Dream Gardens: Talking Up the Children's Books We Love

An Interview with Bonny Becker

For my thirty-second Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Bonny Becker about her favorite middle grade novel,  Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

First published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books, the novel tells the story of Sophie, who as the eldest sister of three doesn’t expect much out of life. But when she is cursed by a witch, her transformation into an old woman changes her in more ways than one.  With nowhere else to turn, she flees to the moving castle of the notorious wizard Howl to try to get her spell lifted by a fire demon without Howl finding out. Howl, though, does not turn to be quite the monster she expected.  As a matter of fact, no one is quite who they are pretending to be, including Sophie. Part fantasy and part fairy tale, with a lot of humor, whimsy and just a touch of romance thrown in, Howl’s Moving Castle is a story about deception and magic and finding yourself in the most unexpected of ways.

Bonny Becker is author of the Mouse and Bear picture books, such as A Christmas for Bear  and A Visitor for Bear, as well as the picture book  Cloud Country and the middle grade novels The Magical Ms. Plum and Holbrook: A lizard’s tale.  She also contributes to the blog Books Around the Table. You can find Bonny’s website at bonnybecker.com and the blog she writes for at booksaroundthetable.wordpress.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on April 16th, 2018.

The post Podcast #32: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Daphne Benedis-Grab

For my thirty-first Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Daphne Benedis-Grab about her favorite young adult novel,  Fifteen by Beverly Cleary.

Originally published in 1956 by William Morrow and Company, the novel tells the story of Jane Purdy, a fifteen year old girl trying to muddle her way through the up and downs of her first serious relationship with a boy. The boy in question is Stan, the new kid in town, and when he asks her out, Jane feels like she is both over the moon and way over her head. She not the most popular girl, and she’s afraid she always getting ready to do or say the wrong thing.  Being fifteen isn’t easy, and Beverly Clearly tells Jane’s sometimes joyful, sometimes painful, and sometimes just plain awkward story with all the humor and insight she brings to all of her books.

Daphne Benedis-Grab is the author of such middle grade books such as Army Brats and Clementine for Christmas,  and the YA books The Girl in the Wall and Alive and Well in Prague, NY. You can find Daphne’s website at daphnebg.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on April 2nd, 2018.

The post Podcast #31: Fifteen by Beverly Cleary appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Mike Grosso

For my thirtieth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author, educator and musician Mike Grosso about his favorite middle grade novel,  Anastsia Krupnik by Lois Lowry.

Published in 1979 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the novel is the first of a series of nine books is about unusual young girl named Anastasia Krupnik. Anastasia has a green notebook where she keeps track of the things she loves, like the new wart on her thumb, and the things she hates, like the baby brother who’s on his way much too soon.  But when life comes at her, like her crush on Washburn Cummings who doesn’t even know she’s alive, her 92 year old grandmother who can’t remember her name, and teachers who don’t understand when she pours her heart out in her poetry, it’s a whole lot for one ten year old girl to figure out.  But if anyone is up for meeting life head on, it’s Anastasia.

Mike Grosso is a fifth grade elementary teacher, musician, and author of the middle grade novel I am Drums. You can find Mike’s website at www.mikegrossoauthor.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on March 16th, 2018.

The post Podcast #30: Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Meera Sriram

For my twenty-ninth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Meera Sriram about two of her favorite middle grade novels,  The No. 1 Car Spotter and The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird , written by Antinuke and illustrated by Warwick Johnson Cadwell.

Published in 2010 and 2011 respectively,  The No. 1 Car Spotter and The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird tell a variety of stories about Oluwalase Babatunde Benson, a young boy in a rural African village (based on the author’s own childhood in Nigeria) who has a special talent for spotting cars before anyone else can, so much so that everyone calls him No. 1.  But car spotting isn’t No.1’s only talent. He has a knack for finding just the right solution for whatever problem visits his village. Whether it’s finding a way to get a group of rich tourists across a flooded road so Mama Coca-Cola can feed them her fried akara, or figuring out how to get his family’s goods to the market when their cart breaks down by inventing the Cow-rolla, No. 1 always finds a way to save the day. These two books (and there are four more in the series) are funny and entertaining and shine a small light on a part of the world not often seen in children’s books.

