The SSR Podcast

It’s finally happening… we’re talking about Harry Potter on the podcast! More specifically, Episode 60 of SSR is all about the book that started it all: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In this episode, we talk about why the books have been challenged by conservative communities, obsess over the amazing world of Hogwarts and beyond, and chat about what we would have liked to see more of from Rowling’s female characters. Alli also reveals her true feelings about the movie adaptations and takes a guess at which House she would be sorted into. And that’s just the start… there’s so much to talk about when it comes to Harry!

Learn more about guest Gemma Hartley by following her on Instagram (@gemmalhartley) and Twitter (@gemmahartley).

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In Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, we meet Ender Wiggin, a six-year-old boy who has been identified as a high-potential child soldier in a future human society readying for war with an alien species known as “the Buggers.” To prepare him for life as a military leader, high-ranking officials send him to Battle School, where they put him through a series of war games and simulations while isolating him from his peers in an effort to hone his fighting skills. Ender excels, and in the book’s twist ending, we discover that he’s been given way more responsibility than he expected.

On Episode 59, we consider the book’s real antagonist, talk about what Ender’s Game has to say about good and evil and the moral implications of war, and discuss the lack of representation and social progress in a book meant to portray a more evolved future. We also spend quite a bit of time at the top of the show talking about the author’s problematic politics.

This week’s guest is Katy Rose Pool, author of the forthcoming YA novel, There Will Come A Darkness. Follow Katy on Instagram (@katyrosepool) and Twitter (@KatyPool).

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Originally billed as the real life diary of an anonymous teen drug addict, Go Ask Alice offers plenty of food for conversational thought — not only because of its graphic content, but because of the many questions of authorship that have emerged around it since the book was published in 1971. In Episode 58, Read It Forward’s Abbe Wright joins Alli to consider how much these questions of authorship really matter and to discuss the role that Go Ask Alice has played in drug and alcohol education for teens over the last few decades.

Follow Read It Forward on Instagram (@readitforward // @bookbento) and Twitter (@readitforward). Follow Abbe on Instagram (@abbewright1) and Twitter (@AbbeWright), too!

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Alli’s called a lot of SSR books her favorite… and this one is no exception! On Episode 57, she’s joined by writer and debut author Rebecca Fishbein to discuss Margaret Peterson Haddix’s 1995 thriller Running Out of Time, in which we meet a thirteen-year-old who thinks she lives in 1840s Indiana but is actually part of a weird tourist attraction plopped right in the middle of 1996. It’s up to her to escape to the modern world and save her loved ones from diphtheria — no pressure.

Tune in to this episode to hear Alli and Rebecca chat about their shared love of Colonial Williamsburg, the lack of adventure books geared toward young girls, accusations that the movie The Village was plagiarized from the book, and some plot points that didn’t hold up so well on the reread. They also consider whether or not the premise of Running Out of Time would be as shocking to kids in 2019 as it was to them in the nineties.

Follow Rebecca on Twitter (@bfishfish) and check out her forthcoming book of essays Good Things Happen to People You Hate, out in October 2019.

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As a high schooler, Alli missed the boat on reading S.E. Hinton’s iconic 1967 novel The Outsiders, but all that changed for Episode 56 of SSR! Along with guest Esther Zuckerman — a senior entertainment writer at Thrillist — she discovers the original context of “Stay gold, Ponyboy,” discusses the book’s unique portrayal of masculinity, and considers the ways in which its representation of marginalized youth and communities is (sadly) still relevant in 2019. Alli and Esther also talk about S.E. Hinton’s fascinating overnight journey from (literal) teen to publishing sensation and the larger cultural significance of The Outsiders.

Follow Esther on Twitter (@ezwrites).

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With the help of a cult fan base and a 2012 movie adaptation, Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 epistolary novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower has become a beloved piece of YA history for people of all ages. Chbosky’s beautiful writing has made the book iconic, and the way he presents sensitive subjects (sexual abuse, abortion, dating violence, suicide, drug abuse, and more) to teen audiences has made Perks a valuable lifeline for readers braving their own traumas. In Episode 55, Alli and guest Caitlin Flynn discuss the universal nature of Charlie’s story, chat about the nuances of high school social groups, consider how many heavy topics are too many heavy topics for one book, and dig deep into what The Perks of Being a Wallflower has to say about trauma, coping, and personal growth.

Caitlin Flynn is a freelance journalist who covers travel, politics, culture, and health through a feminist lens. Follow her on Twitter (@caitrose609) and Instagram (@thecaitlinflynn) and learn more about her work on her website.

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SSR is back for year TWO, and we’re kicking things off with a conversation about the first book in Francine Pascal’s beloved Sweet Valley High series, Double Love. In this episode, we (sadly) reveal a lot of problematic messages in the book about sexuality, class, privilege, and relationships. We also dive into the emphasis that these characters place on physical appearances and on the lack of female empowerment we see in Sweet Valley. There’s a hilarious game of FMK, a little Jessica vs. Elizabeth debating, and reflections on our own awkward teen years and misguided fashion choices.

Thanks so much to Grace Atwood and Becca Freeman, hosts of the Bad on Paper podcast, for joining Alli for Episode 54! Follow Bad on Paper (@badonpaperpodcast), Grace (@graceatwood), and Becca (@beccamfreeman) on Instagram, and be sure to check out more content from Grace on The Stripe.

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It’s round two of SSQ Q+A! Tune in to hear Alli talk about mental health, favorite music, podcast behind the scenes, favorite movies, body image… and for plenty of book talk, too. Thanks so much for all of your support in the first year of the podcast!

Follow Alli on Instagram (@ahoffkosik) and Twitter (@ahoffkosik).

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Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons was published in 1994 and went on to win the celebrated Newbery Medal in 1995. It’s the story of thirteen-year-old Sal’s journey — both literally and metaphorically — to learn (and accept) the truth of her mother’s recent disappearance, to empathize with the struggles that her peers are going through, and to find her own identity in the chaos of life. Walk Two Moons is populated with lovable characters and perfectly poignant moments… to say nothing of the beautiful writing!

Guest Katharine Scrivener joins Alli to discuss everything from guilt and grief to motherhood and mental health. You may recognize Katharine as bookstagram’s @readwithkat, and as one-fourth of The Bookly Club (@thebooklylcub)! Follow Katharine on Instagram (@katharinescriv) for more book hoarding, as well as resources about Cystic Fibrosis.

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Among the Harriets and Nancys of the mystery world, Sammy Keyes has always been a breath of fresh, relatable air for kid readers. The first book in her eponymous series — Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief — was published in 1998, and author Wendelin Van Draanen went on to expand Sammy’s world with a whopping seventeen more titles! In Episode 51 of SSR, we take a closer look at the first book, reminiscing about how much we loved the zany cast of characters, reflecting on the lessons it teaches about avoiding snap judgements, discussing its take on interpersonal relationships, and swapping notes on a few elements that have aged a little less well. We also make lots of hilariously random pop culture references.

Thanks to LA-based writer and comedian Jocey Coffman for guesting! Follow Jocey on Twitter (@joceydotcom) and Instagram (@joceydotcom) for biting room temperature takes.

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