Unabridged: A Book Podcast

By Ashley Dickson-Ellison and Jen MoyersEducation Arts Books

Unabridged: A Book Podcast episodes

December 04, 2020 Teaching Tidbits 6: Adobe Spark
In this Unabridged Episode, Sara talks about an easy-to-use, free tech tool, Adobe Spark, which includes three different options for creating digital projects: Post, Video, and Page. She discusses the ways to access Adobe Spark (online or as an iPad or phone app), talks about ways the podcast uses Adobe Post and offers ideas about how to implement them in the classroom.

If you have questions about Adobe Spark or ideas to share, let us know on social media @unabridgedpod.

Note: To access Adobe Spark as an app, you will search for each individual tool:
Adobe Spark Post
Adobe Spark Video
Adobe Spark Page

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
8 min
December 02, 2020 Christina Lauren's IN A HOLIDAZE - December Book Club
In this Book Club episode of the Unabridged Podcast, we talk about Christina Lauren's holiday rom-com, In a Holidaze. After our Bookish Check-in, where we each share what we're reading, we chat about the novel and then offer another holiday book recommendation. We end with our Give Me One and talk about holiday songs that make us cringe.

Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Nic Stone’s Dear Justyce (sequel to Dear Martin)
Jen - Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Sara - Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind

Our Additional Holiday Book Recommendations
Ashley - Karina Yan Glaser’s The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
Jen - Sarah Morgenthaler’s Mistletoe and Mr. Right (sequel to The Tourist Attraction)
Sara - Jenny Bayliss’s The Twelve Dates of Christmas

Mentioned in Episode
Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze
Our previous holiday episodes - #102 discussing Hazel Gaynor and Heather Mariah Webb's Last Christmas in Paris and #50 discussing Gretchen Anthony's Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners
The infamous Love, Actually debate episode, #104
Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners
Gilmore Girls

Give Me One - Holiday Song that Makes You Cringe
Ashley - “Jingle Bell Rock”
Jen - “Frosty the Snowman”
Sara - “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
43 min
November 25, 2020 Bookish Gifts - Our 2020 Recommendations
In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, we share some recommendations for bookish gifts for the upcoming holidays. After our Bookish Check-in, we offer our recs, covering options from snarky to sweet, with plenty of ways to support independent and local businesses. Then, we each share an item from our own wishlist.

Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Alyssa Cole’s When No One Is Watching
Jen - Toni Morrison’s A Mercy
Sara - Rachel Joyce’s Miss Benson’s Beetle

Our Bookish Gifts Recommendations
Bookshop.org
Free as a Bird Books (@freeasabirdbooks) (@jeanellnicolereads) - Jeanell curates books to amplify authors of color.
A Fine Quotation - watercolor items with favorite characters and fandoms - thanks to listener Jody for this recommendation!
Libro.fm
Emily McDowell and Friends - snarky cards, witty bags, plenty of profanity
The Lady Jane - cute gifts for every one with a special section of literary gifts (local)
Emily Cromwell Designs - Happy, whimsical designs for every booklover
Bookshelf Tees - cute bookish tees (woman-owned)
Inkwell Threads - bookish tees and other bookish items

Other Info
Check out our bookish gifts episodes from previous years, #100 from 2019 and #49 from 2018, and be on the lookout for our upcoming annual giveaway with The Mountain Thread Company!

Give Me One - An Item on Your Wishlist
Ashley - bullet journal accessories
Jen - Subscription Box - Book Riot’s TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations
Sara - Libro FM subscription

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
38 min
November 20, 2020 Teaching Tidbits 5: Literature Circles
In this Unabridged Episode, Jen talks about teaching with literature circles. She defines literature circles, talks about ways to choose books for them, and offers ideas about how to implement them in the classroom, including different options for lit circles roles for students.

If you have questions about literature circles or ideas to share, let us know on social media @unabridgedpod.

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
11 min
November 18, 2020 Books that Encourage Activism in Young People
In this episode of the Unabridged Podcast, we share book recommendations that we believe promote and encourage activism in young people.
Our selections include Brandy Colbert’s The Voting Booth, Dave Cullen’s Parkland: Birth of a Movement, and Monica Clark-Robinson's Let the Children March, illustrated by Frank Morrison. We also share what we're currently reading in our Bookish Check-In, and we share some activism accounts that we love in our Give Me One segment.

Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Jenny Han’s We’ll Always Have Summer
Jen - Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff
Sara - Alan Bradley’s The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (after Jen’s recommendation in our cozy reads episode!)

