What makes a good mystery? We talk to writer Varian Johnson, author of The Parker Inheritance. Kitty Felde, who writes her own mystery series THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES is host.

We're happy to report that the number 3 most popular episode of Book Club for Kids is no mystery...actually, it IS a mystery: Varian Johnson's The Parker Inheritance.

Do you love a mystery? Do you love playing detective, looking for clues on every page? This week’s novel is about a lot of things – segregation, bullying, and most of all, a family mystery. 

This week's episode is "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson. Our readers are from Washington DC’s AIM Academy. Actress Sheila Collins is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

And by the way, if your school is in LA County, we'll come out and tape a Book Club for Kids episode in your classroom! Just have your teacher, parent, or librarian contact us at the website and click on the "Want to be on the show?" button.

Can you believe it? Book Club for Kids began ten years ago in the summer of 2015. And we’re celebrating by counting down our top ten most listened to episodes over the past decade. This week, just in time for the second installment in the Bad Buys series is the graphic novel that started it all: number four on our top ten list, Aaron Blabey’s The Bad Guys.

Can bad guys turn over a new leaf? 5th graders at Kimball Elementary School in Washington, DC discuss Aaron Blabey's graphic novel The Bad Boys. Actor Steve DeVorkin is our celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

Book Club for Kids is the show where kids talk about books. Free reading tips at the website.

You can be on the show, too. Info at the website.

Writer Jerry Craft confesses that he wasn't much of a reader when he was a kid. Kitty Felde is host.

We continue our celebration of ten years of podcasting by looking back at our most popular episodes. This week, it's number 5 on our top ten list: New Kid.

How do you fit in at a new school? Readers from Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C. discuss the Newbery Award-winning graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft. They even suggest an alternate version of the book. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

The Creepy Cafetorium - Nick Murphy, Colleen Af Venable, Paul Ritchey, Marcie Colleen, Joe McGee, and Shelby Arnold

Nina the Birthday Cake Fairy - Daisy Meadows

Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! - Dr. Seuss

Peter Brown is both a writer and illustrator. We talk to him about how he plots a story and the teacher he hated who set him on his path to becoming a professional artist. Kitty Felde is host.

Do you have a relationship with the robot in your life? You'll fall in love with "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown. 4th graders from Flora Hendley Elementary School in Washington, D.C. discuss artificial intelligence and their own favorite robotic devices. U.S. Congressman Scott Peters from San Diego is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

Dork Diaries- Rachel Renée Russell

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - Jon Scieszka

The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

We're celebrating our ten year anniversary as a podcast! And to celebrate, we're counting down our list of the TOP TEN MOST LISTENED TO EPISODES. This week, it's number 7: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. We're lucky to have DC's Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton as our celebrity reader. Students from Washington DC's Jefferson Academy discuss the novel with host Kitty Felde.

Favorite Books from Jefferson Academy

Recommended by Jefferson Academy's Aarianna, Enyjaih, and Reece:

Little Women - Louisa Mae Alcott

145th Steet - Walter Dean Myers

Recommended by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton:

Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

Recommended by Kami Garcia:

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis The White Mountains - John Christopher The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien Spiderwick - HollyBlack/Tony DiTerlizzi The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

Recommended by YOU:

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

Ever wonder what a writer uses for inspiration? Angie Thomas tells us what gets her fingers flying over the keyboard.

www.bookclubforkids.org

Today it’s a book for older kids – "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas. Our main character is an aspiring rap star dealing with sudden fame and the reputation of her late father. Our readers are from West Education Campus in Washington, D.C. Actress Tallie Johnson is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host. 

Lost and Found (Bluford High Series #1) – Anne Schraff

The Day Tajon Got Shot - Beacon House Writers

When We Collided - Emery Lord

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Mildred D. Taylor