Meera Sriram is co-author of such books as Bijoy and the Big River and Endangered Animals of India. In addition, she blogs about multicultural children’s books  and offers presentations with a focus on Early Literacy. You can find Meera’s website at www.meerasriram.com

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on March 1st, 2018.

The post Podcast #29: The No. 1 Car Spotter and The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird by Antinuke appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Kimberly McDermid

For my twenty-eighth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed educator and kid lit blogger Kimberly McDermid  about one of her favorite middle grade novels,  Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker, written and illustrated by Shelley Johannes.

Published in 2017 by Hyperion, Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker is a book about an unusual young girl  who prefers to do her best thinking upside down (naturally). So when she shows up for her first day of third grade dressed as a Ninja, ready to start another upside down year with her best friend Lenny, everything turns topsy-turvy when Lenny shows up in new dress clothes . . . and with a new friend. Worse yet, Lenny is no longer interested in all the secret plans she and Beatrice had talked about last year. What’s an upside down girl to do? Come up with another secret plan to win back her friend of  course. Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker is a book about friendship and change and trying to find your place in a world that doesn’t always see eye to eye with an upside down thinker.

Kimberly blogs about kids’ books and authors at Storymamas with her two fellow kid lit bloggers Courtney and Ashley. You can find Storymamas at storymamas.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on February 15th, 2018.

The post Podcast #28: Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker by Shelley Johannes appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with E. Lockhart

For my twenty-seventh Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author E. Lockhart about one of her favorite YA graphic novels,  Nimona by Noelle Steveson.

Published in 2015, Nimona originally started as a Web comic in 2012, telling the story of shapeshifter and sidekick wannabe Nimona, who attaches herself to the super villain Lord Ballister Blackheart in his quest to undermine the Institute of Law Enforcement and Heroics, and in particular, his old nemesis Sir Goldenloin. But even for a villain like Blackheart, Nimona’s impulsiveness and tendency to cut a wide swath of destruction whenever she leaps into the fray is all a bit too much.  However, when they stumble across a dangerous secret at the Institute, everything turns upside down, and nothing will ever be the same again, especially Nimona.   Nimona is a book that is both funny and frightening, and whatever else you may think of Nimona, she is a true original  character not easily forgotten.

E. Lockhart’s books include the New York Times bestseller We Were Liars and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, which was a Printz Award honor book, a National Book Award finalist, and recipient of the Cybils Award for best young adult novel.  Her latest novel is the young adult suspense novel Genuine Fraud, published this year by Penguin Random House. In addition, she teaches creative writing at Hamline University’s low-residency MFA program in Writing for Children. You can find E. Lockhart’s website at http://www.emilylockhart.com/.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on February 1st, 2018.

The post Podcast #27: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Roxanne Hsu Feldman

For my twenty-sixth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed librarian Roxanne Hsu Feldman about one of her favorite children’s books,  Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants by Sam Swope.

Published in 2004, Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants borrows story elements from Jack the Giant Slayer and Jack and the Beanstalk to tell the tale of a boy (named Jack of course) who’s blamed for the sudden appearance of seven deadly giants in the countryside. “Bad attracts bad,” is what he’s told, so he takes off on the back of a magic cow in search of the mother who abandoned him when he was a babe. One by one he encounters the giants, such as The Terrible Glutton, The Wild Tickler,  and Orgulla the Great. And one by one, using only his wits, as well as a bit of luck, he defeats them, until he encounters the Green Queen and makes a surprising discovery. Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants is a lively and humorous book, especially when done as a read-aloud.

Roxanne Hsu Feldman is a middle school librarian at the Dalton School in NYC. In addition, Roxanne has served on several book awards committees over the years, such as the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Notable Books for Children, and the Newburys. You can find Roxanne’s contributions for the blog Heavy Medals at blogs.slj.com/heavymedal.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on January 16th, 2018.

