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  • Are you out there? Can you hear us? We kick off our Hometown Series with Carey's Baltimore read, How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford. A boy, a girl, and a bond over weirdos calling into a radio show to laugh, live, and ride a magic carpet over Ocean City while surviving some very harsh truths about growing up. We discuss the strangeness of big cities and small fandoms, as well as solving the public transit problem in Baltimore (see: title).

    How to Say Goodbye in Robot: Goodreads

    Natalie Standiford: Website (visit this, cause there's great background material on the book!)

    Content Notes

    Mental illness, mistreatment of the disabled, parental death, emotional abuser (parent/child), shitty teenage boys

    Show Notes

    Daniel Pinkwater (he has a podcast too!)

    How to Say Goodbye in Robot 8tracks mix

    Fifi the Kinetic Poodle

    Coast to Coast AM

    WFMU

    The Cotton Candy Road Trip

    Everything Goes Book Cafe

    The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford

    Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

    The Only Girl in School by Natalie Standiford

    The Secret Apartment by Natalie Fast

    We collaborated with Fuse 8 n' Kate on Kay Thompson's Eloise, and it was super fun!

    Foster of the Podcast Sweet Pea who found a forever home last week!

    How Maryland's Enchanted Forest Got Its Own Storybook Ending

    Land of Make Believe

    Storybook Land

    Gingerbread Castle

    Sleep With Me Podcast

    Lizard People's call-in episode





    Readalikes

    How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by J.C. Lillis

    Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

    Current Reads 

    Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choy

    The Rarest of the Rare: Vanishing Animals, Timeless Worlds by Diane Ackerman

  • Somebody put a bra on the library dome! It's not a 90s comedy middle grade book; it's The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. Join us for chat about art as protest, why girls should treat girls with respect, and what YA character we think will head the CIA. 

    The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks: Goodreads

    E. Lockhart: website

    Content Notes

    This is a book that deals with internalized misogyny, textually, and gender essentialism. There's a lot of both. There are teen boys dressing femme as a joke, and a lot of humor circling around what genders have what configurations. It can be a heavy read. We would love to see a 10th anniversary edition with an intro from the author on how things have changed...and how they haven't.

    Show Notes

    Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

    Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick (the Harriet the Spy essay is in this one!)

    We did an episode on The Boyfriend List

    Frankie Landau-Banks on neglected positives and imaginary neglected positives

    The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse

    I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

    You can get your own light up basset hound!

    Readalikes

    Persons of Consequence by K.D. Hume

    Shrill by Lindy West

    Current Reads

    There's a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak by Jonathan Cott

    The Summer of Jordi Perez  by Amy Spalding

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  • Ostensibly this is an episode about the excellent Brigid Lowry and her excellent book, Juicy Writing. In real life, this is an episode about fatalism, childhood writing dreams, and the end of the world. Wayfinders, hold us to that poetry prompt!

    Brigid Lowry: New Zealand Book Council , Interview at The Starfish

    Juicy Writing: Inspiration and Techniques for Young Writers 

    Guitar Highway Rose

    Abbacadabra

    Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

    Things You Either Hate or Love

    Joanne Horniman

    Still Life With Teapot

    Anastasia Krupnick

    Harriet the Spy

    The Betsy-Tacy Series

    Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself

    The Magic Attic Club

    Natalie Goldberg

    Judy Blume's teaching a writing class!

    Our episode on Cassandra Golds' book, The Museum of Mary Child

    Readalikes

    Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge

    Turn Not Pale, Beloved Snail: A Book about Writing and Other Things by Jacqueline Jackson



    Current Reads

    The Thorn Necklace: Healing Through Writing and the Creative Process  by Francesca Lia Block

    The Creative Tarot: A Modern Guide to an Inspired Life by Jessa Crispin

     



  • Save the knight. Glamour your own self. Stay out of the forest. Easy enough, right? But Kaye Fierch, secret pixie heroine of Holly Black's Tithe, finds herself in a web of prophecy, deceit, and really wicked parties. Guest Heather Talty of Newtown Literacy Alliance joins us to talk Tam Lin, Asbury Park, the origins of dark fae in YA, and Labyrinth as a right of passage.

