Here." He talks about the difference between writing screenplays and novels, about science fiction, and about creating non-binary characters. Kitty Felde is host. Lots more interviews with authors at the website…
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We're Not from Here by Geoff Rodkey
Earth is doomed, so a band of survivors is looking for a friendly planet to save them. But our earthling reputation isn't so great. Will they be allowed to stay? Readers from Maury Elementary School discuss Geoff Rodkey 's We're Not From Here . Our celebrity readers is Mat Kaplan , host of Planetary Radio. Kitty Felde…
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Summer Reading Suggestions from the LA Maker Faire
Summer reading book suggestions from kids at the LA Maker Faire: The Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger Jazzies Big Imagination - JaLisa Jackson Animal Farm - George Orwell Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney Whatever After - Sarah Mlynowski Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan A Day with the Animal Mechanics…
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A Conversation with Pseudonymous Bosch
We meet the writer behind Pseudonymous Bosch: Raphael Simon. Host Kitty Felde chats with him about all things writing.
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The Name of This Book is Secret
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 . Actress Satomi Hofmann is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is…
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Bees on the Roof by Robbie Shell
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
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Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt
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.S. Senator Angus King is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is…
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More Favorite Books from the City of StemL/A Maker Faire
Got a favorite book? These future scientists have a few suggestions: The Heck series - Dale E. Basye 13 1/2 Incredible Things You Need to Know About Everything - DK Publishing Teenage Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution - Kevin Eastman and Tom Walz Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling Dog Man…
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Revolution by Deborah Wiles
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, Virginia. Wiles talks about writing fiction from the facts…
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The Shadows by Jacqueline West
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. Free reading tips at the website: bookclubforkids.org.
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Favorite Books from the 2026 City of Stem Festival
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 that book. Kitty Felde is host. A Wrinkle in Time…
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A Conversation with Lisa Graff
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.
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Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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 Lisa Graff 's novel Absolutely Almost . Lisa talks about…
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Favorite Books from Georgia and Florida
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. Somewhere Beyond the Sea - TJ Klune Superman Smashes the Klan - Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru Unwind - Neal Shusterman…
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Passenger on the Pearl by Winifred Conkling
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 anniversary of what Washington Post writer Colbert King calls "…
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Favorite Books from our Voicemail
You've been calling us with your favorite books. Here's the latest list: Keeper of the Lost Cities - Shannon Messenger House Arrest - K.A.Holt The Running Dream - Wendelin Van Draanen Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus - Barbara Park That Pigeon Needs a Bath - Mo Willems A Dinosaur in the Toilet - Horace Hughes…
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Milo Spec Accidental Agent by Linda Urban
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Foxheart by Claire Legrand
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 upstairs at Boulder Bookstore with host Kitty Felde. Our…
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