After a three-week absence from podcasting, I am back and ready for a new episode! Today's episode pays tribute to my favorite TV show of all time...Seinfeld! I am discussing nine books today, all themed by Seinfeld episodes. Fun stuff!

 

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST:

Lois Lane series by Gwenda Bond ("The Race")

Game Seven by Paul Volponi ("The Seven")

We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen ("The Frogger")

You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner ("The Lip Reader")

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller ("The Puffy Shirt")

Saving Red by Sonya Sones ("The Bookstore")

Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn ("The Milleneum")

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus ("The Wizard")

Watched by Marina Budhos ("The Reverse Peephole")

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

After last week's super-serious topic of teen anxiety, I thought we'd take a lighter turn this week. For Episode 11, we are talking about superheroes. This episode was partially inspired by my family's obsession with the TV series The Flash. Though I've never actually sat down to watch it, I know exactly what's going on because it seems it is ALWAYS playing on Sundays at my house. The hubs and my boys LOVE The Flash, and thought they do watch other superhero series, it seems The Flash is the go-to favorite each week.

 

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST:

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash

School for Sidekicks by Kelly McCullough

Sidekicked by John David Anderson

Hero by Mike Lupica

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee

Dreadnought by April Daniels

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti

Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Traci Deebs

Powerless by Matthew Cody

The Mighty Odds by Amy Ignatow

V is for Villain by Peter Moore

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

Today, we are talking about teen anxiety, something that I like to feature with students every school year at this time. For the past two weeks, I have partnered with our school counselor, Andrew Palmer, in a presentation for Year9 (8th grade) students. It's been a fantastic couple of weeks of in-depth conversations with our students on an issue that is all too real for some of them.

Today's podcast features our first guest interview, our school counselor, Andrew Palmer. As we did with our Year9 student presentation, Mr. Palmer will talk first about anxiety, what it is, and why schools need to help students recognize it. After the interview, I will feature 12 fiction and nonfiction titles that will help teens learn to recognize and manage their own anxiety.

 

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST:

Boys Don't Knit (in Public) by Tom Easton

Ten Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac

Nice Girls Endure by Christina Struyk-Bonn

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

I Don't Want to Be Crazy by Samantha Shutz

Freaking Out: Real-Life Stories About Anxiety by Polly Wells; illustrated by Peter Mitchell

The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens by Jennifer Shannon and Doug Shannon

Lily & Dunkin by Donna Gephart

Frazzled by Booki Vivat

101 Ways to Conquer Teen Anxiety by Thomas McDonagh and Jon Patrick Hatcher

The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside

 

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

Happy Valentine's Day! Today's episode has nothing at all to do with flowers and candy and syrupy romances. No way! Instead, I mixed a bunch of different genres into a huge box of book chocolates whose titles spell out "VALENTINE'S DAY." V is for... 

 

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST:

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

And I Darken by Kiersten White

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick

Never, Never by Brianna Shrum

This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Starflight and Starfall by Melissa Landers

Dumplin by Julie Murphy

Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee by Mary Thompson

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

 

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

With all the turmoil surrounding refugees and their status in the USA right now, I decided to do this week's podcast about books that help students understand the refugee experience. This podcast features 12 titles: 4 picture books for older readers and 8 titles for teens and tweens. All of these titles are well-written and will help young readers start to form their own opinions about what kind of help Western countries give to refugees escaping war and extreme poverty in their homeland.

All books featured in my podcasts are for teen and tween audiences, though I'm sure many adults will love them as well. For more podcasts, book reviews, lesson ideas, and genrefication tips, please visit me at my blog listed below.

 

FIND ME AT:

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST:

Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams

My Beautiful Birds by Suzanne Del Rizzo

The Hiding Game by Gwen Strauss

Adrift at Sea : a Vietnamese Boy's Story of Survival by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch and Tuan Ho

How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana and Abigail Pesta

Hidden by Miriam Halahmy

The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz

Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town by Warren St. John.

Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

 

“Hatred doesn’t solve a thing.

Justice needs to be fought for and demanded.

It can come from anyone even a teenager like myself.”

--Sandra Uwiringiyimana; How Dare the Sun Rise

Welcome to Episode #7!  My name is Leigh Collazo, and I am a certified school librarian and former middle school English teacher. I'm currently living and librarian-ing in beautiful Suzhou, China. Above all else, I love talking about books!

Since I live in China, I couldn't let Chinese New Year pass by without a podcast dedicated to the celebration. Chinese New Year is really quite something, so in this podcast, I talk about what it's like to live in China during Chinese New Year and what my family has done to celebrate.

My booktalk this time is a bit different. Instead of organizing by genre, I've paired a YA or MG book with each of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Some of these animals were very difficult to pair a book with, so on a couple of them, I had to stretch my imagination a bit!

All books featured in my podcasts are for teen and tween audiences, though I'm sure many adults will love them as well. For more podcasts, book reviews, lesson ideas, and genrefication tips, please visit me at my blog listed below.

