To All the YA I've Loved Before

We’re back on our creepy doll bullshit with the 2018 middle grade horror book The Collector by K.R. Alexander. We have a lot of questions (and a few answers) after reading this book like are the baby dolls in this story all children that have been turned into dolls? What’s with all these creepy doll stories being set in the midwest? Are we going to talk about Reagan, Taylor Swift, and the Barbie movie every episode (probably)? We get philosophical when it comes to what the baby doll means in childhood and girlhood, and talk about the specialness of grandma’s basement — including Kaycee’s grandma’s weird Disney knock-off VHS movies. Plus, bird baths full of baby doll heads…there’s not much more to say about that.

Episode Notes & Further Reading

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Theme Music from Slip.stream - "In And Out Of Love"

We step foot into spooky book season with the 1983 children’s classic The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. This episode is full of horrors like creepy dolls and Reagan’s America as we explore the scary story of what happens when families refuse to talk through their issues. Discussions of topic also include a history of mental health treatment from Ashley, Cabbage Patch Kids being lost to time, and a trip down memory lane of our own childhood toys. Plus, would you believe it, Kaycee finds a way to connect this back to Pretty Little Liars.

Episode Notes & Further Reading

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The History of Cabbage Patch Kids 

Ronald Reagan's shameful legacy: Violence, the homeless, mental illness

The History of Creepy Dolls

Playing with dolls helps children talk about how others feel, says study

Playing with Dolls is Serious Fun

Once Upon a Time in a Dark and Scary Book: The Messages of Horror Literature for Children

“Being normal is vastly overrated”

We open up Spooky Season 6 welcoming special guest (and Disney Channel Historian) Allison McClain Merrill to discuss the fabulously nostalgic Halloweentown. We talk meeting Kimberly J. Brown (and each other) at 90s Con Tampa and lament over all the content Disney Plus refuses to give us (hello, Life-Size and In A Heartbeat). Plus, the lasting power of Disney Channel Original Movies and what they taught us about ourselves. And, Kaycee once again brings everything back around to Pretty Little Liars.

Note: This episode discusses Harry Potter in the context of children’s fantasy and pop culture in the 90s/early 2000s, but this podcast absolutely does not endorse J.K. Rowling’s transphobic views.

Episode Notes 

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Follow Allison on Instagram @pastfootforward

Read her work

’Tiger Town’: The Story of the Long-Lost Disney Channel Original Movie

Inside ‘90s Con, a star-studded weekend of nostalgia

I watched over 100 Disney Channel original movies this year. Here’s what I learned

Theme Music by Slip.stream - "In And Out Of Love"

Helpppp! We’re melting during the recording of this episode. Not because it’s about witches, but because we’re over the summer heat. Good thing we’ve got the autumnal, Halloween spirit of Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches to get us through to fall. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, Improbable Magic is a queer YA Romance that fits perfectly into the grumpy/sunshine trope. We talk about wanting to join a queer witch boat party, needing a sequel with the rest of the coven (especially the fashion and kitchen witches!), and growing up trying to be the low-maintenance “cool girl”. Plus, Kaycee’s dabbles with witchcraft as a teen, Ashley’s new appreciation of tarot cards, and our friendship hangs by a thread because of a surprising revelation from Ashley. 

Episode Notes and More 

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Collect YA faves at ⁠The Book Bundler.⁠ Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

This is a Pink Plaid Media Production. Reading, writing, telling stories. Visit ⁠pinkplaidmedia.com⁠ for more

Theme Music by ⁠Slip.stream⁠ - "In And Out Of Love" 

Enemies-to-lovers is one of our favorite tropes, and we’re so glad the STEM-forward My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Carol Follmuth did not disappoint! This YA novel will transport you back to a time when it was uncool to care about anything, but you’ll definitely be caring about the amazing friendships, cool fashion, and beautiful chemistry of Bel and Teo. In this episode, we talk about our own dreadful experiences of being a woman navigating this world, make Barbie movie connections, and agree that the patriarchy was the real enemy all along.

