Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

We're so ready to discuss the most flattering pair of shared jeans you've ever owned! After a few weeks in the arena, a gentle realist YA is just what we need, so let's dive into the shared adventures of Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bee.

Up for discussion: Joe's flip flop appreciation for two stories in the book and the other two in the film, the antiquated ableism of the book, frustration at the sex of the director, and the amazing ferocity of America Ferrera in the film. Plus: a surprising discussion of the book's ties to 9/11 and a plagiarism scandal that ties back to Gossip Girl!

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

For a second week in row, Brenna and Joe dive into The Hunger Games, but this time we're venturing back to its 10th iteration, when Coriolanus Snow was but a mere 18 years ago. Little did he know he was about to create literally Every.Single.Component that defines the Games 64 years later!

We joke because we're tired. Reading this 528 page tome in 6 days is not recommended, as Collins' capacity for world-building is overwhelmed by poor editing, sheer repetition, as well as a continued reliance on children's death and the misguided belief that anyone wants a backstory for this main character (who P.S. has no arc!) 

It's not all bad, though, so grab a bowl of cabbage soup, prepare a song and settle in with us for a mix of spoiler-free and spoilers. 

• Spoiler-Free Review: 00:00 - 18:22
• Spoiler Filled Review: 18:22 - 40:56

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

Prepare your fire retardant costumes and choose your allies carefully because we are headed back into the dystopian wilds of The Hunger Games. For our second episode on a podcast namesake, we break out the big topics:

• Why is the love triangle so exhausting?
• Logistical questions about the need to return to the arena
• Peeta (once again) getting short shrift
• Is the book ableist or is it a critique of ableism?
• The curious incident of Katniss' disappearing pregnancy
• Joe repeatedly saying monkeys instead of baboons; and
• Our interest/apprehension about the forthcoming prequel

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

While Joe refuses to read a Victorian-era play, he's more than happy to watch film adaptations of them! This week we're checking out a plethora of YA tropes: the collaboration between suitors in an impersonation ruse, a "tricky kiss" and an epistolary romance. 

On one side of the ring is Sierra Burgess Is A Loser, one of our few remaining Noah Centineo joints, which gets as many things right as it does wrong (pour one out for the disinterest in female friendships!). 

On the other is the queer, POC frontedThe Half Of It, which is a warm, delightful film. Aside from a slightly frustrating climax, this is an absolute gem and features one of the best friendships we've ever seen on the show.

In homework: Brenna has finished Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (mentioned in the May/June forecast) and "similar to The Virgin Suicides" Long Live The Tribe of Fatherless Girls by Tier Kiera Madden. Joe, meanwhile, advocates for the fantasy escapism of House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig.

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

No one is more surprised than us to discover that the escapism we need and want could be found in the tale of three teenage girls from different backgrounds who meet at Shoplifters Anonymous. But here we are!

Brenna and Joe find the novel, filled with as many innovations as it has YA tropes, is an absolute delight. Alas the TV show, which has been unnecessarily stretched out to two (!) ten episode seasons, has lost sight of what makes the book so special. Despite great performances by its three female leads, all of the romantic relationships are icky and/or problematic and the narrative takes a hard left turn around episode 5 or 6 that loses us.

At least we have the book!

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

It's time for another YA Forecast as we run down our top picks for May & June 2020. First up we discuss homework: Brenna lauds Tiffany D Jackson's fall release, Grown, as well as Nic Sheff's Tweak, while Joe  praises Liz Lawson's The Lucky Ones.

Then it's time for our interview with former The Hunger Games guest, Alex Heeney. She stops by to discuss Seventh Row's new ePub, The 2019 Canadian Cinema Yearbook, which includes several prominent coming of age films.

Finally, it's time to forecast for May & June. Here are a few stand-out picks:

Brenna:

1. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
2. Breath Like Water by Anna Zarjab
3. Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith

Joe:

1. The Mermaid, The Witch & The Sea by Maggie Toduka-Hall 
2. Wonderland by Juno Dawson
3. I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

Honourable Mention:  Selah & The Spades (Amazon Prime)

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

Grab your magical item and prepare for a road trip across America because Brenna and Joe are embarking on a quest fit for a (Demi) God as we dive into Rick Riordan's 2005 YA franchise starter, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, as well as Chris Columbus' 2010 adaptation of the same name.

We discuss how the genesis of Riordan's epic is both empowering and also far too long. The author himself is similarly thorny: Brenna praises him for the advocacy work his Disney imprint is doing, but we find his entitled comments about the film and the looming shadow of Harry Potter off-putting. 

As for the film, we have questions: has screenwriter Craig Titley (or Columbus for that matter) ever actually met a black person? Why does the film think its audience is so dumb? And why does the final result feel like a such a bland, boring C-grade effort to kick-start a franchise?

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

Now we're talking! 

After a provocative minisode, listeners reached out to share their thoughts and stories on Sex in YA.  Clearly it's a topic that resonated because we got a wide variety of fascinating insights!

In homework: Brenna highlights Julie Murphy's Faith: Taking Flight (due in July) while Joe circles back to Catherine Linka's What I Want You To See , which he mentioned in the Feb YA Forecast.

Finally, we dive into the beautiful artistry of Eliza Hittman's third feature film, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which is essential viewing - provided you're in the right frame of mind. Viewer advisory: this isn't an easy, casual watch, so be kind to yourselves!

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

DUFFs unite!

Brenna and Joe are diving back into YA written by teenagers and it's another rocky property as we struggle with Kody Keplinger's 2011 book, The DUFF, as well as its 2015 film adaptation by feature novices Ari Sandel (director) and Josh A. Cagan (screenwriter).

Part of the problem? That title! Despite the book's best attempts to reduce the stigma of the term, Brenna can't overcome the cruelty and judgment of the moniker. While the book at least attempts to explore challenging topics (shame is handled well; alcoholism less so), at least it's more interesting than the film. 

Joe and Brenna can't help but wonder if Cagan simply watched other (better) YA films and read the back of the book before sitting down to write the screenplay, because the film is uninspired!  Thankfully we have Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell, who may just have the best chemistry of ANY couple we've seen thus far. That's right, we said what we said!

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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

Under threat of duress, Joe manages to wrangle Brenna into recording a minisode and, given the current state of the world, what better subject to tackle than S-E-X in young adult literature.

Prompted by Joe's polarizing reactions to  books that are graphic (Lev AC Rosen's Jack Of Hearts), pre-occupied (Camryn Garrett's Full Disclosure) or tepid "fade to black" fantasy (Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue), we tackle the shift from provocative, even risque sexuality in the 70s to the response to AIDS in the 80s and 90s, with a brief bit of blame on the chastity of franchise trend-setters Harry Potter and Twilight. 

For reference:

• Chambers, Aiden. The Toll Bridge. 1992
• Skurnick, Lizzie. "In Y.A., Where Has All the Good Sex Gone?" The New York Times.

Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:

• Brenna: @brennacgray
• Joe: @bstolemyremote

Have a book that prompted your sexuality maturity as a teen? Send us your story at [email protected]. See you on the page and on the screen!

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