Required Reading

Broadway's Natalie Ortega returns to discuss another entry in Camp Required Reading: CAMP ROCK!

From 2008, the DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie, of course) Camp Rock follows Mitchie (Demi Lovato) at the celebrated music camp where dreams are made, as long as no one finds out her mom is the new cook!

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Keara Sullivan returns to Required Reading to go to camp and, frankly, it's horrifying. We dive into Goosebumps THE HORROR AT CAMP JELLYJAM by RL Stine.

Wendy and her brother Elliot fall off their parent's car, down a mountain, and into Camp Jellyjam where something STINKS.

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Camp Required Reading is BACK, campers!

Victoria Harley (A Breath of Fresh Movie podcast) joins me to discuss RL Stine's 12th book in the Fear Street saga: Lights Out.

Holly doesn't like the outdoors, but she'll be a camp counselor to help her uncle save his failing camp - but someone's trying to sabotage it all!

Check out some of our other camp episodes: Sunkissed and Goosebumps: Welcome to Camp Nightmare!

Listen to Victoria's podcast A Breath of Fresh Movie!

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Author, creator, and marketing maven Madeline North returns to discuss a dragon classic: ERAGON by Christopher Paolini.

Young Eragon finds a dragon egg and quickly Saphira the dragon hatches. All matter of mayhem breaks loose as forces from throughout the kingdom seek out the egg.

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Listen to Madeline's previous episode on The Princess Bride!

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It's week two of Camp Required Reading and Chelsea Pope returns to discuss Goosebumps #9: Welcome to Camp Nightmare!

The food at Camp Nightmoon isn't great. The counselors are a little strange. And the camp director, Uncle Al seems sort of demented. OK, Billy can handle that. But when other campers disappear... and his parents don't answer his letters... Camp Nightmoon is turning into Camp Nightmare! (Google Books)

Check out Chelsea's previous episode on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest!

Check out Chelsea's podcast A Breath of Fresh Movie!

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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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