Episode Notes and More 

Follow us on Instagram ⁠@toalltheya⁠

Collect YA faves at ⁠The Book Bundler.⁠ Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

This is a Pink Plaid Media Production. Reading, writing, telling stories. Visit ⁠pinkplaidmedia.com⁠ for more

Theme Music by ⁠Slip.stream⁠ - "In And Out Of Love" 

We’re back with more from the To All the Boys Extended Universe (TAtBEU) talking about Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever. Kaycee is once again joined by Cousin Kristen (who you’ve heard in our Christmas Home Alone 2 episode). We ask if it’s possible to go back to high school and date a Peter Kavinsky, agree with how much we love the redemption arc for mean girl Gen, and discuss the greatness of John Corbett as a teen movie dad. Plus, as most of Kaycee’s conversations do, we end up pissed off about the nonsense that was the Pretty Little Liars series finale.

Episode Notes and More 

Follow us on Instagram ⁠@toalltheya⁠

Collect YA faves like to All the Boys at ⁠The Book Bundler.⁠ Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

This is a Pink Plaid Media Production. Reading, writing, telling stories. Visit ⁠pinkplaidmedia.com⁠ for more

Theme Music by ⁠Slip.stream⁠ - "In And Out Of Love" 

In today’s episode, Kaycee crawls out of her Covid hell cave to talk with Ashley about the absolutely delightful To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han and another favorite trope Fake Dating. The ladies love Lara Jean’s sweet, poetic love letters, have a total hate on for Josh (Peter Kavinsky all the way!), and discuss the evolution of YA Romance. Plus, Kaycee shares a bit about the most embarrassing letter she ever wrote to a boy in high school (while dying a little bit on the inside) and they learn what a cravat is.

Episode Notes and More 

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Collect YA faves like to All the Boys at The Book Bundler. Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

This is a Pink Plaid Media Production. Reading, writing, telling stories. Visit pinkplaidmedia.com for more

Theme Music by Slip.stream - "In And Out Of Love"

The Green Ranger, Dick Van Dyke’s character in Mary Poppins, Usher, and Devon Sawa in Now and Then. What do these people have in common? Not much, except that we were in love with them when we were kids! This episode is all about the guys and gals we loved from teen TV, movies, YA books, and more. Plus, we dive into the terrible characters we’re throwing up big ole red flags for, talk about the Cary Elwes effect, and debate crushes on siblings. 

Episode Notes and More 

Collect your YA faves at The Book Bundler. Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

www.thebookbundler.com

This is a Pink Plaid Media Production. Reading, writing, telling stories. Visit pinkplaidmedia.com for more

Theme Music by Slip.stream - "In And Out Of Love"

This week is a little more scary than romantic with the 1992 Fear Street Series novel First Date. Kaycee and Ashley are here to enthuse about R.L. Stine’s ability to write incredibly authentic teen girl characters while telling a very captivating story about a serial killer and the dangers of teenage boys — Shadyside has a lot of problems, and toxic masculinity is definitely up there. Plus, we ponder over the red flags we’ve ignored (and are lucky we didn’t get murdered for), continue our denim talk from the Sweet Valley High episode, and agree that we would’ve definitely gone out with a boy named Sparks.

Episode Notes and More 

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In or around Minneapolis? We’re going to be doing press at WordPlay at The Loft July 8. Check out all the great authors in the lineup and get tickets here.

Recollect YA faves like the Fear Street books at The Book Bundler. Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order.

This is a Pink Plaid Media Production. Reading, writing, telling stories. Visit pinkplaidmedia.com for more

Theme Music by Slip.stream - "In And Out Of Love" -

We’ve got a sweet sapphic romance for you all for Pride Month with the Young Adult classic Annie On My Mind from 1982. Join Ashley and Kaycee as they talk about how this is one of the best uses of the Friends to Lovers trope, a history of the banning of this book, and the prevalent themes of home and belonging throughout this truly lovely story. Plus plenty of cult chat, character connections to the young Christian Bale flick Swing Kids, remembering landlines, and the experiences of being bisexual teens in the 2000s. 

Episode Notes and More 

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Recollect YA faves like Annie On My Mind at The Book Bundler. Use code TOALLTHEYA to get 20% off your order at thebookbundler.com

BOOKS IN TROUBLE 2, Annie On My Mind - National Coalition Against Censorship - https://ncac.org/update/books-in-trouble-2

In Remembrance: Nancy Garden - LAMBDA Literary - https://lambdaliterary.org/2014/06/in-remembrance-nancy-garden/

This is a Pink Plaid Media Production. Reading, writing, telling stories. Visit pinkplaidmedia.com for more

Theme Music by Slip.stream - "In And Out Of Love"