I haven’t laughed so hard in a very long time.

In this episode, SG and I talk to ourselves and you of this Earth and compare notes on all sorts of things. Enjoy!

This week I’m talking with Payal Doshi about her wonderful new book: Rea and the Blood of the Nectar (The Chronicles of Astranthia #1)

If you are looking for a new Middle-Grade Fantasy Series this Summer, you’ll want to pre-order this story now.

The night that Rea and her twin brother turn twelve, everything changes for them. They live in Darjeeling, India, near a tea plantation, and when Rohan goes missing on their 12th birthday. But he isn't in Darjeeling; he is held captive in the land beyond the banyan tree, Astranthia. It is up to Rea and her best friend Leela to find and save Rohan and maybe find out the secrets Amma has kept hidden from her.

I could not have loved this story more. I chose it to close out our first year of The Bookish Society this Summer. (it'll be a two-book month)

Kate and I had a lovely conversation about books, kids, and reading. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Think Black Mirror for kids. Adam Perry is my guest today, and his new book, The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children's Books, is one that you will want to pre-order if you are listening now, or purchase after March 2, 2021.

This story within a story may be hard to explain, and that is just what makes it one of the most creative books I've read in the Middle-Grade realm.

Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of The Eye of Ra adventure series for middle graders. His books The Eye of Ra and Sol Invictus take kids on adventures through time.

In The Eye of Ra, John and his sister Sarah explore a cave in the mountains behind their home and mysteriously time travel to Egypt. In Sol Invictus, they are surrounded by clashing cultures on the ancient Roman frontier. They must fulfill their quest to unite the Roman Emporer or risk being stuck in time forever.