Sarah talks about 3 books with young, male protagonists. First, she looks at the Fudge Series by Judy Blume, which centers on Peter and his little brother "Fudge." Fudge is little, cute, and highly opinionated, three things that drive Peter up the wall. Next, she talks about How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell where two boys make a bet that one of them can't eat 15 worms in 15 days. Grossness and hilarity ensue. Finally, she talks about the first book in Rachel Renee Russell's new series. Her protagonist is Max Crumbly, and things start out a little rough for him when he gets shoved in his locker by the class bully, but what Max does next makes him an fun and unlikely hero.
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Sarah discusses 2 series featuring smart, curious, stubborn, sassy young heroines: Junie B Jones and Ramona Quimby. The Junie B Jones series is by Barbara Park and tells the story of Junie B and her adventures during Kindergarten and first grade. The Ramona Quimby series is by Beverly Clearly and tells of Ramona and her family over the course of several years. Both series are hilarious and heartwarming and great to read as a family.
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Sarah discusses 2 novels she saw recommended on numerous must-read lists. The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeny is a story of 4 siblings who find themselves confronted by a situation that forces them to confront the lies they have told themselves, each other, and their loved ones. Falling by Jane Green is the story of Emma, Dominic, and Dominic's six year old son. As their relationship evolves, they have to learn how to be first friends and then family.
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Sarah discusses Jennifer Weiner's new Young Adult novel, The Littlest Bigfoot, a story about 2 young girls (one human, one Bigfoot) who don't feel like the fit in with their respective communities. As they struggle to find where they fit in their worlds, the 2 form an unlikely friendship.
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Sarah and author Camille Griep discuss Griep’s 2nd novel, New Charity Blues.
“In the wake of a devastating plague, two communities emerge as bastions of survival. One is called the City, and its people scrabble for scraps in the wasteland. The other, New Charity, enjoys the bounty of its hydroelectric dam and refuses City denizens so much as a drop of precious water. When City-dweller Cressyda inherits her father's ranch within New Charity, she becomes intent on opening the dam to all--no matter the cost.
But when Syd reunites with her old best friend, Casandra, a born seer and religious acolyte, she realizes that her plans could destroy the fragile lives they've built in order to survive. What's more, the strange magic securing the dam's operations could prove deadly if disturbed. Yet when Syd discovers evidence that her father might have been murdered, she is more determined than ever to exact revenge on New Charity's corrupt.
Pitted against Cas, as well as her own family, Syd must decide how to secure the survival of both settlements without tipping them over the brink to utter annihilation. In this intense and emotional reimagining of the Trojan War epic, two women clash when loyalty, identity, community, and family are all put to the ultimate test.” (Google Books)
Sarah talks with author Camille Griep about her first novel, Letters to Zell.
“Everything is going according to story for CeCi (Cinderella), Bianca (Snow White), and Rory (Sleeping Beauty)—until the day that Zell (Rapunzel) decides to leave Grimmland and pursue her life. Now, Zell's best friends are left to wonder whether their own passions are worth risking their predetermined “happily ever afters,” regardless of the consequences. CeCi wonders whether she should become a professional chef, sharp-tongued and quick-witted Bianca wants to escape an engagement to her platonic friend, and Rory will do anything to make her boorish husband love her. But as Bianca's wedding approaches, can they escape their fates—and is there enough wine in all of the Realm to help them?
In this hilarious modern interpretation of the fairy-tale stories we all know and love, Letters to Zell explores what happens when women abandon the stories they didn't write for themselves and go completely off script to follow their dreams.” (Google Books)
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Sarah gives 3 of her choices for summer beach reading: The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, and At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen.
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In this episode Sarah first discusses the Call the Midwife Trilogy by Jennifer Worth as well as the PBS series of the same name. She also talks about the Fox and O’Hare series by Lee Goldberg and Janet Evanovich.
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In this episode Sarah talks about Divergent by Veronica Roth, Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, and You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day. Divergent is the first in a trilogy of books about a dystopian future set in Chicago, and Sarah talks about both the book and the movie of the same name. Finding Audrey is Kinsella’s first Young Adult novel and centers on a young woman dealing with Social Anxiety Disorder. You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a smart and funny memoir from actress Felicia Day, telling of her somewhat unusual childhood and her journey to Hollywood where she found her niche despite numerous hurdles in her path.
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In this episode Sarah looks at 3 books from very different genres, but all set in England.
First she looks at Horton Halfpott, by Tom Angleberger, the story of a young kitchen boy, set during Victorian England. Next, she moves to a series of books by author Jacqueline Winspear about a young woman named Maisie Dobbs. Dobbs is a Psychologist and Investigator who opens her own agency in 1929 in London. Finally, she examines the classic, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, a book set in Georgian England about a young woman who encounters love and mystery when she becomes employed as a governess to the ward of Edward Fairfax.
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