This week I am debuting a special summer camp series!!

Haley OC joins me to discuss SUNKISSED by Kasie West, a YA romance inspired by Dirty Dancing.

Avery has always used music as an escape. But after her best friend betrays her, even her perfectly curated playlists can't help her forget what happened. To make matters worse, her parents have dragged her and her social-media-obsessed sister to a remote family camp for two months of "fun." Just when Avery is ready to give up on the summer altogether, she meets Brooks--mysterious, frustratingly charming Brooks--who just happens to be on staff--which means he's off-limits. What starts as a disaster turns into. . . something else. As the outside world falls away, Avery embarks on a journey of self-discovery. And when Brooks offers her the chance of a lifetime, she must figure out how far is she willing to go to find out what she wants and who she wants to be. (Google Books)

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Writer Chad Morton (Abbott Elementary) joins me to discuss the most banned book of the 21st century: Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey.

Fourth graders George and Harold accidentally hypnotize their terrible principal into actually becoming Captain Underpants, the comic book hero they drew!

See Chad's work on Abbott Elementary on ABC!

Check out the work of Beetle Moses!

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Krista Moy returns to discuss William Golding's 1954 classic Lord of the Flies! Also it's EPISODE 75!! We did it babes!

A group of boys crash-land on an island and all hell breaks loose.

Check out Krista's previous episode about A Streetcar Named Desire!

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This week Justine Engel joins me to read our first American Girl DOLL book: Meet Samantha! In 1904 wealthy orphan Samantha Parkington realizes the injustices that exist in the world around her, including child labor, segregation, and women's suffrage.

Next week is our 75th episode! We will be reading Lord of the Flies - come prepared!

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Filmmaker Molly McGlynn joins me to discuss our first poetry collection - Shel Silverstein's WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS! We ask the critical question: was Shel Silverstein hot? Let us know.

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Longest episode title ever? Perhaps. You're welcome.

Teaching artist Sara Childrey joins me to discuss TWO movies: The Swan Princess (1994) and Barbie of Swan Lake (2003)!

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Check out some other movie episodes:

• The Nightmare Before Christmas!
• The Last Unicorn!

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Poet and author Erin Taylor joins me to discuss Kate Chopin's 1899 novel THE AWAKENING.

Edna Pontellier struggles between her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century Louisiana. (Wikipedia)

Erin Taylor's book Bimboland!

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Author Alex Brunkhorst joins me to discuss what was almost our very first book - The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. It just turned 100!

Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire with an obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. (Wikipedia)

Read Alex's novel The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine!

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Another solo episode! Do you like these? Please let me know.

Goosebumps book 3 follows Evan Ross when he discovers a can of "Monster Blood" in an old toy store. And it's got an appetite.

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Listen to Goosebumps Book 2!

Listen to Goosebumps Book 1!

Book two in our Goosebumps deep dive! Something weird is going on with Dad ever since he got fired from his job - and why is he wearing that hat all the time? Could be he's a mad scientist!

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Listen to Goosebumps Book 1!