Be a Better Ally: Critical Conversations for K12 Educators

What can a book offer a child before they understand its words?

For bestselling author, artist, and art therapist Sandra Magsamen, the answer begins with connection. Her new board book, Hello, Baby, was created for children from birth to age three as a bright, playful welcome into reading—and into the family awaiting them.

Sandra joins Tricia to discuss how large illustrations, expressive faces, melodic language, and an embedded mirror help babies engage with a book. They explore why reading with a young child is about much more than building vocabulary. It is also a chance to snuggle, play, bond, and communicate one of the earliest messages a child can receive: you are loved, you are seen, and you belong here.

The conversation also makes room for chewed books, spilled milk, crowded bookshelves, and the occasional "uh-oh." Sandra explains why children need permission to touch, explore, and make mistakes—and why treating books as untouchable objects can get in the way of curiosity.

Sandra also reflects on collaborating with her daughter, preparing to become a grandmother, and continuing to experiment after decades as a successful artist. She shares why creative growth requires us to loosen our grip on what has worked before and remain open to who we are becoming.

In this episode:

• How early reading supports connection and belonging

• Designing words and illustrations for babies

• Making books playful, sensory, and inviting

• Allowing children to explore without demanding perfection

• How stories become part of a family's shared language

• Why artists—and people—need to keep changing

SANDRA MAGSAMEN is the author and illustrator of many books for young children, including the picture book When I Grow Up I Want to Be Me, as well as a number of bestselling novelty titles, including Everybody Goes Nighty-Night, named a Best Board Book of 2018 by The Children's Book Review; Baby Love; I Love You, Little Pumpkin; and Peek-a-Boo, I Love You. As an artist, an art therapist, and a mom, she uses her creativity to remind people to express themselves and connect with others. Her lifestyle brands, products, and books are sold worldwide. Visit her at sandramagsamen.com

Horror is where some of today's boldest, most creative storytelling is happening — and author Ryan La Sala has a theory about why. In this conversation, the author of The Dead of Summer (now in paperback) unpacks how horror reveals what we value: who's worth saving, how we survive together, and why the queer community keeps showing up in stories of resilience. You'll hear how Ryan writes multi-dimensional queer characters "beyond the closet," why friendship — not romance — sits at the heart of his zombie story, and how grief, from anticipatory dread to long-term loss, threads through all of his horror novels. Plus: what it's like to watch The Honeys head toward the big screen as an executive producer. Whether you teach teens, love YA horror, or are simply curious about emotional literacy through fiction, this one will stay with you — in the best way.

About the Guest

Ryan La Sala is the author of queer YA horror and fantasy novels including Reverie, Be Dazzled, The Honeys, Beholder, and The Dead of Summer, now out in paperback. The Honeys is in development as a major motion picture, with Ryan attached as executive producer. His work passes familiar horror tropes "through the prism of the queer experience" — and somehow makes grief, survival, and friendship feel luminous.

Resources Mentioned

• Ryan La Sala's website: https://ryanlasala.com — all books, news, and film updates
• The Dead of Summer: https://ryanlasala.com/the-dead-of-summer — now in paperback, with purchase links
• The Honeys: https://ryanlasala.com/the-honeys — soon to be a major motion picture

Chapters: 00:00 Welcome back, Ryan 00:55 Why horror is where creativity thrives 03:24 Friendship through horror 05:55 Queer characters beyond the closet 08:53 How Ryan's writing process evolves 10:52 Horror writer, joyful human 13:20 Grief and emotional literacy 17:29 The Honeys heads to film 19:41 The Dead of Summer in paperback

Jerry Spinelli wrote four novels nobody wanted and spent twenty-five years getting rejected before his first book was published — he's now on book thirty-nine. The Newbery Medal-winning author joins Tricia Friedman to talk about perseverance, why kids never really change from one generation to the next, and the writing advice he gives every young person who asks: pay attention. He opens up his actual process, from pages of brainstormed notes to the "miserable middles" that make up the real work of writing, and shares why a letter from a teacher whose students begged to skip recess to keep reading means as much to him as the Newbery. His newest book, Fifth Grade Top Dogs, brings back Suds from Fourth Grade Rats — and yes, with six kids and forty-one grandkids and great-grandkids, Spinelli knows a thing or two about sibling dynamics. A conversation for every teacher who has ever put one of his books in a kid's hands.