 

FIND ME AT:

MrsReaderPants blog

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST:

The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac by Anne Wilson

Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin

Misunderstood: Why the Humble Rat May Be Your Best Pet Ever by Rachel Toor (Rat)

Bull by David Elliott (Ox)

Calvin by Martine Leavitt (Tiger)

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes (Rabbit)

Falling Into the Dragon's Mouth by Holly Thompson (Dragon)

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (Snake)

The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman (Horse)

Crow Mountain by Lucy Ingles (Horse)

West of the Moon by Margie Preus (Goat/Sheep/Ram)

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Monkey)

Egg & Spoon by Gregory MacGuire (Rooster)

A Dog in the Cave by Kay Frydenborg (Dog)

Some Writer! The Story of EB White by Melissa Sweet (Pig)

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

 

CHINESE PHRASES MENTIONED:

Xīn nián kuài lè! -- Happy New Year! Jī nián dà jí! -- Wish you luck in the Year of the Rooster! Zài jiàn -- Goodbye (literally, "again see")

Welcome to Episode #6, part 3. Today's podcast, Civil Rights and Racial Inequality, has been split into three parts: YA titles (grades 8+), Middle Grade titles (grades 5-8), and Picture Books for Older Readers (grades 5+).

This episode is Part 3, so we are discussing picture books for older readers.

My name is Leigh Collazo, and I am a certified school librarian and former middle school English teacher. Let's talk about books!

 

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN PART 3:

The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, A Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson

We March by Shane W. Evans

Strange Fruit by Gary Golio

The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow Miller

Sugar Hill: Harlem's Historic Neighborhood by Carole Boston Weatherford

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan

Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game by John Coy

The Case for Loving by Selina Alko

28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith

 

ALSO MENTIONED:

Loving Vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson

Turning Fifteen on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery

"Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees

 

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016

Welcome to Episode #6, part 1.  My name is Leigh Collazo, and I am a certified school librarian and former middle school English teacher. Let's talk about books! Today's podcast, Civil Rights and Racial Inequality, has been split into three parts: YA titles (grades 8+), Middle Grade titles (grades 5-8), and Picture Books for Older Readers (grades 5+).

This episode is Part 1, so we are discussing YA titles.

FIND ME AT:

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN PART 1:

The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)

Lies We Tell Ourselves (Robin Talley)

Loving Vs. Virginia (Patricia Hruby Powell)

How It Went Down (Kekla Magoon)

Allegedly (Tiffany Jackson)

The March Trilogy (John Lewis)

X: A Novel (Ilyasah Shabazz)

Out of Darkness (Ashley Hope Perez)

The Truth of Right Now (Kara Lee Corthron)

 

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

 

"We went down to the public library trying to check out some books, and we were told

by the librarian that the library was for whites only and not for colors."

--Congressman John Lewis, author of The March Trilogy

Welcome to Episode #6, part 2. Today's podcast, Civil Rights and Racial Inequality, has been split into three parts: YA titles (grades 8+), Middle Grade titles (grades 5-8), and Picture Books for Older Readers (grades 5+).

This episode is Part 2, so we are discussing Middle Grade titles, which are ideal for students in grades 5-8.

My name is Leigh Collazo, and I am a certified school librarian and former middle school English teacher. Let's talk about books!

 

FIND ME AT:

MrsReaderPants blog

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN PART 2:

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom (Lynda Blackmon Lowery)

Brown Girl Dreaming (Jacqueline Woodson)

Stella By Starlight (Sharon Draper)

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights (Steve Sheinkin)

Things Too Huge To Fix By Saying Sorry (Susan Vaught)

Night on Fire (Ronald Kidd)

Midnight Without a Moon by Linda Williams Jackson

 

ALSO MENTIONED:

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon (Steve Sheinkin)

The Help (Kathryn Stockett)

A Wreath for Emmett Till (Marilyn Nelson)

Granddaddy's Turn (Michael Bandy)

 

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016

Welcome to Episode #5! My name is Leigh Collazo, and I am a certified school librarian and former middle school English teacher. Let's talk about books! Today's podcast features 10 books for teens and tweens who encounter complex moral and ethical situations.

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TITLES DISCUSSED IN TODAY'S EPISODE:

How to Steal a Dog (Barbara O'Connor)

Awkward (Svetlana Chmakova)

Bystander (James Preller)

Sunny Side Up (Jennifer and Matthew Holm)

Scythe (Neal Shusterman)

Genesis Girl (Jennifer Bardsley)

Hidden (Miriam Halahmy)

The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)

All the Rage (Courtney Summers)

Kill the Next One (Federico Axat, trans. David Frye)

 

ALSO MENTIONED:

FirstNews daily videos

5 moral/ethical situations used with my seventh graders (see PowerPoint in podcast blog post)

 

MUSIC CREDIT:

"Let It Be Christmas" by Nicolai Heidlas. Licensed under Creative Commons, 2016.

 

"If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.” – Roald Dahl