BookHuddle with Readgab

Robin Easter's own life experiences influenced the creation of their graphic novel about a new kid at a new middle school. In today's episode Robin and I discuss friendships, community and being true to yourself.

Find author Robin Easter
https://www.instagram.com/vellichorvictim/?hl=en
Middle School Monsters by Robin Easter https://www.amazon.com/Middle-School-Monsters-Graphic-Novel/dp/0316580252/

Chapters
00:00 Meet middle grade graphic novel author Robin Easter
03:16 What is Middle School Monsters by Robin Easter about
04:15 What inspired Middle School Monsters?
06:24 Why is it important to have graphic novels
07:10 Robin’s process for creating a graphic novel
09:29 Robin’s medium of choice to create the graphic novel art
10:10 Friendships in middle school
13:23 What has helped Robin be true to themself?
14:30 The theme of community in Middle Grade Monsters
16:28 Was Robin the new kid at school as a youth?
17:35 Upstaged by Robin Easter
19:40 Can we expect more middle grade graphic novels from Robin?
20:20 What led Robin to become an author?
22:30 Robin’s use of color in creating graphic novels
25:11 Robin’s book recommendations

Rigby is given a second chance when she is pulled into her favorite fantasy novel, but can she help the villian discover his second chance as well? Author Jessie Latimer and I discuss her debut novel, Again Behold the Stars, and all about second chances, redemption, taking charge of your own destiny, world building, what draws you into a story, and how you can affect others for good.

Find author Jessie Latimer
https://www.jessielatimerbooks.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jessielatimerbooks/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591213322414
https://www.tiktok.com/@jessielatimerbooks?_t=ZT-8zkpR5JuDaI&_r=1
Again Behold the Stars by Jessie Latimer https://www.amazon.com/Again-Behold-Stars-Jessie-Latimer/dp/1964726735/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

Jessie Latimer spent her childhood searching for portals to magical worlds like Hogwarts, Narnia, and Camp Half Blood. She never found one, but writing fantasy worlds of her own turned out to be the next best thing.
After earning her MFA, she settled down in the foothills of Georgia. When she’s not writing whimsical stories with unusual narrators, you can find her hanging out with her husband and son, murdering innocent house plants, and rereading her favorite books eighty-seven times instead of making progress on her TBR.
She is the author of Again Behold the Stars (Quill and Flame, 2026).

Chapters
00:00 Meet YA fantasy author Jessie Latimer
03:54 What is Again Behold the Stars About?
07:16 What is a book that pulled Jessie into the story?
08:29 Jessie on World Building
12:10 The toils of writing for Jessie
14:42 Being in charge of your own destiny
19:25 People can always change
20:44 How has Jessie seen the stories themes evolve and how have they affected her?
26:40 How do you affect someone else when going through your own intensities
29:48 A personal question for author Jessie Latimer and putting little parts of yourself into your books
33:08 Jessie’s book recommendation
34:40 What to read next if you loved Again Behold the Stars
36:40 What is next for author Jessie Latimer

This interview was very personal for me, so I, of course, got emotional. Sue Lloyd-Davies and I discuss her beautiful, heart-rending, fun, entertaining, and uplifting book Pinkie's Turnabout. This episode is for all of those kids whose lives are affected by the unique changing lifestyles with aging loved ones. If you have ever had a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia, then you can relate. If you have not, this episode is still for you because you may not realize that you have a child in your life who does or will experience life with a loved one struggling with such a disease. Also, it's just such a fun book! I mean a talking cat and wise granny? Go read it!

Find middle grade author Sue Lloyd-Davies 
https://www.suelloyddavies.com/
https://www.instagram.com/suelloyddaviesauthor/
https://www.facebook.com/slloyddavies/

Chapters
00:00 Meet middle grade author Sue Lloyd Davies
05:14 What is Pinkie’s Turnabout about?
06:38 What inspired Sue to write Pinkie’s Turnabout?
11:00 Use the book for conversations
15:12 The snarky talking cat
17:02 The benefits of pets (and for aging individuals)
20:43 How to start conversations with kids about aging family members (with Alzheimer’s and dementia)
26:35 Empathy for all people
28:19 How to go forward when we made a mistake?
The importance of the apology.
33:58 Acceptance when you can’t change someone’s life for them
36:34 The benefits of developing relationships with older family members
39:35 What’s next for author Sue Lloyd Davies
42:32 Sue’s book recommendations

Sometimes you find magic in unexpected places. Celesta's books all have some light fantasy to them, but are all based on some things in our real world that just seem magical. In Celesta's newest release, Reach, a boy is struggling with blended family relationships when he meets a tree that can talk and a friend with synesthesia.

Celesta Rimington's middle grade books are inspired by her childhood living in nearly every region of the United States, where she discovered that all places have whispers of magic, people to love, and weather worth describing. She holds a degree in social psychology and resides in Utah, where she can often be found in the boxing gym, singing show tunes around the house, or exploring mountain forests with her family and her Yorkie, Winston.

