Episode 95: Glaser & Vanderlugt

In this episode of The Englewood Review of Books Podcast, Lindsey Cornett, the Managing Editor of Englewood Press and Assistant Editor of The ERB, is joined by children’s book authors, Dana VanderLugt and Karina Yan Glaser. They address the role of storytelling and imagination in a life of faith and the sometimes surprising ways faith and spirituality show up in children’s literature, with a particular emphasis on life in community and the challenge of loving our enemies. They talk about the tension between marketing books for children when they can, in fact, be enjoyed and appreciated by all readers. Finally, Lindsey, Dana, and Karina discuss some of their favorite contemporary middle grade readers and offer recommendations for anyone needing stories of hope, faith, and love.

Dana VanderLugt is a writer and teacher who descends from a family of Michigan apple growers and storytellers. Her first book, Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse was published by Zonderkidz in September 2023. The middle grades novel is based on the stories of German POWs who came to work on her grandfather’s orchard during the 1940s. Dana’s work has been published in Longridge Review, Relief: A Journal of Art & Faith, the Michigan Reading Journal, and The Reformed Journal, where she is also a frequent contributor on its daily blog. A former middle school English teacher, Dana now works as a literacy consultant and has an MFA in Creative Writing from The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University. She lives in Michigan with her husband, three sons, and a spoiled Golden Retriever. And yes, she makes a mean apple pie.

Karina Yan Glaser is a Newbery Honoree and a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. Originally from California, Karina came to New York City for college and has stuck around for nearly thirty years. She has had a varied career teaching and implementing literacy programs in family homeless shelters and recruiting healthcare professionals to volunteer in under resourced areas around the world. One of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book. She lives in Harlem with her husband, two teenagers, two dogs, three cats, and a fish named Gustav. 

Books Mentioned in this Episode

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books (An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

By Dana VanderLugt:

Enemies in the Orchard: A WW2 Novel in Verse

By Karina Yan Glaser:

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
The Vanderbeekers Ever After (Book #7 in The Vanderbeekers Series)
The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli 

Other Books Mentioned: 

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary Schmidt

The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary Schmidt

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate 

Birdie by Eileen Spinelli

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

The Life by Carrie Fountain

Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life by Charlotte Donlon

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

 Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver