But a different version of the show aired on a local cable channel, LA36, taping episodes at the downtown LA public library. This year, we’ll be sharing those conversations once a month and we start with readers from St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Hacienda Heights, California discussing Gail Carson Levine’s classic take on Cinderella “Ella Enchanted” with host Kitty Felde.

You can WATCH this episode on YouTube. Click here.

We end the year with a special episode from our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES. Fina is the 10-year-old daughter of a congressman who solves mysteries in the U.S. Capitol with the help of a big orange dog named Senator Something. This episode takes place January 6th, 2021 and is designed to help adults talk to kids about the events of that day. It's based on the book LOSING IS DEMOCRATIC: HOW TO TALK TO KIDS ABOUT JANUARY 6TH and contains curriculum for use in the classroom or homeschool.

Here's a link to purchase an autographed copy of the book.

Everybody wants to go to Paris…especially Nikki Maxwell! Readers from Hollingworth Elementary School discuss the latest entry in Rachel Renée Russell’s series. It’s Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Posh Paris Adventure. Rachel and daughter Nikki Russell, who illustrates the books, answer questions from the kids. Our celebrity reader is actress/screenwriter Kate Orsini. Kitty Felde is host.

For a writer who both illustrates and creates the story for a book, which comes first? We ask writer/illustrator Alina Chau who created "Marshmallow & Jordan."

Did you ever wish that you had a pet elephant? Well, Jordan was lucky enough to find one. That unusual relationship is at the heart of our book Jordan and Marshmallow by Alina Chau. Readers from Atwater Elementary School in Los Angeles discuss disabilities, sports, and Indonesia with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is NPR’s host of “All Things Considered” Ailsa Chang.

One Piece - Eiichiro Oda

The Wild Robot - Peter Brown

Dogman - Dav Pilkey

Captain Underpants - Dav Pilkey

The Funjungle Series - Stuart Gibbs

Trickster: Native American Tales - Matt Dembicki

Dirty Rotten Bugs: Arthropods Unite to Tell Their Side of the Story -

Jujutsu Kaizen - Gege Akutami

Amulet - Kazu Kibuishi

Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland

Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan

Alina Chau's Favorite Book:

Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

Ailsa Chang's Favorite Book:

When Love is More than Words - Jocelyn Chung

We continue our series of episodes highlighting banned books. This week, it’s Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel The Poet X. The novel in verse was challenged in 2020 by parents in North Carolina who argued that the book was unconstitutionally hostile to religion. The challenge was turned down by the courts. It was again challenged in 2023 in Wisconsin because of objections about frank language about sex. In both cases, the books were part of the high school’s curriculum.

The book is all about poetry and body image and standing up for yourself. It’s the National Book Award winning novel The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Readers from Charles Hart Middle School in Washington, DC discuss the novel with host Kitty Felde. Our celebrity reader is actress Monica Vigil from our other podcast THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES.

Are you that aunt or uncle – the one who only gives books for birthdays and holidays? I hope so. But if it’s been a few years since you’ve picked up a middle grade novel, we have help from some experts – kids who visited us at the City of Stem LA Maker Faire to tell us about their favorite books. Start making your list and checking it twice…

Favorite Books for Black Friday Shopping:

Eragon - Christopher Paolini

The Good Egg - Jory John and Pete Oswald

The Land of Stories - Chris Colfer

Amulet - Kazu Kibuishi

Hop on Pop - Dr. Seuss

The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Babysitter's Club - Ann M. Martin

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney

Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

This episode is made possible by a grant from the LA Department of Arts and Culture as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan.

How did Oprah inspire a writing career? Listen to this conversation with Nikki Shannon Smith, author of Stranded.