The SSR Podcast

On Episode 10, Good Christian Fun podcast co-host Caroline Ely joins us to discuss the third — but best known — book in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Published in 1950, it has quite the historical and religious context, and you’ll hear all about it! You’ll also find out which C.S. Lewis book Alli wrote a rap about in elementary school and which Narnian character seriously traumatized her all the way into adulthood. Follow Caroline on Instagram (@carolinesfarts) and Twitter (@CarolinesFarts).

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With the help of elementary education pro and super-reader Drew Gannon, we’re talking all things Little House on the Prairie and Laura Ingalls Wilder on Episode 9. We’ll dig into the historical context of the book (including the elements that have seriously not held up since it was published in 1935), Pa’s general hotness, and more. Follow Drew on Instagram (@drewalison).

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It’s time for a little required reading! On Episode 8 of The SSR Podcast, we talk with film and TV writer Meredith Dawson about George Orwell’s political allegory Animal Farm… and how it feels eerily similar to the climate in modern America. Follow Meredith on Instagram (@meredawson) and Twitter (@meredawson).

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Say hello to your friends! The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin is quite possibly the most iconic book series of the 80s and 90s… and we’re breaking it down in Episode 7 of The SSR Podcast. YA superfan and Cosmopolitan Magazine senior editor Jessica Goodman joins us to chat all about the first book in the BSC line-up, Kristy’s Great Idea. Follow Jess on Instagram (@jessicagoodman) and Twitter (@jessgood).

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On this episode of The SSR Podcast, we break down Megan McCafferty’s 2001 novel Sloppy Firsts, the first book in the bestselling Jessica Darling series. We dive into every last delicious detail of high school drama and tackle some big questions, too. Can things ever stay the same with a friend after she moves away? Can a bad boy like Marcus Flutie ever really be reformed? How do frank discussions of sex, drugs, and suicide affect teen readers? Follow guest Maddie Boardman on Instagram (@mboardman) and Twitter (@ml_boardman).

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Nancy Drew devotees, beware! On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli and her guest — Brooklyn-based writer Kase Wickman — take a deep dive into the question of whether or not OG girl detective Nancy is really a feminist icon and discuss her highly important role in the history of female protagonists in #kidlit. They focus on the first-ever book in the series, The Secret of the Old Clock. Follow Kase on Instagram (@worstkase) and Twitter (@worstkase).

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On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli has — refreshingly! — almost nothing bad to say about E.L. Konigsburg’s 1967 book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. For this literary love fest, she’s joined by the brilliant author and food writer Hannah Howard. Follow Hannah on Instagram (@hannahmhoward) and Twitter (@hannahhoward).

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On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli and Alexandra Fishwick (@alexandra_fish) — who is the assistant director of a childcare facility by day, but a writer and the blogger behind Authentically Alex at night — talk Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel Matilda. There’s plenty of good (little Matilda’s obsession with books), plenty of bad (the evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull), and plenty of ugly (some very weird gender dynamics).

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On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli and publishing pro Haley Davis (@hayc12) relive the life-changing experience of seeing the movie The Princess Diaries for the first time, then compare that to the experience of reading the book (Meg Cabot, 2000) both as tweens and adults.

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On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Brittney Lynn (@brittneyllynn) joins Alli to break down Louise Fitzhugh’s 1964 novel, Harriet the Spy. Learn all about Alli’s complicated history with this character and listen to us talk about A LOT of really mean fictional kids.

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