Chapters

00:00 – Twenty-five years of rejection: what perseverance meant

02:37 – What keeps his passion for storytelling alive

04:15 – Sibling dynamics, six kids, and forty-one grandkids

05:13 – Why kids don't change from generation to generation

06:16 – Memory vs. wish: writing Suds and his parents

08:07 – Inside his process: pay attention, brainstorm, survive the "miserable middles"

13:00 – Celebrating the Newbery at a 24-hour diner

13:52 – The letters that matter more than medals

About the Guest

Jerry Spinelli is the Newbery Medal-winning author of thirty-nine books for young readers, published over a forty-five-year career. His newest, Fifth Grade Top Dogs (Scholastic, June 2026), continues the story of Suds from Fourth Grade Rats. He and his wife have six children and forty-one grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Resources Mentioned

• Fifth Grade Top Dogs by Jerry Spinelli — https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/books/fifth-grade-top-dogs-9798225028237.html
• Kirkus review of Fifth Grade Top Dogs — https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jerry-spinelli/fifth-grade-top-dogs/
• Jerry Spinelli's website — https://jerryspinelliauthor.com/

What happens when a teacher replaces textbook exercises with a real, unsolved problem?

In this episode, Tricia speaks with Alex Campbell, the Tennessee high school teacher featured in Prime Video's limited documentary series Murder 101. The series follows Campbell and his sociology students at Elizabethton High School as they investigate the Redhead Murders, a series of killings involving unidentified women whose cases had received limited public attention.

Alex explains why true crime became a powerful way to teach sociology, media literacy, civics, research, collaboration, and critical thinking. He describes how students learned to submit public-records requests, work with law-enforcement professionals and family members, examine the institutions surrounding a criminal investigation, and keep the victims rather than the offenders at the center of their work.

The conversation also examines project-based learning, student agency, community-connected education, and what changes when young people know their work matters to someone beyond their teacher. Alex shares practical advice for educators who want to introduce authentic learning without beginning with a project of this scale: start small, find collaborators, know your students, and allow the direction of the work to develop through inquiry.

Alex and Tricia also discuss the way Murder 101 portrays teenagers and Appalachia, the ethical responsibilities involved in bringing true crime into a classroom, and why real-world projects can reveal abilities that conventional academic labels often miss. As Alex argues, students who may not be motivated by grades can become deeply committed when they understand that another person genuinely needs their help.

This episode is for educators, school leaders, documentary viewers, true-crime listeners, and anyone interested in project-based learning, interdisciplinary teaching, student engagement, civic education, media literacy, cold-case investigations, and the possibilities that emerge when schools trust young people with meaningful work.

Award-winning author Christina Diaz Gonzalez joins Tricia to discuss her new middle-grade graphic novel, Offside, a bilingual story about soccer, friendship, ambition, identity, and the power young people have to create change.

Christina explains why she wanted the young characters in Offside to question the assumptions, gender stereotypes, and ambitions they may have inherited from adults. Their lives are more complex than they first appear, and as they begin to understand one another, they also discover their own voices, values, and capacity to influence the people around them.

The conversation also explores the need for bilingual books written for middle-grade readers, rather than stories that treat one language as a translation of the other. Christina shares how school visits inspired her to create stories in which English and Spanish appear naturally beside one another, reflecting how many students actually communicate and experience the world.

Tricia and Christina also discuss the literary depth of graphic novels, identity beyond athletics, writing and journalism as tools for change, and Christina's unusual "pantser" writing process. Christina describes beginning with something like a movie trailer in her imagination and allowing curiosity, surprise, and the question "What if?" to guide the rest of the story.

The episode begins with a brief introduction to Christina's most committed publicist: her fifteen-year-old dog, Lucy.

You may know Cristo Fernandez as Danny Rojas from Ted Lasso, but this conversation reaches far beyond one beloved role.

In this episode, Cristo talks with Tricia about dreaming big, trying again after failure, staying generous, and remembering that we all have something powerful to bring to the table. From his early life in Guadalajara to his years in football, acting, storytelling, and now children's books, Cristo reflects on the people, setbacks, and second chances that shaped his path.

