Episodes

  • Favorite Books from Manchester Elementary
    Oct 15 2025

    We visit Maine to talk to readers at Manchester Elementary School about their favorite books.

    Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss

    The Wild Robot - Peter Brown

    Toilet-bound Hanako-kun - Iro

    Forgotten Girl - India Hill Brown

    The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak

    Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus - Dusti Bowling

    Naruto the Boy Ninja - Masashi Kishimoto

    Warriors - Erin Hunter

    Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

    I Survived - Lauren Tarshis

    Ellie's Story: A Dog's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron

    If you'd like to be on the Book Club for Kids podcast, send us an email to bookclubforkidspodcast@gmail.com and we'll send you all the information.

    www.bookclubforkids.org

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    9 mins
  • Episode 24 - Al Capone Does My Shirts - live from the Gaithersburg Book Festival
    Oct 8 2025

    It's banned books week, as we continue our look at books that have been challenged or banned. This week, it’s Gennifer Choldenko’s tale “Al Capone Does My Shirts.” Back in 2016, the book was challenged by a group that said the book “perpetuates negative stereotypes” by including Al Capone as a character in the book.

    And earlier this year, a school board member in Pennsylvania called for a ban on the Newbery Honor book because a character called an autistic teenager stupid.

    The school says the books are selected by professional staff members to support the district’s educataional goals and meet the learning needs of students. The writer dedicated the book to her sister who had severe autism and was the inspiration for the character.

    What do you think? Give a listen to our discussion of Jennifer Cheldenko’s “Al Capone Does My Shirts.”

    It was a rainy, muddy, fabulous day at the Gaithersburg Book Festival where this group of middle school students from Maryland discussed whether they'd like living on Alcatraz and if it's better to be the oldest or youngest in the family. Gennifer Choldenko answers their questions about researching her book AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS. NPR newscaster Jack Speer is celebrity reader. Past Book Club for Kids guests drop by as well. Kitty Felde is host.

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    45 mins
  • Episode 49 - Ungifted by Gordon Korman
    Oct 1 2025

    What does it mean to be "gifted?" Don't we all have unique gifts to share with the world? Readers from Eliot-Hine Middle School on Capitol Hill discuss Gordon Korman's story of a prankster who lands in a "Gifted" program. KNX sports anchor (and Talking About Cars podcast host) Randy Kerdoon is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

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    26 mins
  • Donna Barba Higuera
    Sep 24 2025

    Kitty Felde talks to the author of Lupe Wong Won't Dance Donna Barba Higuera about creating an unlikeable character. She also gives us a sneak preview of a new science fiction novel she's writing.

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    8 mins
  • Lupe Wong Wont Dance
    Sep 17 2025

    Does square dancing count as an athletic activity? Lupe Wong doesn't think so and is willing to fight the system to make her point. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington, DC discuss the book with host Kitty Felde and interview the writer Donna Barba Higuera. Our celebrity reader is the former president of United Square Dancers of America.

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    24 mins
  • Honeymoon Road: Pete & Me & our Model T
    Sep 10 2025

    In 1925, newlyweds Pete and Gert packed up their lives and headed west for California in a Model T Ford. Gert chronicled the
    journey in a series of letters.

    Now, one hundred years later, a pair of cousins Kitty Felde and Marie Felde follow their route to see America through their eyes.

    Join us on a podcast journey at honeymoonroad.com.

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    23 mins
  • Hypatia Academy by Esther Goldenberg
    Sep 3 2025

    Did Harry Potter make you wish you were going to boarding school? This week, we visit another extraordinary boarding school with invisible students and k'lepreechons. It's Hypatia Academy by Esther Goldenberg. It's the favorite book of this trio of Maryland readers. NPR's Morning Edition host Rachel Martin is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

    www.bookclubforkids.org

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    24 mins
  • Back to School Episodes: Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan with Peter Sagal
    Aug 27 2025

    Americans have a romanticized image of English boarding schools. RIBBLESTROP is the opposite of that. Writer Andy Mulligan has created what must be the most dangerous school on planet earth. And this trio of readers at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, New Jersey, debate whether they'd like to attend. Peter Sagal, playwright and host of NPR's quiz show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.

    Favorite books from Carolina, Jack, and Eleanor:

    Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's library - Chris Grabenstein

    The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls - Claire Legrand

    Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

    Andy Mulligan’s favorite books:

    The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne

    Animal Farm - George Orwell

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    23 mins