The SSR Podcast

Episode 190 is a historic moment for SSR because it explores a book series intended for truly younger readers: Peggy Parish’s Amelia Bedelia. Alli and her guest deep dive into a five-book box set and reminisce about the moments of wordplay and miscommunication they most remember from their childhood reading experiences. They also discuss the moments they found less charming as adult readers! They touch on Amelia Bedelia reboots, a reframing of perceptions of domestic work, how cool they felt when they learned to write in cursive, Amelia’s artful passive aggression, ageism, and what it really means to dress a chicken.

Kate Kennedy is the host of the Be There In Five podcast. Follow her on Instagram (@bethereinfive).

This episode is brought to you by Kensington’s newest title, Picnic in Someday Valley by Jodi Thomas.

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SSR is way overdue for a Saddle Club moment — but on Episode 189, it finally happens! Alli and her guests discuss the first book in Bonnie Bryant’s iconic horse girls series, Horse Crazy. They cover everything from their own personal horse girl experiences and middle school drama to Stevie Lake’s questionable business practices and the portrayal of POC in the book. Saddle up, because this episode is a very fun hang!

Hannah and Laura are the co-hosts of the On Wednesdays We Read podcast, which is fondly known as OWWR Pod. Tune in wherever you listen to your favorite pods and follow the show on Instagram (@owwrpod) and Twitter (@Owwrpod).

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Almost exactly one year to the day since SSR first dove into the Royal Diaries series, Alli and her guest are back to explore the fictionalized journal of another young royal. This time, the focus is on the second to last installment from the series: Anacaona, Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490. Having never learned about Anacaona, they share her story and lament the revisionist history that’s kept her out of our textbooks. They also discuss the value of learning history through epistolary novels, the parasocial nature of our relationships with royals over the years, the need for a wider range of narratives from marginalized communities, and so much more.

TW: suicide

Amber Burns is a writer, podcaster, and avid reader currently living in Philadelphia. Follow her on Instagram (@byamberburns) and Twitter (@byamberburns) and listen to her podcast Thank You For Asking wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of Kristy’s mom and Watson… but also the love among the members of the BSC. On Episode 187, Alli and her guest explore Ann M. Martin’s favorite Baby-Sitters Club installment, Kristy’s Big Day. They chat about blended families, Kristy as a queer icon, traditional gender roles throughout the series, and the class dynamics we see between the Brewers and the Thomases. They also praise the club’s entrepreneurial know-how and demand better pay for them! This is guest Alison Cochrun’s first-ever experience reading a BSC title, which makes it extra fun.

Alison Cochrun is the author of The Charm Offensive. Follow her on Instagram (@alisoncochrun) and Twitter (@AlisonCochrun).

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Break out those magnifying glasses, listeners! On Episode 186, Alli and her guest join one of the classic kid sleuths for some seriously interactive detective work. During their conversation about Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, they chat about the origins and evolution of the series as a whole, smart kids in pop culture, the portrayal of lone girl character Sally Kimball, and parallels between Encyclopedia Brown and the BSC. This episode is also heavy on the Gilmore Girls references! In a parallel universe, would Rory and Encyclopedia date successfully? Tune in and find out!

Jules Buonocore is the blogger behind The Literary Lifestyle, where books meet lifestyle. It’s like Reading Rainbow for grown-ups! Popular topics include celebrity book clubs, bookstagram tips, and the Rory Gilmore Book Club, which inspired this episode of SSR. Follow Jules (@bookish_jules) and the Rory Gilmore Book Club (@therorygilmorebookclub) on Instagram.

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On Episode 185, Alli and her guest have a bit of a love fest in honor of Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart. Alli is coming to the book for the first time and she compares notes with her guest, who remembers it fondly from her childhood. They talk about world building, the tricky business of translation, the author/reader relationship, compelling adult characters in books meant for kids, and grief. It’s a conversation about a book about books, so book lovers — get excited!

Akshaya Raman is the author of The Ivory Key. Follow her on Instagram (@akshraman) and Twitter (@akshraman).

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For the first time since the SSR episode about A Wrinkle in Time back in 2018, Alli returns to the world of Madeleine L’Engle, this time for a deep dive into A Ring of Endless Light. Listen to Episode 184 for conversations about everything from grief and loss to dolphins and ESP. Alli and her guest also share their thoughts on a series of potential love interests for main character Vicky and discuss the ways in which this book feels painfully timely for readers in 2022.

TW: suicidal ideation, depression, PTSD, trauma, grief

Claire Legrand is a New York Times bestselling author. Her new book Extasia is now available.

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On Episode 183, Alli and her guest get reacquainted with Shirley Temple Wong, the spunky young heroine from Bette Bao Lord’s In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. Shirley’s experience as a Chinese-American immigrant in 1947 inspires conversations about identity, language, race, the American dream, the pressures placed on marginalized communities, and (of course) baseball.

Traci Chee is the best-selling and award-winning author of books for young people, including The Reader, We Are Not Free, and most recently, A Thousand Steps Into Night. Follow her on Instagram (@tracicheeauthor) and Twitter (@tracichee).

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This week, SSR takes it allllll the way back to a classic with a conversation about Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess. Alli and her guest discuss the things they love about this cozy read, along with the weirdness with which it approaches gender, parental responsibility, race, class, privilege, manners, and morality. They also consider how movie adaptations influence our readings of an original text and dive into the world of Instagram manifesting babes.

Danya Kukafka is an agent at Trellis Literary Management and the author of Girl in Snow and Notes on an Execution. Follow her on Instagram (@danyakukafka) and Twitter (@danyakukafka).

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On Episode 181, Alli and her guests explore Francesca Lia Block’s I Was a Teenage Fairy. They discuss everything from fairy tales and beautiful writing to trauma and masculinity. They also examine what the book is saying about sexuality, size, empathy, and more.

TW: child sexual abuse, sexual assault

Emma Gray and Claire Fallon are co-hosts of Love to See It with Emma and Claire and co-authors of Rich Text. Follow them on Instagram (@claireandemmapod) and Twitter (@lovetoseeitpod).

Emma Gray is the author of A Girl’s Guide to Joining the Resistance. Her work, which focuses on gender, culture, and politics, can also be found in Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, NYLON, and HuffPost. Follow her on Instagram (@emmaladyrose) and Twitter (@emmaladyrose).

Claire Fallon is a books and culture writer. Previously a staff writer at HuffPost, her work can also be found in Vice and Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram (@claireefallon) and Twitter (@ClaireEFallon).

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