Penn and Scrapple discuss a childhood classic "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Who knew it would be enjoyable to find out how people lived in the 1860s,  hunting their own meat and harvesting their own grain and collecting their own maple sugar! 

Penn and Scrapple travel back to 8th grade where they first read "The Giver" by Lois Lowry in English class.  A society that prioritizes safety, politness, and precision of language sounds good in theory but the loss of passion, color, and music bring up the question if such a life is worth it. Learn about Jonas, baby Gabriel and the wise Giver as they try to revolutionize their society. 

Penn and new cohost Joysey discuss "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. A teen classic featuring a boy Charlie as he travels through his freshman year of high school, making new friends and trying to keep them all while being a sensitive lovely soul. 

Penn is joined by her high school buddy Rusty as they reread a true adolescent classic "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger. Holden Caulfield is on the lookout for phonies and sees them everywhere. This doesn't of course, keep him from conversing with them, I swear to God. 

Happy Election Day! Today, Penn and new cohost Mijo discuss "My Brother Sam is Dead," by James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier. While this book takes place during the Revolutionary War, Mijo discusses his own experience as a soldier and how the theme that "war is ugly" carries through time.  

Penn and Scrapple celebrate Halloween with an ice cold "Pint of Poe."  Since it is the hangover day, Scrapple discusses a favorite poem "The Raven," while Penn discusses "The Cask of Amontillado," by the illustrious Edgar Allen Poe.  

Welcome new cohost Katya as she and Penn discuss a Scholastic book fair classic, Goosebumps by R.L. Stine! Specifically focusing on the book "The Haunted Mask," the girls talk bullying, boys, and when to go home. Bonus content in the episode: some choice Russian phrases relevant for everyday life. 

Penn and Quinn discuss a high school staple "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. The play, while written in the shadow of McCarthyism, is still relevant today.  Does it seem like a good idea to take the accusations of teenaged girls seriously, especially if one is holding a grudge against her former employer? Well, the good people of Salem found  out too late. 

Join Penn and Scrapple as they parse a feminist staple, "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Interestingly, the woman in the story has parallels to Britney Spears and her struggles under a conservatorship. At any rate, #freedbritney is out there loving life. 

Penn and Scrapple kick off spooky season by discussing one of Scraple's favorite horror books "Carrie" by Stephen King.  While the story is legendary, the duo delve into the details of religion, womanhood, and lust.