    Tithe: Goodreads

    Holly Black: Website, Twitter,  Tumblr, Pinterest

    Heather Talty is managing editor of Newtown Literacy Alliance, "a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting writers and writing in Queens, NY. Our flagship project is the publication of a semiannual literary journal featuring new work by writers living in or originally from the largest borough in New York City. We also hold free writing classes for adults, teens, and kids around the borough, and a biennial writing contest for kids and teens. Throughout the year, all over Queens, we hold readings, workshops, and other literary events." You can find her @heathertalty.

    We shared promos with Genre Junkies! Check them out if you love scifi, fantasy, and reading past your bedtime. 

    Content Notes:

    This book is real dark. There's murder, there's attempted sexual assault, violence, mind control, sadism, terrible parenting, character deaths, and teenagers who try to solve problems with guns.

    Lady Pod Squad on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter

    Get a Job. Buy Your Own Shit. Stay Out of the Forest.

    Bordertown

    I Was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block

    Charles de Lint

    Stardust by Neil Gaiman

    Tanya Huff

    The Very Secret Diaries by Cassandra Claire

    Glamourbombing "is acts of enchanted art or performance intended to raise ambient magic levels and crack people's heads open a little to admit the idea that Faerie exists and might even be interacting with them. It isn't random acts of kindness (but do those anyway!), making people feel warm and fuzzy or cheering them up, or just "inspirational" platitudes with glitter added. While these things can have a subtle glamour to them, glamourbombing should above all be magical, and as intense as you can make it be - and magical and intense doesn't necessarily mean happy or comforting!"

    The Incryptid Series

    Tam Lin, the ballad, and the Pamela Dean book . We also love The Perilous Gard, Fire and Hemlock, and Winter Rose.

    Juniper, Gentian and Rosemary by Pamela Dean

    Asbury Park Boardwalk, home of the Catsbury Convention

    Nightshade on the Passaic

    Suza Scalora

    Baby Bestiary - keep an eye out for preorders!

    Return to Labyrinth

    “You Have No Power Over Me”: Female Agency and Empowerment in ‘Labyrinth’

    Spooky, October-Infused Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi





    Readalikes

    War for the Oaks by Emma Bull

    The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

    Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

    Seven Wild Sisters by Charles De Lint





    Current Reads

    Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

    Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg

    Space Opera by Catherynne Valente

  • Creative Vandalism! Extortion! Lots of Laughs! Carey and Marie revisit a favorite read a decade later to see how the madcap adventures of Edward Zanni's journey to Jilliard hold up in 2018. Witness Rie having a lot of feelings! Thrill to the 80s fashion and musical numbers! Practice sedate glamourbombing!

    Marc Acito: Website, Twitter, Blog

    How I Paid for College

    Attack of the Theater People

    Content Warnings

    Where do we start? Book is from the point of view of an Italian-American bisexual teen in New Jersey in the early 80s. There's sexism, internalized homophobia, transphobia, racism, coercive sex, blackmail, drugging, underage drinking, terrible parents, and "creative vandalism"--aka making life terrible for retail workers. We talk about it more in the episode, so reader caveat, the honesty of the narrative means revealing the ugliness of being a suburban queer in the 80s.  

    Remember book trailers? We love book trailers!

    The Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary

    How the redesigned Judy Blume covers avoid nostalgia and embrace universal adolescent angst

    10 things i say to preschoolers slash grown-ass men

    Glamourbombing 101

    Surprised by Joy by C.S.Lewis

    Sharp precious claws

    1980s Fashion: What Did It Look Like?

    Dee Snyder's Teenage Survival Guide

    Your Happiest Years by Dick Clark

    Hey Ladies!: Tales and Tips for Curious Girls by Kennedy

    15 Movies That Are the Epitome of ‘80s Fashion

    Manic D Press





    Readalikes

    Life is Like a Musical by Tim Federle

    I Married an Earthling by Alvin Orloff

    Current Reads

    Love and Other Train Wrecks by Leah Konen

    The Merry Spinster by Daniel Ortberg

  • It was so cold that Frienduary lasted into Smarch! This week, Laila Vafaeezadeh of Bigfoot and Bob joins us while we talk the Oz-infused, magic-stuffed, girl-empowered fantasy of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente. What makes a uniquely American fantasy? How do alternative publishing schemes aid and abet children's lit? And who else wants a wyverary as a best friend?