The post Podcast #26: Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants by Sam Swope appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Jane Smith

For my twenty-fifth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author and illustrator Jane Smith about one of her favorite children’s books,  Ivy and Bean – No News is Good News,  written by Annie Barrows and illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

Published in 2011 by Chronicle Books, Ivy and Bean – No News is Good News is the eighth book of the Ivy and Bean series.  Ivy and Bean are the best of friends, even if the only thing they have in common is a knack for getting into trouble. In this book, the girls  are determined to find a way to earn money to buy the red-wax covered little cheeses that are all the craze at their school. Their idea?  To snoop on their neighbors in Pancake Court and showcase all the juicy details in a newspaper called The Flipping Pancake. After all, what could go wrong?  As it turns out, just about everything.

You can find Jane’s website at superjane.com. Her latest books It’s Halloween Chloe Zoe  and It’s Thanksgiving Chloe Zoe, as well as other books in the Cloe Zoe series, are available at Albert Whitman  and Company’s website, which you can find at www.albertwhitman.com/series/other-series/chloe-zoe.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe.

I will be taking a holiday break from podcasting for the rest of December, but the Dream Gardens podcast will return on January 2nd, 2018 to start off the new year.  Until then, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

The post Podcast #25: Ivy and Bean – No News is Good News by Annie Barrows appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Denise Vega

For my twenty-fourth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Denise Vega about one of her favorite children’s books,  The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.

Published in 2015, The Thing About Jellyfish is a story of a young girl trying to make sense of her own guilt and grief.  Suzy Swanson and Franny Jackson were the best of friends growing up, but after a particularly awful falling out in middle school, they aren’t anymore. Then Suzy learns Franny has drowned while on vacation, and she doesn’t know what to do. First she stops speaking. Then she latches onto an idea while visiting an aquarium that Franny’s death must have been caused by a jellyfish sting. She becomes obsessed about proving this theory, and cooks up an outlandish scheme to make it happen. But what she learns is not what she expects. The Thing About Jellyfish is a story about lost friendships and new friendships, unsatisfactory answers to impossible questions, the loneliness of being different, and of course jellyfish.

Denise Vega is the author of several YA, middle grade and picture books, including Fact of Life #31, Click Here: To Find Out How I Survived 7th Grade, and her latest book, a picture book titled If Your Monster Won’t Go to Bed.  She also provides a manuscript critique and consultation service for other authors. You can find Denise’s website at www.denisevega.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on December 1st, 2017.

The post Podcast #24: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin appeared first on Dream Gardens.

An Interview with Charlotte Bennardo

For my twenty-third Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Charlotte Bennardo about one of her favorite children’s books,  Beautiful Joe: A Dog’s Own Story by Margaret Marshall Saunders.

Beautiful Joe is the fictional autobiography of a dog named Joe, based on an real-life incident told to the author. The book was originally published in 1893 under the name Marshall Saunders because Margaret did not think most people at that time would read a book written by woman.  In it, Joe relates his harrowing life as a puppy living with an owner who abuses and disfigures him.  But he is rescued by a loving family whose home brims with animals of all kinds,  and for whom the welfare of animals is a paramount concern. There Joe makes friends with the other dogs, horses, and birds that populate the household, and has many adventures.  Beautiful Joe  was a best-selling book in Canada for many years after its publication, and in 1995 a Beautiful Joe Society was created to maintain Joe’s memory and to establish a museum in the house where the original Joe lived.

Charlotte Bennardo is author of such books as the Evolution Revolution series, including Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She is also co-author of Blonde OPS and the Sirenz series . You can find Charlotte’s website at charlotteebennardo.blogspot.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. The next podcast will be published on November 16th, 2017.

The post Podcast #23: Beautiful Joe: A Dog’s Own Story by Marshall Saunders appeared first on Dream Gardens.