Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Joe is joined by Justin Nordell to discuss Peter S. Beagle's 1968 fantasy novel The Last Unicorn, as well as Rankin and Bass' 1982 animated film, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

We talk about the kindertrauma of both texts, particularly the Harpy and the Red Bull characters, as well as the universality of searching for self-identity and losing yourself pretending to be something you're not. Plus: the "feminine" animation style, the first all-star voice cast and why Tammy Grimes' performance as Molly Grue is so emotionally impactful.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

> Justin: @jnordell / Insta: @mogwai47

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Nov 24: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) / Peter Brook (1964)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Brenna taking a breather, Joe recruits former guest Jenn Adams to tackle director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's Netflix's '90s throw-back, Do Revenge. The Camila Mendes/Maya Hawke film is perfectly cast and feels extremely timely in its discussion about female friendship and the patriarchy, with plenty of commentary on race, class and queerness.

Plus: spotting all of the YA homages, costume designer Alana Morshead's influences, why Max is so hateable and SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR (!!!)

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

> Jenn: @jennferatu

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Nov 24: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) / Peter Brook (1964)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hopping on the Lana Condor train for one last Spooky Season entry with Netflix's Boo, Bitch! Spoiler: the first half of the season is silly fun...then the back half happens.

We're *extremely* annoyed at the "twist" (not a twist) that the creative team isn't really interested in exploring, how heavily prom and the idea of a high school legacy figure into the narrative and how grating Condor's Erika Vu becomes. What went wrong here?!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Nov 24: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) / Peter Brook (1964)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spooky season continues as Brenna and Joe tackle 2002's gothic vampire lesbian boarding school text The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein and its 2011 adaptation by Mary Harron. While we're intrigued by the unreliable unnamed narrator and the teen girl drama, Brenna is very frustrated by the book's Afterword, which eliminates all ambiguity. Joe is more receptive because of his familiarity with Carmilla, but finds the film's disinterest in vampirism perplexing.

Plus: Scott Speedman in full whisper phase, Joe's love of a particularly bloody scene, bad flying and Brenna delivering backhanded compliments about Joe's choice of vampires

Reference: Scout Tofoya. "The Unloved: The Moth Diaries" Roger Ebert.com

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Nov 24: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) / Peter Brook (1964)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for another Banned Book discussion about Roald Dahl's The Witches (1963) which we've partnered with Nicolas Roeg's 1990 adaptation, as well as tangential conversation about Robert Zemeckis' 2020 film. Thanks to listener Miriam for contributing!

Yes, this book was banned...for promoting witchcraft, not Dahl's anti-semitism, which we have to discuss . It's such a shame because the book - with its willingness to put children in danger and its "grim dark" ending - is still great (bonus points for Quentin Blake's illustrations). Then the film is all about Anjelica Houston's Grand High Witch, cute Jim Henson mice, Roeg's POV camerawork and great practical FX.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Nov 24: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954) / Peter Brook (1964)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's not often we get to a show just after it's been cancelled, but that's the sad situation here as we tackle Brian K Vaughan and Cliff Chiang's excellent feminist sci-fi comic series Paper Girls and Stephany Folsom's 2022 Amazon adaptation.

We discuss how Vaughan has grown since Y: The Last Man (see previous episode), the perfectly 80s art, and the effortless representation. Then we praise the show for focusing on characters, particularly the interactions between the girls and their older selves and the tampon conversation in episode five. We miss this one already!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Oct 13: The Witches by Roald Dahl (1983) / Nicolas Roeg (1990)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's week 2 of our coverage of Vampire Academy and we're ending with a whimper! The 2022 Peacock series by The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec and actress Marguerite MacIntyre is confusing, boring and poorly paced. Sure the people are pretty, but that isn't getting us through 50+ minute episodes of some of the worst world-building we've ever seen on a YA series.

References: Joe's Bloody Disgusting Review

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Oct 13: The Witches by Roald Dahl (1983) / Nicolas Roeg (1990)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Brenna away one more week, Joe recruits recurring guest Jenny Nulf to gush over Zoey Deutch's star-making turn in Mark Waters' 2014 Vampire Academy.

The film wisely eschews a ton of the mythology in author Richelle Mead's novel, though the mix of comedy, YA and horror don't always mesh well (looking at you, Claire Foy).

Plus: the book's oh-so-2000s depiction of self-harm and slut shaming, the bland blonde playing Lissa, and complaints that Dimitri is too old and not attractive enough for this adaptation!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Jenny: @jennyleighx33

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say? Email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Brenna's absence, Joe recruits Nichole Goble for a return to Sick Lit with Justin Baldoni's directorial debut, Five Feet Apart (2019) and its novelization by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis.

This free flowing discussion tackles the depiction of CF in the film and the criticisms lobbied at both texts, which acknowledging that they did help to raise awareness of the disease. Plus: the sick bodies of stars Richardson and Sprouse, why we don't buy their love affair, the realities of divorce, and how the different endings between film and novelization change its meaning.

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Nichole: @bodiesofhorror

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say? Email us at [email protected]

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Brenna's back! Eschewing our usual approach, Brenna catches Joe up about her tumultuous summer and her decision to make her Portfolio for Tenure & Promotion open to the public, which leads to a discussion about why transparency and failure is so important.

Then we run down some significant YA texts to keep on your radar, including a few that we're very excited about!

Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:

> Brenna: @brennacgray

> Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a comment about banned book club? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us your responses before the following deadlines:

> Oct 13: The Witches by Roald Dahl (1983) / Nicolas Roeg (1990)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.