    The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making: Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Indiebound, Better World Books

    Catherynne M. Valente: Website, Twitter, Patreon

    Bigfoot and Bob is a monstrous comedy podcast out of Seattle, hosted by Ryan Brown (@RAlisterBrown) and Laila Vafaeezadeh (@LailaMaryV). Listen in all your podcast-y places, such as iTunes and PlayerFM. Find them on Twitter and Facebook, too!

    Laila's Tumblr

    Laila's Wattpad project, Danny and I Survived



  • To celebrate International Women's Day, we're taking a look at all the ways we can be terrible to each other...and how we can break the cycles of oppression. Or, we're looking at the debut novel by E. Lockhart, discussing how life on a houseboat with a performance artist mom can prepare you for dating a sociopath and being shunned by the entire sophomore class. Or maybe it's just a really funny book about nihilism. Or maybe...all of the above?



  • What happens when you're the oldest daughter of a hat-making family, destined for no fairytale adventures and cursed by a glamorous witch? Strike out your own fortune! Lisa Jenn Bigelow, author of Starting from Here and the upcoming Drum Roll, Please, joins us this Frienduary to talk terrible boys with magic powers, the undeniable gift of aging gracefully, and shouting as witchcraft. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones had us laugh, cry, and thank Calcifer we never had J.R.R. Tolkein as a professor.

  • Happy Frienduary, readers and listeners! Our very first guest, librarian and author Kyle Lukoff, joins us to talk Sara Ryan's debut, Empress of the World. Find out why you should tell on terrible boys and why you shouldn't make creepy crush art while reminiscing about first loves, nerd camp, and bisexual folk music.

    Sarah Ryan: Website, Blog

    Empress of the World: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound

    We love to hear from our readers and listeners! Send us email, or visit us at Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

    Kyle Lukoff teaches kids how to library well, writes fascinating children's books, and decides what books should get a Stonewall Book Award (along with a bunch of other cool people.) His first book, A Storytelling of Ravens, will be published May 1, 2018. You can find him on twitter @Shekels_Library

    Content Notes

    People are real shitty about queer folks, even queer folks themselves! Battle has shitty judgemental Christian parents! The t-word that Frank-N-Further calls himself gets thrown around in a stupid way! Things that were all too commonplace in the era show up here.

    Show Notes

    Katrina in "Me and Edith Head"

    Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is the book with Ramona making the Fancy Feast commercial parody

    Battle and Nic have their first kiss to this song!

    Readalikes



    Under the Lights by Dahlia Adler

    Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

    Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties by Felicia Luna Lemus

    Drum Roll, Please by Friend of the Podcast Lisa Jenn Bigelow

    Current Reads


    The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

    Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

    Rookie on Love edited by Tavi Gevinson

  • LIBBA HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US. Now that we have this out of our systems, join us as we close the Gemma Doyle trilogy, talking about our D&D alignments, Paris sapphists, and a light in the dark of winter.

    Have you read the rest of the series? Check out our episodes about A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels!

    The Sweet Far Thing: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound

    Libba Bray: Website, Blog

    Libba Bray answers Frequently Asked Questions About The Sweet Far Thing: Part 1, Part 2

    We love to hear from our readers and listeners! Send us email, or visit us at Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

    Content WarningsViolence! Gore! Sexual Harassment! Betrayal! This is a rough book, y'all, but it'll turn out well for our intrepid trio.Show Notes

    Celebrating Candlemas

    Diviners Series

    One Thing Leads to Another: An Interview with Libba Bray

    Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the D&D Game by Shelly Mazzanoble

    Online D&D Alignment Test



    Fuse 8 n’ Kate: The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright 

    - The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll: The Search for Dare Wright by Jean Nathan

    Folk Horror Revival

    Wild Girls: Paris, Sappho, and Art: The Lives and Loves of Natalie Barney and Romaine Brooks by Diana Souhami

    Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

    Readalikes

    The Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey



    The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson

    So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

  • Sunshine and self help every day of the year! Carey and Marie turn back the (rhinestone) clock to 2001 for this fun, funky piece of post-riot-grrl/pre-Tumblr girl empowerment culture. Super Clea (Hantman) and Keva Marie (Dine) invite us to let down our hair and cover it in avocado, kick back in a hand-crafted hammock, and follow our bliss while honoring cool women from the past. After you listen, you'll wanna bedazzle something good for yourself (and bad for the patriarchy.)