For educators and school leaders, this conversation is a reminder that culture is built in small choices: choosing curiosity over judgment, teamwork over ego, and generosity over individual shine. Cristo speaks with care about the lessons he learned from family, sport, collaboration, and Ted Lasso, including the simple but demanding idea that being kind is cool.

He also shares why failure does not have to mean the end of a dream. Injuries shifted his path away from professional football, but storytelling brought him back to the game in a new way. His story invites listeners to think differently about what success looks like, especially for young people who may be navigating setbacks, uncertainty, or pressure to choose only one version of themselves.

This episode is for anyone working to build school communities where people feel seen, encouraged, and brave enough to try again.

In this episode, we explore:

How Cristo's family shaped his belief in generosity and giving back

Why "being kind is cool" still matters in schools, teams, and creative work

What football taught him about humility, teamwork, and resilience

How failure, injury, and rejection can become part of a larger story

Why Danny Rojas remains a reminder to return to joy

How collaboration asks us to stay open, curious, and willing to learn

What children can teach adults about imagination, courage, and possibility

Why embracing who you are may be one of the strongest "superpowers" we have

For educators, this conversation offers a useful question to carry into the school year: how do we help young people dream big without making them feel like failure closes the door? Cristo's answer is generous and practical. Stay curious. Keep learning. Help others shine. Try again.

Learn more about his new book:

https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/books/futbol-is-life-futbol-es-vida-9798225012274.html

What does it mean to teach the Declaration of Independence as more than a document students memorize? In this episode, Tricia speaks with historian and author Katie Kennedy about her new book on the Declaration of Independence, the world that produced it, and why young people need more than dates, vocabulary, and simplified civic narratives. Kennedy invites readers to see the Declaration as a living historical text: political, philosophical, literary, flawed, hopeful, and deeply human. Together, Tricia and Katie discuss how educators can help students slow down with primary sources, ask better questions about evidence, and understand history as something made by real people under pressure. From Thomas Jefferson's nervous drafting process to Caesar Rodney's dangerous ride for independence, Kennedy reminds us that history becomes more meaningful when students can see the people, stakes, contradictions, and choices behind the documents.This conversation is especially relevant for educators thinking about civics, U.S. history, media literacy, historical inquiry, and the upcoming U.S. 250th anniversary. In This Episode: Tricia and Katie explore: How the Declaration of Independence differs from the Constitution, and why students often confuse the two. Why civic education needs to move beyond memorizing branches of government or repeating patriotic slogans.How primary sources help students understand "how we know what we know."Why historians begin with people, names, ages, letters, objects, and material traces.How teachers can invite students to read the Declaration as both a political document and a work of language, argument, philosophy, and art. Why the Declaration can be taught honestly, including its contradictions around slavery, rights, and equality.What it means to help students examine claims rather than cherry-pick evidence. Why historical complexity is not a problem to avoid, but a classroom opportunity. Why Educators Will Want to Listen: This episode offers a strong reminder that civics education is not only about government structures. It is also about evidence, responsibility, interpretation, and belonging.Katie Kennedy makes the case for helping students read foundational documents with care. Not as sacred artifacts beyond critique, and not as dead texts with fixed meanings, but as historical documents created by people living through uncertainty.For teachers, this conversation offers practical ways to make history more vivid: start with the human story, return to primary sources, ask what evidence supports a claim, and give students room to notice both ideals and contradictions.Classroom Connections: Educators might use this episode to think about:How to introduce the Declaration of Independence before asking students to analyze it.How to help students compare the Declaration and the Constitution.How to use objects, letters, diaries, menus, or artifacts as primary sources.How to teach civic ideals while also naming historical exclusions and contradictions.How to design inquiry questions around founding documents.How to prepare students for U.S. 250 conversations in ways that are honest, humane, and intellectually serious. Questions for Reflection: What do students need to understand about the world that produced the Declaration?How can we help students distinguish between a historical claim, an opinion, and evidence?What happens when we teach founding documents as arguments rather than answers?How might students respond differently if they first encounter the people, risks, and conflicts behind the text?What primary sources from students' own lives could help them understand how historians work?A Quote to Carry Into Your Planning: "History is people."That line sits at the center of this conversation. For educators, it is a useful design principle. Before the worksheet, before the vocabulary list, before the assessment, there are people making decisions, taking risks, disagreeing, revising, resisting, and trying to imagine a different future. Mentioned in the Episode: Katie Kennedy's new book on the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence The U.S. Constitution Primary sources and material history Pauline Maier's phrase "American scripture" Lincoln's description of the Declaration as an "electric cord" Ron Chernow's biography of Ulysses S. Grant Fiona Hill's work on Russia and Vladimir Putin Heather Cox Richardson's public history writing Best For: U.S. history teachers Civics and government teachers Humanities educators School leaders planning for U.S. 250 Librarians and instructional coaches Educators interested in inquiry, primary sources, and civic reasoning