Find author Celesta Rimington
https://www.celestarimington.com/
https://www.instagram.com/celesta_rimington/?hl=en
http://facebook.com/celestarimingtonofficial
https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@celestarimingtonauthor⁩  

Chapters
00:00 Meet author Celesta Rimington
05:32 What is Reach by Celesta Rimington about?
06:58 Why did Celesta write about a blended family?
11:59 How Celesta went about researching for writing Reach
14:00 Why Celesta wanted light magic in her books
18:44 Synesthesia in Celesta’s book and how Synesthesia works
23:40 Developing friendships in Reach
27:08 Celesta’s book recommendations
30:25 What to read next if you loved Reach by Celesta Rimington
32:07 What’s next for author Celesta Rimington

Do you have a pet that you love so much that you think they would make the best friend if only they were human? I mean, no one understands you the way your pet does, right? What if your dog became human? YA author AJ Symon explores this fantastic possibility in his book, Golden Boy. 

Find author A.J. Symon 
https://ajsymon.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ajsymonwriter

Golden Boy by AJ Symon https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Boy-J-Symon/dp/1665985526/

Chapters
00:00 Meet YA author A.J. Symon
03:41 What is Golden Boy by AJ Symon about?
08:00 A golden retriever attitude in life. We should all live like a dog.
12:50 Hudson wasn’t normal and he inspired people - don’t worry about what people think of you
15:32 A book about transformation in more ways than one
17:30 Science that takes place in the book. Dog aging project
21:00 Communication skills we can learn from a dog
22:44 AJ’s strong characters
25:32 A screenwriter becomes a fiction novel writer
27:18 What is next for author A.J. Symon
27:47 AJ’s book recommendation and what to read next if you loved The Golden Boy

Author Megan E. Freeman is widely known for her popular middle grade books Alone and Away. The Secret to Belonging is Megan's debut young adult novel in verse about a girl from a hard home life who finds an escape as a foreign exchange student in Norway. Listen in to hear Megan share how her own life experiences inspired this story and what you can do with many of the themes within the pages.

Find author Megan E. Freeman
https://www.meganefreeman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/megan_e_freeman_writer/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/meganefreemanwrites?ref=aymt_homepage_panel#

The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman 
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Belonging-Megan-Freeman/dp/1665988401/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=

As an award-winning poet and educator, Megan E. Freeman brings her signature lyricism and deep empathy to a new and urgent YA story. The Secret to Belonging lays bare what it’s like to grow up in the shadow of a sibling’s addiction and in the cracks of a fractured family with unflinching candor and lyrical precision. Told in second person, the reader never learns the name of the narrator, instead seeing and feeling every moment as if they are in her shoes. The result is a deeply poetic reading experience, one that lingers long after the final page. Readers will also be swept off their feet by the romance between the protagonist and the Norwegian boy she falls head over heels for as she experiences the thrill of being truly noticed, possibly for the first time in her life.

Chapters
00:00 Meet middle grade and young adult author Megan E Freeman
04:56 What is The Secret to Belonging about?
06:56 Megan’s experience with poetry
07:56 How some of The Secret to Belonging is inspired by some of Megan’s own experience.
09:20 Telling a story in 2nd person without saying the main character’s name
10:53 Megan speaking on the ‘secret’ to feeling a part of group
14:05 How to help kids find joy when they are dealt a bad situation in life
16:46 The importance of making our own legacy and traditions
18:54 Food has a culture all its own
20:48 Weaving theme and analogy in The Secret to Belonging
23:40 How to help youth find the beauty in the world? The planet is more marvelous than you imagined.
26:22 Possessions - our relationship with stuff
29:18 What is next for author Megan E Freeman
31:19 Megan’s book recommendations
35:06 What to read next if you loved The Secret to Belonging by Megan E Freeman

For Micah Johnson his creation of Aku is a symbol for limitless dreams. In this episode we get to discuss how Micah went from retired baseball player to artist and children's book author. Micah uses his art and writing to inspire kids to achieve their dreams. 

Find author Micah Johnson 
https://aku.world/
https://www.instagram.com/akudreams/
https://www.instagram.com/micah_johnson3/
https://www.micahdreams.com/
Aku: Journey to Ibra by Micah Johnson https://www.amazon.com/Aku-Journey-Ibra-Micah-Johnson/dp/059381178X/
Aku: Battle for Pyra by Micah Johnson https://www.amazon.com/Aku-Battle-Pyra-Micah-Johnson/dp/0593811828/

Chapters
00:00 Meet middle grade author and retired major league baseball player Micah Johnson
03:16 The journey that led a baseball player to create Aku Journey to Ibra
05:50 What is Aku about?
10:32 What was hardest for Micah to work at to achieve as a dream?
11:45 Working on the dialogue
12:46 What Micah says to kids at school visits?
15:03 How can adults use the book Aku to help kids?
17:10 Family relationships
19:18 Micah’s book recommendation
21:50 What is next for Micah Johnson as an author?

Do you ever go looking for a book that will feel like reading it is like getting a hug? Then The Magic of Someday Soon is the book for you. In this episode Michelle Lee discusses her light magical book set in a small town, finding unexpected friends, how she has experienced magical moments in her own life, how art can effect us, loss/grief and more. 

