Bonus Episode: Interview with Historian and Author Robert Tracy McKenzie

In which the CenterForLit staff embarks on a quest to discover the Great Ideas of literature in books of every description: ancient classics to fresh bestsellers; epic poems to bedtime stories. This podcast is a production of The Center for Literary Education and is a reading companion for teachers, homeschoolers, and readers of all stripes.

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In the final episode of our season on Juvenile and YA Fiction, the entire CenterForLit crew gathers to reminisce about how they got hooked on reading as children. We also discuss how to go about guiding young readers through the current environment of juvenile and YA literature. 


Referenced Works:
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 American Adventure Stories for Boys

 Forever Island by Patrick D. Smith

  A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

  A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter

  John Paul Jones by Vincent Brown

  The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

  The Cat of Bubastes by G.A. Henty

  Eragon by Christopher Paolini

  Mara: Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

  Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

  The Box Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  The Borrowers by Mary Norton

  The Littles by John Peterson

  The Complete Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem

  Stuart Little by E.B. White

  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

  Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

  The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall


Please ⁠join the Facebook group⁠ and ⁠subscribe to our Substack Newsletter⁠!
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the Great Conversation.





Juvenile and YA Fiction: Conclusion

Emily joins Ian in this episode to talk about our first author who writes solely in the YA genre: John Green. They discuss what makes his work so different from others we’ve covered this season and what that means for parents and readers who want to benefit from his rich, literary voice. 
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 Turtles All the Way Down

 Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction by Nick Ripatrazone

  Vlog Brothers

  Crash Courses

  “Has this artist ever seen a baby?”

  Heavyweight #37: John Green

  The Anthropocene Reviewed

  Looking for Alaska

  The Fault in our Stars

  Paper Towns 

  An Abundance of Katherines

  A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 


Please ⁠join the Facebook group⁠ and ⁠subscribe to our Substack Newsletter⁠!
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the Great Conversation.

Juvenile and YA Fiction: John Green

In this episode, Megan joins Ian to talk about the magic of Jeanne Birdsall’s Penderwicks series. They discuss what it is about this series that appeals so well to audiences of all ages and what that can teach us about good writing for young readers.


Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!

 The Penderwicks Boxed Set

 The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

  The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

  The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

  The Penderwicks in Spring

  The Penderwicks at Last

  Harry Potter Boxed Set

  Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt


Please ⁠join the Facebook group⁠ and ⁠subscribe to our Substack Newsletter⁠!
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the Great Conversation.

Juvenile and YA Fiction: Jeanne Birdsall

What can CenterForLit’s favorite children’s author teach us about the difference between juvenile and YA fiction? Adam and Missy sit down with Ian in this episode to talk about what makes the work of Gary D. Schmidt so special. 
Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!

 BiblioFiles Episode #19: An Interview with Author Gary D. Schmidt

 Orbiting Jupiter

  Okay for Now

  The Labors of Hercules Beal

  Straw Into Gold

  Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

  The Wednesday Wars

  Just Like That

  A Long Road on a Short Day by Elizabeth Stickney and Gary D. Schmidt

  Pay Attention, Carter Jones


Please ⁠join the Facebook group⁠ and ⁠subscribe to our Substack Newsletter⁠!
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the Great Conversation.

Juvenile and YA Fiction: Gary D. Schmidt

The next genre we're discussing this season has a special place in Andrews family lore. By tradition, each new generation is handed a mystery novel as they come of age to encourage a lifetime love of reading. Adam joins Ian in this episode to discuss his own affinity for the genre, and the two reminisce about their first encounters with detective fiction. 


Referenced Works:
You can support the CenterForLit Podcast Network by making a purchase through our affiliate programs!

 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

  And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

  The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe

  The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

  The Complete Father Brown Mysteries by G.K. Chesterton

  Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers

  Bleak House by Charles Dickens

  The Hardy Boys Starter Set

  Encyclopedia Brown Box Set by Donald J. Sobol

  In the Woods by Tana French

  The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

  Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

  Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

  Nancy Drew Starter Set




Please ⁠join the Facebook group⁠ and ⁠subscribe to our Substack Newsletter⁠!
We love hearing your questions and comments! You can contact us by emailing i.andrews@centerforlit.com, or visit our website www.centerforlit.com to find even more ways to participate in the Great Conversation.

Bonus Episode: Interview with Historian and Author Robert Tracy McKenzie

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