• Content type: Interview
• Primary goal: Educational / Inspirational
• Main topics:
  1. The importance of understanding foundational historical documents like the Declaration of Independence
  2. The role of storytelling and primary sources in historical education
  3. Civics education and civic responsibility

Katie Kennedy once caught her then-nine-year-old daughter reading the Constitution under the covers with a flashlight. As an American history professor, Katie has never been more proud. She is the author of The Constitution Decoded: A Guide to the Document That Shapes Our Nation and The Presidents Decoded: A Guide to the Leaders Who Shaped Our Nation, as well as Did You Hear What Happened in Salem?, which Booklist called "irresistible" in a starred review. Katie lives in Iowa with her husband and son. Visit her online at katiekennedybooks.com.

• (00:01) - Introducing Katie Kennedy and the significance of understanding founding documents
• (00:29) - Why reading the Declaration of Independence matters for all ages
• (01:35) - Storytelling's role in engaging with history and Jefferson's drafting journey
• (02:15) - Jefferson's nervousness and the importance of primary sources
• (03:10) - Caesar Rodney's courageous ride for independence
• (04:56) - The human stories behind historical actions, like Rodney's cancer and sacrifice
• (06:10) - The modern role of the historian and the value of primary sources
• (07:45) - The importance of honoring individual stories to understand history
• (08:44) - How primary sources reveal truths about figures like Washington
• (09:42) - Lincoln's pocket watch as a primary source and the stories objects tell
• (11:24) - The role of civics education in fostering critical thinking about power
• (12:45) - The poetry and art in the Declaration, its cultural resonance
• (14:40) - The Declaration as a unifying "electric cord" connecting generations
• (15:56) - How the Declaration embodies hope and the importance of political engagement
• (17:27) - The complexity of historical figures like Jefferson and their legacy
• (20:01) - Recommended summer reads for aspiring historians
• (21:09) - The importance of understanding the people behind the headlines
• (22:30) - Closing thoughts on the importance of people in history

In this episode, we explore what it means to educate young people in a time of deep civic division. Students are growing up surrounded by polarization, yet schools remain one of the few places where people are still asked to learn and engage across differences.

Joining the conversation is Colin Woodard, Director of Nationhood Lab at Salve Regina University's Pell Center and a New York Times best-selling author. Nationhood Lab examines the stories Americans tell about identity, belonging, and what holds the country together—and how those stories shape the health of our democracy.

We discuss how historical settlement patterns continue to influence regional divides in the United States, affecting trust, community engagement, and perspectives on major issues. Woodard also highlights the importance of social capital—the relationships and shared spaces that help communities function and thrive.

For educators, this conversation connects directly to the work happening in schools every day. Classrooms are not just places where history is taught, but where students learn how to listen, disagree, and build community. They are spaces where young people begin to understand their role in civic life.

Despite the current climate, there is also reason for hope. Research shows that Americans still share strong agreement around core democratic ideals, including those found in the Declaration of Independence.

This episode invites educators to reflect on the stories students are inheriting, the communities they are helping to shape, and the role schools can play in fostering a more connected and thoughtful civic future.

Key Topics:

• Teaching during a time of polarization
• Nationhood Lab and the study of American identity
• Regional divides and their historical roots
• The role of social capital in community health
• Schools as spaces for civic learning and belonging
• Shared democratic values in a divided nation

Guest:Colin WoodardDirector, Nationhood Lab at the Pell CenterNew York Times best-selling author

https://www.nationhoodlab.org/

If creativity, curiosity, and connection matter to you, this episode is a good one to queue up for Father's Day weekend.

