The SSR Podcast

Katherine Paterson’s beloved Bridge to Terabithia is the perfect subject for SSR’s milestone FIFTIETH episode! The winner of the 1978 Newbery Medal, this novel is perhaps best known for its truly heartbreaking ending and the way it introduces young readers to grief. Drawing on her own experience watching her young son lose a best friend to a tragic accident, Paterson touches on themes of imagination, friendship, poverty, conservatism, religion, and more in Terabithia. We take a deep dive into all of these subjects in Episode 50!

This week’s guest is Meg Elison, who identifies as an LGBTQ writer and essayist. She also writes satire and stage comedy for her sketch group, The Mess. Meg is well-known for a viral McSweeney’s essay entitled “If Women Wrote Men The Way Men Wrote Women,” and her novel The Book of the Unnamed Midwife  was named a “Best Book of the Year” by Publisher’s Weekly. Her latest novel is called The Book of Flora. Follow Meg on Twitter (@megelison).

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Published in 1989, Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat is the story of an LA native named Weetzie Bat who finds and creates family on her own terms, alongside her best friend Dirk and their partners Duck and Secret Agent Lover Man (these names!). The book explores themes of identity, sexuality, addiction, and suicide, and is ultimately a celebration of transcendent love, acceptance, and inclusivity. On this episode, we discuss the book’s queer themes, the beauty of found family, the problems with “cancel culture,” and the lessons that Weetzie Bat can teach all of us about how to be a good friend and ally. And don’t even get us started on how beautiful the writing is!

Thanks so much to author and illustrator Maia Kobabe for guesting on Episode 49! Maia identifies as nonbinary and queer, and eir first full-length book Gender Queer: A Memoir is now available from Lion Forge. Follow Maia on Instagram (@redgoldsparks) and Tumblr (@redgoldsparks), and learn more about eir work on Patreon.

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Quite possibly the darkest and most unique book we’ve read to date on SSR, The Brothers Lionheart is the story of brothers Jonathan and Rusky, both of whom die tragically in the first two chapters (!!!!) and find themselves in a seemingly idyllic afterlife called Nangijala. Once there, they get involved in a resistance movement against the evil Tengil. Written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren in 1973, the book has themes of bravery, sacrifice, and unconditional love. Many thanks to this week’s guest for introducing me to this novel (which we break down in great detail on the episode, for those who aren’t familiar!).

Amy Ignatow is the author and illustrator of The Popularity Papers series, The Mighty Odds, and Revenge of the Sis. Follow her on Twitter (@amyignatow).

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In celebration of Mother’s Day and special ladies everywhere, Alli welcomes her own mom Deb Cummins Stellato to Episode 47, in which they discuss a book they loved reading together years ago: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Tune in to hear them discuss childhood reading rituals, the importance of listening, the value of friendship, and loss. They also share about their love of animals and take a close look at the personalities of Charlotte’s Web’s animal characters and their own pets. Deb even dishes on a few embarrassing stories from Alli’s childhood!

Learn more about Deb’s work with Think Good Leadership, and follow her on Facebook (Think Good Leadership) and Instagram (@think_good_leader // @deb_cummins_stellato).

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Unless you can get yourself a time machine, there are few better ways to go back to childhood than to read a middle grade book — and Lois Lowry’s Anastasia Krupnik is written from such an amazing kid perspective that you’ll feel like an elementary schooler all over again when you pick it up. The first in a series of nine books, Anastasia Krupnik isn’t a fantastical journey or magical quest. It’s the story of a relatable (and cheeky and funny and dramatic) kid dealing with relatable — maybe even boring — things (baby brothers, crushes, ailing grandparents, and more). Writer and editor Kayleen Schaefer joins Alli on Episode 46 to discuss Anastasia’s misadventures, along with “cool parents,” misguided hairstyles, and the things that can easily go over a kid reader’s head.

Follow Kayleen on Instagram (@iknowkayleen) and Twitter (@kayleener).

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It’s Episode 45 and about time that we take a journey to the Island of the Blue Dolphins — AKA a small island off the coast of California where a woman actually survived alone for eighteen years alone in the nineteenth century. This woman’s incredible story inspired Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins, a book written in 1960 that won the Newbery Medal in 1961 and has continued to be a favorite for so many in the decades since. It’s certainly not without its problems — and we talk about those! — but we also discuss the pure badassery that is main character Karana.

Thanks to Perrin Brown for joining as a guest on this episode and sharing her thoughts on the book from the perspective of intersectional feminism. Follow her on Instagram @feministscript and @celiacqueen.

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In Episode 44, Alli is introduced for the first time to Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness quartet, and HuffPost’s Claire Fallon joins to discuss the first book in the series, aptly named Alanna: The First Adventure. In it, our heroine Alanna seeks to circumvent the expectations of girls in her society by dressing as a boy named Alan and taking her twin brother’s place at the palace, where she can begin training to becoming a knight. The book raises questions of identity, gender, conformity, and whether or not violet eyes are really ever found in nature.

Follow Claire on Twitter @ClaireEFallon and Instagram @claireefallon. Listen to the Here to Make Friends podcast!

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Published in 1967, Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s Newbery Honor-winning book The Egypt Game is the story of April Hall and Melanie and Marshall Ross, three smart, imaginative kids who create their own land of ancient Egypt in the backyard of a mysterious local curio shop. They establish a series of rituals and ceremonies and even go on to welcome three more children into the group (boys included!). In this episode, Alli breaks down the story with debut author Andrea Bartz. Together, they discuss diversity in kid lit, the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, teasing as a form of flirting and social currency, the importance of imaginative play, bossiness, mental illness, the way we talk to kids about hard things, and more!

Follow Andrea on Twitter @andibartz and Instagram @andibartz.

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It’s the 1930’s in rural Mississippi, and nine-year-old Cassie Logan is learning to face the realities of racism. She has her brothers — Stacey, Christopher John, and Little Man — to help her find her way, and a host of strong-minded adults to guide her in figuring out the best way to approach the tensions and prejudice she faces. This is the set-up for Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and we’re talking all about it on Episode 42. You’ll hear conversations about family legacy, pride, annoying friends, institutional racism, the opportunity gap, The Hate U Give, and so much more.

Join guest Renée’s Book Girl Magic community! Follow her on Instagram @book_girl_magic and on Twitter @bookgirlmagic. Join the party on Facebook and YouTube, too!

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On Episode 41 of The SSR Podcast, we’re diving into the fascinating world of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. And it is fascinating — and complicated! Tune in to hear discussions about politics, a child’s loyalty, the Garden of Eden, the pros and cons of seeing the future, the nature of souls, puberty, loneliness, ruling religious bodies, failed movie adaptations, and so much more.

Thanks to Refinery29 entertainment writer Elena Nicolaou for joining Alli for this episode! Follow Elena on bookstagram @booksandelena and on Twitter @elenawonders.

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