Our Recommendations for Encouraging Activism
Ashley - Brandy Colbert’s The Voting Booth
Jen - Dave Cullen’s Parkland: Birth of a Movement
Sara - Monica Clark-Robinson, Frank Morrison (illustrator) Let the Children March (picture book)

Mentioned in Episode
Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty
Jason Reynolds's Long Way Down
Mariah Marsden's Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel
Dave Cullen's Columbine
Enola Holmes Netflix film
Our Cozy Reads Recommendations episode
Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl: The Manga, Volume 1

Give Me One - Activist Accounts on Instagram
Ashley - @theconsciouskid
Jen - @nicstone
Sara - @hereweeread

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
29 min
November 11, 2020 Our Cozy Reads Recommendations - Curl Up with a Good Book
In this autumn episode of the Unabridged Podcast, we each share some cozy read recommendations with you. After our Bookish Check-in, we talk about what makes a cozy read for us, and then we each share one that we've loved. The books we chose include Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series, Colleen Wright's The White Christmas Inn, and Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material. We end the episode with our Give Me One . . . Cozy Comfort.

Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Karina Yan Glaser’s The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
Jen - Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind
Sara - Jennifer Weiner’s Big Summer

Our Cozy Reads Recs
Ashley - Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material
Jen - Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series
Sara - Colleen Wright's The White Christmas Inn

Mentioned in Episode
Kate Stayman-London's One to Watch
The movie Us
Neal and Jarrod Shusterman’s Dry
Fredrik Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry
Libro.fm

Give Me One - A Cozy Comfort
Ashley - Firepit
Jen - Soft, Fluffy Blankets
Sara - Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
34 min
November 06, 2020 Teaching Tidbits 4: Picture Books that Encourage Mindfulness
In this Unabridged Teaching Tidbits episode, Ashley shares two books that encourage mindfulness in children. Ashley talks about Susan Verde and Peter H Reynolds's I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness (which comes from this series) and Brendan Wenzel's A Stone Sat Still. She also shares about the Calm app and Cosmic Kids Yoga, both of which have been great with her own children.

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
11 min
November 04, 2020 November Book Club - Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam's PUNCHING THE AIR
In this Book Club episode of the Unabridged podcast, Ashley, Jen, and Sara discuss Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam's Punching the Air. After our Bookish Check-in, we share our opinions about the book and some favorite quotations, and then each of us offers another book we think would pair well with this YA novel in verse. Finally, we end by sharing some new favorites we've discovered lately.

Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Akwaeke Emezi’s The Death of Vivek Oji
Jen - Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom
Sara - Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle's Let It Snow

Our Pairings
Ashley - Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage
Jen - Nic Stone’s Dear Justyce
Sara - Ellen Hopkins’s Burned

Mentioned in Episode
Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing
Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater
Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi's Stamped
Jason Reynolds's Long Way Down
Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Wes Moore's The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates
Nic Stone's Dear Martin
“Wait for It” from Hamilton
West Wing Weekly
Song Exploder podcast and Netflix series
Partners podcast

Give Me One - A Recent Favorite
Ashley - Kim’s Convenience on Netflix
Jen - In the Dark, most recent episode with Curtis Flowers
Sara - Hamilton

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
53 min
October 28, 2020 Read-Aloud Book Recommendations for Parents and Teachers
In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we're discussing books for all levels that we believe would work really well for read-aloud choices. We were thrilled to be joined by Holly Hicks, a third-grade teacher and Unabridged Ambassador who has experience choosing and sharing read-aloud picks with her third-grade students. We also share our own experiences with read-aloud picks both at home and in the classroom.

Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering
Jen - Marissa Meyer’s Instant Karma (from NetGalley, out 11/3)
Sara - Sarah Morgan’s One More for Christmas
Holly - Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key and Alex North's The Shadows

Our Read-Aloud Recommendations

Picture Books
Ashley - Ashley Franklin’s Not Quite Snow White, illustrated by Ebony Glenn
Holly - Adam Rubin’s Secret Pizza Party, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Jen - B. J. Novak’s The Book with No Pictures
Sara - Drew Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Quit, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Middle-Grade Books
Kate DeCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie
Barbara O’Connor’s Wish
Hena Khan’s Amina’s Voice
K. A. Holt’s House Arrest

YA Lit
Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X

Mentioned in Episode
Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood
Jane Harper's The Dry
Emily X. R. Pan's The Astonishing Color of After
Drew Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Came Home, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Drew Daywalt’s The Crayons' Christmas, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
My Name Is Earl TV series
Shrek
Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down

Give Me One - Favorite Thing about Being a Pet Owner

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
51 min
October 23, 2020 Teaching Tidbits 3: Using Picture Books in the Secondary Classroom
In this Unabridged Podcast episode, Sara shares tips for using picture books in the secondary classroom. She discusses the benefits of using picture books and her own teaching experiences. In addition, she recommends two books with which she has had success in her own classroom—David Shannon's A Bad Case of Stripes to teach theme and Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs to teach point of view.

Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.

Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
8 min

About Unabridged: A Book Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Unabridged is a bookish podcast hosted by teachers. We release episodes twice a month, including a monthly Book Club episode and other bookish topics full of recommendations for your TBR list. Join us…

Share Unabridged: A Book Podcast

Sign up to save your podcasts

Unabridged: A Book Podcast

Unabridged: A Book Podcast episodes

About Unabridged: A Book Podcast