This week, we welcome back writer and researcher Brian Boone for a conversation about trivia, fandom, and why the facts we collect are often connected to the people, places, stories, and memories we care about most.

Brian writes across genres, but his work has a throughline: he knows how to make research feel playful, surprising, and deeply human. In this episode, he shares why "trivia is not trivial," how curiosity can become a bridge between generations, and why his latest book may be the kind of Father's Day gift that starts a conversation rather than simply fills a shelf.

Listen in for a conversation about the joy of knowing odd things, the communities that form around shared interests, and the way small facts can carry big meaning.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why trivia can be a form of connection How research becomes storytelling The fandom surrounding Brian Boone's work Why curiosity matters across generations How a book of trivia can become a thoughtful Father's Day weekend gift Why the things we remember often say something about what we value

Featured Guest: Brian Boone, writer, researcher, and author

Learn more:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Brian-Boone/2137715445

Award-winning author Aida Salazar joins us to discuss Stream, her new middle grade novel in verse featuring Celi and Elio, two teens sent to rural Mexico after a viral catfishing incident exposes how much of their lives has been shaped by screens.

Salazar describes Stream as part of an unintended loose trilogy that began with The Moon Within and continued with Ultraviolet. In this new standalone story, she brings Celi and Elio together for a summer without internet, electricity, or running water. What begins as exile becomes something more complicated: a return to land, body, culture, family history, and the question of what young people are taking in through their digital streams.

The conversation moves through the book's layered title, from the literal stream to the social media feed to the inner stream of consciousness. Salazar also talks about writing young people without condescension, why story can help teens make sense of mistakes, and how fiction can offer parents and educators a less preachy way into conversations about digital life.

She opens up about the craft of writing in verse, including the "split screen" structure of the book, where Celi and Elio occupy different sides of the page. For Salazar, voice is built through word choice, rhythm, and punctuation. Verse gives her a way to access the inner life of young people with precision, music, humor, and white space.

This episode also explores embodiment, attention, and creativity. Salazar reflects on visiting the land in Mexico where her mother and ancestors were born, describing a powerful moment of physical connection to place that helped shape the novel. She speaks about writing in service of children, working in artistic communities, and why creativity belongs to everyone, not only people who call themselves artists.

About the Book: Stream follows newly graduated eighth graders Celi and Elio, who are sent from Oakland, California, to the same rancho in Mexico after their parents become alarmed by their screen use. In rural Mexico, Celi helps her tías in a healing clinic while Elio works to rehabilitate a river. Slowly, both characters begin to shed parts of their online selves and reconnect with nature, culture, family, and their own inner lives.

The novel is a standalone story connected to Salazar's earlier verse novels The Moon Within and Ultraviolet.

About Aida Salazar: Aida Salazar is an award-winning author and arts activist whose work explores identity, justice, culture, and belonging. Her books include Ultraviolet, an ALA Pura Belpré Honor Book; The Moon Within, winner of the International Latino Book Award; Land of the Cranes, winner of the Américas Award; and the Caldecott Honor picture book Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter. She lives in Oakland, California, with her family of artists.

In This Conversation: Aida Salazar discusses:

• Why Stream became part of an unintended trilogy with The Moon Within and Ultraviolet

• How social media, puberty, crushes, shame, identity, and selfhood intersect for young people

• Why adults need compassion when talking with teens about digital life

• How story can help young readers think through mistakes without feeling lectured

• Why she writes in verse and how poetry gives access to the "interior landscape" of emotion

• The craft decision to place Celi and Elio on different sides of the page

• How a visit to ancestral land in Mexico shaped the book's attention to body, place, and healing

• Why creativity is not reserved for professional artists

• Her forthcoming picture book Sana Sana and a future verse novel connected to Ultraviolet that explores AI

For Educators, Parents, and Caregivers: This conversation offers a useful way to think about screen life without panic or oversimplification. Salazar does not frame young people as careless or broken. Instead, she asks what they are absorbing, what they are performing, what they are longing for, and what kinds of stories might help them reclaim agency.

For educators, Stream also makes a strong case for including middle grade and YA fiction in professional learning spaces. The book gives adults a way to re-enter the perspective of young people and talk about technology, embodiment, culture, and attention through story rather than lecture.