    Hey, Day!: Is out of print! We love BetterWorldBooks and Barnes and Noble,  or check your local used bookstore

    Clea Hantman: SuperClea blog

    Keva Marie: Keva Dine Agency

    We love our readers and listeners! Send us an email or visit us at Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

    Content Notes

    Lots of early oughts "isn't this culture so WEIRD and COOL," which comes from a heartfelt place but we can do better in 2018. Approach other cultures with respect and compassion, and we're golden.

    Show Notes

    The Vicar of Dibley

    What Would Mister Rogers Eat? Thanksgiving in the Neighborhood

    How to play Exquisite Corpse

    What is a drabble?

    How to Make Pippi Longstocking Braids

    How to Make a Zine (from one page of paper)

    Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future

    Grassroots: A Field Guide for Feminist Activism

    Make a Snow Globe




    Andrea Scher - Storybowl - Superhero Necklaces are back!

    Clare Crespo - 2018 Hurray Today Calendar

    Readalikes

    Elf Girl by Reverend Jen (Miller)

    Rookie Yearbook series

    Living Out Loud by Keri Smith

    The Animated Thumbtack Railroad Dollhouse & All Around Surprise Book, Evening Edition by Louis Phillips





    Current Reads

    Not Now, Not Ever  and The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You by Lily Anderson

    The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization and Alan Mendelson, the Boy from Mars by Daniel Pinkwater



  • Hopping over to Arizona, land of the Crafty Chica, for Sunshine and Self-Help Month! We hop back in time to look at Kathy Cano-Murillo's oughts-tastic crafting books, the Crafty Diva series. Carey and Marie discuss formative crafts, New Year's resolutions, and what, exactly, can and should be glittered.

    Kathy Cano-Murillo: Website

    Content NotesBeyond your usual craft book content (sharp objects, etc), this book has the distinction of being our first without a content warning! Congrats!

    Show Notes TBC



  • Lanky Lizards! Carey and Marie couldn't hold back from talking about the It Girl of Gen X lit, Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block. 

    Weetzie Bat: Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads

    Francesca Lia Block: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Polyvore

    Wanna chat? GoYourOwnYA at Gmail dot Com and everywhere else!

    Content Warnings

    Sex, death, rock and roll, skinheads, addiction, parent death, having a baby with your BFFs behind your partner's back, and some cultural issues well addressed by others. We talk a lot about how on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of publication, it would be a great time to address how things have changed and what would be different nowadays.

    Show Notes

    Did you know there's a Weetzie Bat cookbook? Check out Fairies in the Kitchen by Cameron Stanton!

    Inside ElsaGate

    Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out! by Hillary Carlip

    The Zine Scene by Hillary Carlip and Francesca Lia Block

    Girl Goddess #9 by Francesca Lia Block

    WhimWham: Living a Life of Whimsy

    Download Your LiveJournal as a PDF

    Beloved Rookie did a whole series of posts on Weetzie Bat, including:

    Magical Creature: An Interview With Francesca Lia BlockSecret Style Icon: Weetzie BatFriday Playlist: Hanging Out With Weetzie BatDIY Weetzie Nails

    Vintage LA by Jennifer Brandt Taylor is a must read for fans of the Dangerous Angels books!

