BookHuddle with Readgab
Welcome to Book Huddle with Readgab where you get to hear from authors of children's books and others having to do with children's literacy. We chat not only about what inspired these amazing authors, but also time relevant themes in their books and how kids can benefit from these themes. Each guest also recommends one of their favorite children's books at the end of the episode so you will constantly be building a wonderful list of books for the kids in your life.
Episodes
101 episodes
101: Children and Their Aging Loved Ones - Sue Lloyd-Davies Middle Grade Author Interview
This interview was very personal for me, so I, of course, got emotional. Sue Lloyd-Davies and I discuss her beautiful, heart-rending, fun, entertaining, and uplifting book Pinkie's Turnabout. This episode is for all of those kids whose lives ar...
100: Celesta Rimington Middle Grade Author Interview - Magic in Our World
Sometimes you find magic in unexpected places. Celesta's books all have some light fantasy to them, but are all based on some things in our real world that just seem magical. In Celesta's newest release, Reach, a boy is struggling with blended ...
99: What If Your Dog Became Human - Interview with A.J. Symon YA Author
Do you have a pet that you love so much that you think they would make the best friend if only they were human? I mean, no one understands you the way your pet does, right? What if your dog became human? YA author AJ Symon explores this fantast...
98: The Secret to Belonging - New Young Adult Book - Megan E Freeman Author Interview
Author Megan E. Freeman is widely known for her popular middle grade books Alone and Away. The Secret to Belonging is Megan's debut young adult novel in verse about a girl from a hard home life who finds an escape as a foreign exchange student ...
97: Motivate Kids to Achieve Their Dreams - Micah Johnson Middle Grade Author Interview
For Micah Johnson his creation of Aku is a symbol for limitless dreams. In this episode we get to discuss how Micah went from retired baseball player to artist and children's book author. Micah uses his art and writing to inspire kids to achiev...
96: Unexpected Friendships in Middle Grade Books - Michelle Lee Author Interview
Do you ever go looking for a book that will feel like reading it is like getting a hug? Then The Magic of Someday Soon is the book for you. In this episode Michelle Lee discusses her light magical book set in a small town, finding unexpected fr...
95: Middle School Theater with Disability Representation - Wendy Lu Middle Grade Author Interview
Casting April by Wendy Lu is partly based on Wendy's own youth experiences with theatre and living with a tracheostomy tube. While April is partly based on Wendy as a youth, April has a lot of her own experiences as well. We get to hear all abo...
94: Everything a Horse Story Can do for Kids - Interview with Middle Grade Author Melanie Sue Bowles
LIberty Biscuit and Little Pearl by Melanie Sue Bowles Find author Melanie Sue BowlesChapters00:00 Meet middle grade author Melanie Sue Bowles03:50 What is Liberty Biscuit about?07:53 How did Melanie create the st...
93: Life Altering Moments for Writers and Their Characters - Jessica Khoury Author Interview
Do you remember the moment you fell in love with reading? Or a magical moment in a story that stuck with you forever? In this episode I talk with author Jessica Khoury about creating her newest book, Monster and Apprentice, how the story develo...
92: Creating Books Good Enough for You - Interview with Author Nancy Hudgins
Nancy Hudgins is a nonfiction middle grade author of Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom. You will likely be familiar with many books that Ursula edited during her long career championing children's books: Goodnight ...
91: What To Do When Failure Arises And How Kids Can Be Happy Regardless - Interview with Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow
No one likes to fail. It isn’t fun. But it is how we grow. The way authors Kate and Nate illustrated this powerful theme while providing an entertaining story fascinated me and I am so thrilled that they joined me in this podcast episode to dis...
90: Stories of Resistance and Resilience with Maria Dolores Aguila - Middle Grade Author Interview
Maria Dolores Aguila is both a picture book and middle grade author of historical fiction. Her novel in verse, A Sea of Lemon Trees won both a Newberry Honor and Pura Belpre Honor. Find out how this book has changed her and more in today's epis...
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89: The Importance of Disability Representation in Books For Kids - Author Interview Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka
When Diane Debrovner decided to write a middle grade book about a character with blind parents she decided that she would like a coauthor and so she approached her friend Stacy Cervenka. Stacy adds her unique perspective with her blindness and ...
88: The Power of Curiosity - Picture Book Author and Illustrator Interview Matthew Cordell
Caldecott Award Winning author and illustrator Matthew Cordell talks about the importance of curiosity and how this trait features in his newest picture book, 102. I was so surprised to discover that the brilliantly illustrated picture book was...
87: All the Worst and All the Best of Writing for Kids - PJ Gardner Middle Grade Author Interview
Have you ever wondered about the greatest aspects about being an author? Or about the lowest moments? While discussing PJ Gardner's newest book I thought it was the perfect time to delve into some of these questions since the title of this book...
86: Accidentally Becoming an Illustrator with Carmen Mok
Chapters00:00 Meet illustrator Carmen Mok02:48 How did Carmen Mok get into illustrating books05:15 What made Carmen want to stay in illustration?08:39 Carmen’s process from start to finish for when her illustrations are in a pub...
85: Teens Crave Mysteries and Thrillers - Interview with YA Author April Henry
Bring on the high stakes tension! April Henry is a New York Times bestelling author of young adult and adult fiction books. In this episode we discuss her 32nd book, In the Blood. What is it like to go all in researching for these thrillers and...
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84: Hawaiian Legend Turned Into a Middle Grade Fantastical Adventure - Malia Maunakea Author Interview
Do your readers love fantastical shapeshifter books? Werewolves? Vampires? Sharks? Malia Maunakea joins us to talk about her newest middle grade fantasy based on Hawaiian legends. The Shark Prince is about a boy cursed to transform into a shark...
83: A Story Out of Order with Caldecott Medal Winning Philip Stead Middle Grade Author Interview
Philip Stead is best known for his writing and illustrating of picture books, but after a little convincing from others and a lot of creativity on his part he recently published his first middle grade novel. "A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of...
82: Poetry Is For Everyone! John Schu Children's Book Author Interview
Poetry is not something that should be dreaded by students or adults. John shares how poetry can be found in multiple forms and can be a benefit to children and teens in many ways. Not only has John written a number of beautiful picture books, ...
81: Everything Animal Stories Can Do For Us - Interview with Jasmine Warga
Kids love animal stories because kids love animals, but these stories can also teach us so much about ourselves and the world.
80: Unsolved Mysteries and Spooky Stories Mixed With Some Very Real Historical Fiction About Enslaved Individuals - Interview with Shakirah Bourne
Join Shakirah and I discussing one of my favorite books of the year, Here Lies a Ghost. The mystery of the moving coffins of the Chase Vault is one of the top 100 greatest unsolved mysteries in the world. Middle grade author Shakirah Bourne sha...
79: Discussion on Body Image with author Rebecca Morrison
There is so much going on in this discussion because there is so much going on in the incredible book, The Blue Dress, by Rebecca Morrison. We talk about body image, being your authentic self, being an immigrant, complicated mother/daughter rel...
78: What Kids Want In a Book According to Middle Grade Author Michael Buckley - Author Interview
Weird books are some of the best books! Michael Buckley shares his experience writing The Weirdies series in this author interview on BookHuddle where we learn to embrace and love the weird!Find middle grade author Michael Buckley ...
77: Behind the Scenes with Jen Calonita in Writing The Isle of Ever Series - Middle Grade Author Interview
Jen takes us behind the scenes in her writing the Isle of Ever and book 2, The Curse Breaker. We get to hear all about how it came together and maybe you'll have some questions at the end so maybe you should follow Jen Calonita on her socials a...