Dream Gardens Podcast: Talking Up The Kids' Books We Love

Podcast #082 For my eighty-second Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Natalie Rompella about the middle grade graphic novel Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier. When Catrina’s little sister gets sick, her family moves to Northern California, just in time for the yearly gathering of ghosts. But Catrina is too afraid, both of the ghosts … Continue reading Ghosts: an interview with Natalie Rompella → The post Ghosts: an interview with Natalie Rompella appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #081 For my eighty-first Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Alexandra Diaz about the middle grade novel The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts. In this book, Katie, who is trying to start a new life with her mother in a new town, is a bit different from other … Continue reading The Girl with the Silver Eyes: an interview with Alexandra Diaz → The post The Girl with the Silver Eyes: an interview with Alexandra Diaz appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #080 For my eightieth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Jonathan Rosen about two books in the Choose Your Adventure series: The Cave of Time by Edward Packard, and Mystery of the Maya by R.A. Montgomery. The Choose Your Adventure books is a popular series of books written in the second person … Continue reading Choose Your Own Adventure – The Cave of Time and Mystery of the Maya: an interview with Jonathan Rosen → The post Choose Your Own Adventure – The Cave of Time and Mystery of the Maya: an interview with Jonathan Rosen appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #079 For my seventy-ninth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed journalist and author Karen Blumenthal about the YA non-fiction book The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater. A single moment of violence on a bus in Oakland California changed the lives … Continue reading The 57 Bus: an interview with Karen Blumenthal → The post The 57 Bus: an interview with Karen Blumenthal appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #078 For my seventy-eighth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author John David Anderson about the middle grade fantasy novel The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, which is the first book of his Chronicles of Prydain series. Taran, tired of being just the assistant pig-keeper, wants a life of adventure. So when … Continue reading The Book of Three- The Chronicles of Prydain, Book #1: an interview with John David Anderson → The post The Book of Three- The Chronicles of Prydain, Book #1: an interview with John David Anderson appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #077 For my seventy-seventh Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed Jambo Book co-founder Mijha Godfrey about the middle grade novel Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai. Mai resents leaving her beloved California Beaches to travel to her family’s home in Vietnam, a place she’s never been to and never wanted to visit, to find … Continue reading Listen, Slowly: an interview with Mijha Godfrey → The post Listen, Slowly: an interview with Mijha Godfrey appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #076 For my seventy-sixth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Matt Harry about The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” So begins the unusual coming of age story of Nobody Owens and his strange and wonderful adventures in and out of … Continue reading The Graveyard Book: an interview with Matt Harry → The post The Graveyard Book: an interview with Matt Harry appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #075 For my seventy-fifth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Lesa Cline-Ransome about the The Diary of Anne Frank. Since it was first published in 1947 by Anne’s father, Otto Frank, Anne’s diary of her life in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands has been read by several generations of … Continue reading The Diary of Anne Frank: an interview with Lesa Cline-Ransome → The post The Diary of Anne Frank: an interview with Lesa Cline-Ransome appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #074 For my seventy-fourth Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Camryn Wells about the picture book The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein. A deceptively simple story about the eternal search for the one thing that will make us complete–or will it? With Shel Silverstein’s trademark humor, style, and humanity, this story, as … Continue reading The Missing Piece: an interview with Camryn Wells → The post The Missing Piece: an interview with Camryn Wells appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #073 For my seventy-third Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author and advocate Aditi Wardhan Singh about the comic book novel Karna by Amar Chitra Katha. Adapted from part of the classic Indian epic the Mahabharata, Karna tells the story in comic book format of a tragic hero who must fulfill his destiny … Continue reading Karna: an interview with Aditi Wardhan Singh → The post Karna: an interview with Aditi Wardhan Singh appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #072 For my seventy-second Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author L. A. Kefalos about the classic young reader’s novel The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry . A stranded pilot encounters a Little Prince visiting the earth from his very small planet far, far away and the two of them had an … Continue reading The Little Prince: an interview with L. A. Kefalos → The post The Little Prince: an interview with L. A. Kefalos appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #071 For my seventy-first Dream Gardens children’s books podcast, I interviewed author Melissa Hart about the young reader’s novel The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz. When Jaime’s cousin is murdered by the local Guatemalan gang, Jaime must flee to the United States with his other cousin Angela before he suffers the same fate. The … Continue reading The Only Road: an interview with Melissa Hart → The post The Only Road: an interview with Melissa Hart appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #070 For my seventieth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Theresa Julian about the children’s novel Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary. Ramona Quimby is thrilled to be starting Kindergarten, and she love her new teacher Miss Binney. But no matter how hard she tries to be her best ( at least … Continue reading Ramona the Pest: an interview with Theresa Julian → The post Ramona the Pest: an interview with Theresa Julian appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #069 For my sixty-ninth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Laura Sassi about the children’s book of poems When We Were Very Young , written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Told from the viewpoint of children, this assortment of poems about everything from boots to Buckingham Palace … Continue reading When We Were Very Young: an interview with Laura Sassi → The post When We Were Very Young: an interview with Laura Sassi appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #068 For my sixty-eighth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Fred Rexroad about the children’s mystery novel The Case of the Missing Message: A Brains Benton Mystery by Charles Spain Verral. Jimmy Carson knows that when his best friend and part-time super sleuth Brains Benton gets his hands on mystery, he’s not … Continue reading The Case of the Missing Message-a Brains Benton Mystery: an interview with Fred Rexroad → The post The Case of the Missing Message-a Brains Benton Mystery: an interview with Fred Rexroad appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #067 For my sixty-seventh Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Kate Dicamillo about the children’s historical novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. For ten year old Kenny, it isn’t always easy being a member of his family, “the weird Watsons”, especially with his older brother By getting into … Continue reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963: an interview with Kate DiCamillo → The post The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963: an interview with Kate DiCamillo appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #066 For my sixty-sixth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed literacy educator and author Pam Allyn about the classic children’s novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. First published in 1908, this is first of several novels about the irrepressible red haired orphan Anne Shirley, who despite all the trouble that follows … Continue reading Anne of Green Gables – an interview with Pam Allyn → The post Anne of Green Gables – an interview with Pam Allyn appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #065 For my sixty-fifth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Dan Richards about the middle grade novel The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox. Part historical fiction, part supernatural fantasy, and part espionage thriller, the novel tells the story of twelve year old Kat Bateson and her siblings, who are … Continue reading The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle – an interview with Dan Richards → The post The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle – an interview with Dan Richards appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #064 For my sixty-fourth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Kat Zhang about the classic fantasy novel The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) by Philip Pullman. Originally published in the UK with the title Northern Lights, The Golden Compass is first of three books (The Subtle Knife and The Amber … Continue reading The Golden Compass (Northern Lights): His Dark Materials, Book 1 – an interview with Kat Zhang → The post The Golden Compass (Northern Lights): His Dark Materials, Book 1 – an interview with Kat Zhang appeared first on Dream Gardens.

Podcast #063 For my sixty-third Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed author Lindsay Lackey about the middle grade fantasy novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis . In this third book of Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, Lucy and Edmund are joined (very reluctantly) by their cousin Eustace Scrubb in an … Continue reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – an interview with Lindsay Lackey → The post The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – an interview with Lindsay Lackey appeared first on Dream Gardens.