Find author Michelle Lee
https://www.michelleleewritesmagic.com/home
https://www.instagram.com/michelleleewritesmagic/
https://www.facebook.com/Michelleleewritesmagic/
The Magic of Someday Soon by Michelle Lee
https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Someday-Soon-Michelle-Lee/dp/0374390932/
Between the Lighthouse and You by Michelle Lee
https://www.amazon.com/Between-Lighthouse-You-Michelle-Lee/dp/1250854040/

Before freefalling into writing children's literature full-time, Michelle Lee was a college English professor for 13 years; earned her doctorate in English Lit and MA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas; was an editor for various literary publications; and has been published across genres, from academic study guides to flash fiction to poetry. She's published two middle-grade novels with FSG / Macmillan: Between the Lighthouse and You (hard cover 2022; paperback March 2026) and The Magic of Someday Soon (March 2026). She is represented by Full Circle Literary and lives with her husband and daughter in Florida. 

Chapters
00:00 Meet middle grade author Michelle Lee
03:35 What is The Magic of Someday Soon about?
05:30 What is the light of someday soon?
08:38 When has Michelle felt that kind of magic in her own life?
10:00 Art shines a light on what’s deep in our hearts.
12:14 Art can bring something once lost back to found?
17:24 Does Michelle have a relationship with tea? Like in her book
20:42 The world tells us its secrets when you decide to see and hear them.
27:46 What caused Michelle to write about loss and grief
32:24 What is next for author Michelle Lee?
33:56 Michelle’s book recommendation and what to read next if you have loved The Magic of Someday Soon and Between the Lighthouse and You by Michelle Lee

Casting April by Wendy Lu is partly based on Wendy's own youth experiences with theatre and living with a tracheostomy tube. While April is partly based on Wendy as a youth, April has a lot of her own experiences as well. We get to hear all about parts of the story that were very much a part of Wendy's own life as well as other important moments like the unexpected friends April encounters and surprising layers to a teacher who could have been the villian for April. 

Find middle grade author Wendy Lu
https://www.wendyluwrites.com/
https://www.instagram.com/wendyluwrites/
https://www.amazon.com/Casting-April-Wendy-Lu/dp/B0FRDMD3MZ/

Wendy Lu is a journalist, a children’s book author, and a global speaker on disability representation in the media. She is a deputy editor at The New York Times and has covered disability, politics and culture for the last 10 years. Her work has appeared in HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Refinery29 and more. Wendy is the author of “Casting April,” a middle-grade novel from Penguin Random House about a girl who is determined to land the starring role in her school's play — except nobody believes she can do it because of her disability. "Casting April" was selected for the Indie Next List and the Indies Introduce List in 2026. She lives in New York with her husband, Andrew, and their turtle, Little Cloud.

Casting April by Wendy Lu
Twelve-year-old April is a talented performer who is determined to land the starring role in the school play, but no one believes she can do it because of her tracheostomy tube. A heartwarming story of friendship, identity, and the importance of chasing your dreams.
Sixth grader April Xue lives and breathes all things Broadway. When she builds up the courage to audition for the lead role in the school play, she thinks she’s knocked it out of the park—until she finds out that she’s been assigned to the stage crew. April is devastated—it seems like the curtain is closing on her dream of being an actor. 
A day later, April overhears that the theater director, Ms. Rooney,  decided not to cast her because she’s disabled. With the help of her best friend, a sneaky student reporter, and her spirited castmates, April learns to confront her own insecurities as a performer and proves to everyone (including Ms. Rooney) that she deserves a fair shot—all in time for opening night.

Chapters
00:00 Meet middle grade author Wendy Lu
03:01 What is Casting April by Wendy Lu about?
05:18 How is Casting April personal for Wendy? Was theatre something Wendy did as a youth?
08:50 Developing a middle school theatre story with disability representation
12:34 Finding friends in unexpected places
13:50 Parent relationships and the importance of kids letting their parents know what they need
16:43 Are any of Wendy’s other characters in Casting April based on real people from her life?
20:18 How to appropriately talk to someone about their trach tube?
24:14 What surprised Wendy when writing Casting April
26:59 If Wendy could get a message to her teenage self what would she tell her?
28:50 What else would Wendy like for readers to take away from Casting April
30:13 What is next for author Wendy Lu?
31:09 Wendy’s book recommendation
33:01 What to read next if you loved Casting April?

LIberty Biscuit and Little Pearl by Melanie Sue Bowles 

Find author Melanie Sue Bowles

Chapters
00:00 Meet middle grade author Melanie Sue Bowles
03:50 What is Liberty Biscuit about?
07:53 How did Melanie create the story?
10:27 A happy/strong family that has weaknesses
13:05 A mixed race family in a story
15:40 How did Melanie end up with rescue horses on her farm?
16:55 Real horses and donkeys Liberty Biscuit is based on
Around 19:30 ish How Liberty Biscuit teaches us empathy
21:35 What is next for author Melanie Sue Bowles
25:46 Melanie’s book recommendation