Book Club for Kids

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 graders at Albany Middle School in Northern California and they quiz our author. Kitty Felde is host.

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 National Weather Service is celebrity reader and talks about the science of tornadoes.

What makes a good collaboration between writer and illustrator in children's books? We ask longtime illustrator Shawn Harris.

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 Storytime podcast give us a taste of the humor. Cowriter and illustrator Shawn Harris answers questions from our young readers.
FAVORITE BOOKS FROM GROVER HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
The Last Fallen Star - Graci Kim
SHAWN HARRIS' FAVORITE BOOK:
Calvin and Hobbes - Bill Watterson
JONATHAN CORMUR'S FAVORITE BOOK:
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

It's Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen. And it was the choice of a group of 7th graders from Newport Middle School in Maryland. Writer Victoria Aveyard talks about the difference between writing books and writing screenplays. Our celebrity reader, NPR's Renee Montagne, brings to life our lightning girl Mare who is decidedly not excited about becoming a princess. Kitty Felde is host.
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