    Pre-order The Thorn Necklace: Healing Through Writing and the Creative Process

    Jeremiah's Vanishing New York



    Cynthia Heimel

    A&B by J.C. Lillis

    The Gallery of Regrettable Food - Spry Lard

    Wendy McClure: Weight Watchers Recipe Cards from 1974

    Charlotte Zolotow

    Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom

    Worlds Within: Children's Fantasy From The Middle Ages To Today

    Irving Block at IMDB

    Valencia Is The Most Masterful Dyke-Centric Artsy-Weirdo Film I’ve Ever Seen

    Shock Value: A Tasteful Book about Bad Taste by John Waters

    Love The Simpsons? We do too! Have a listen to Everything's Coming Up Simpsons

    Eric Carle Museum





    Readalikes

    Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

    When The Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

    Current Reads

    Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea

    Unf*ck Your Habitat by Rachel Hoffman

  • Sunshine and Self Help month kicks off with a groovy guide to life by the endlessly cool Jennifur Brandt (aka Jennifer Brandt Taylor). Were you a weirdo, nostalgic teen who admired both Riot Grrl culture and classic cinema? Do you love collage, paper dolls, and pissing off the patriarchy? Read along with us as we talk novelty stores, fashion tips from 2000, and the eternal appeal of Weetzie Bat.

    Jennifer Brandt Taylor's website: The Librarian (also on Twitter and Instagram)

    Pesky Meddling Girl Instagram

    Life is a Movie Starring You: Out of print! Check your beloved local used bookstore, or some of these shops who can ship copies to you: Strand Bookstore, Montclair Book Center. Of course, there are used copies on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the like!

    Content Notes

    Old Hollywood movies means Old Hollywood values! That means racism, sexism, and all sorts of -isms. Otherwise, a happy, kind, and supportive guide whose advice we endorse to this day!

    Show Notes

    Celebrating Chalica

    "MAMA IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!" Sure is, #princessringding -time to cuddle up with a good book (or our latest episode-link in the profile!)

    Foster Ring Ding loved this book! She found it delicious. Adopt her via Brooklyn FAT Cats!

    Girl Power: Jennifur Brandt’s New Lifestyle Brand

    ‘Pesky Meddling Girls’: ’Zine touts pop culture

    50 Things to Do in Baltimore

    American Visionary Art Museum

    Jeremiah's Vanishing New York: Tah-Poozie

    End Comes for Love Saves the Day

    Toy Tokyo

    Vintage L.A.: Eats, Boutiques, Decor, Landmarks, Markets & More by Jennifer Brandt Taylor

    Listen to Friends of the Podcast on Secrets of Story and Fuse 8 n' Kate!

    Bob Baker Marionette Theatre

    True Grease: The unvarnished story behind my favorite girl gang, the Pink Ladies.

    Through the Labyrinth, and What Sarah Found There

    Wise Children by Angela Carter

    My Life (And Nobody Else's): A Personal and Private Fill-In-The-Blanks Record Book

    The Late Great Me by Sandra Scoppetone

    12 Deadly Cyns...and then Some

    Amy Krouse Rosenthal

    How to Live Life with Fantastic Aliveness: Remembering Amy Krouse Rosenthal

    Dewdrops in the Garden playlist

    Qoya

    The Year That Skin Care Became a Coping Mechanism

    Rachel Wilkerson Miller/ The REWM - "How to Spend Christmas Alone"

    Shout out BSCC and Baby Bees!

    You should be listening to Carey's Music!

    Jennifer Brandt Taylor's House Tour

    A Girl Like I by Anita Loos





    Readalikes

    The Rookie Yearbooks by Tavi Gevinson and editors of Rookie

    Queen of the Oddballs by Hillary Carlip

    Current Reads

    The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

    Under Her Spell by Bridget Essex



  • Happy Hols, Readers and Listeners! This episode is all about the classic Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace and their wonderful, homey Christmas chapters. We talk holiday memories, stories about childhood friendship, and just a little bit of terrible boys, creepy elves, and talking trains.

    Content Warnings

    Forever YA goes into detail about the racial, class, and other issues which color these books, and what you, the modern reader, should need to know. Read here for Betsy and Tacy go Downtown, and here for Betsy and Joe.

    Show Notes

    The Betsy-Tacy Society

    Betsy-Tacy Convention 2018: August 3-5, Minneapolis, MN

    The return of Maud Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy books.

    "Isn't That Just like Tib?": Betsy and Tacy Confront the Other

    The Long Secret by Louise Fitzhugh

    Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

    Lillian Russell and Mrs. Poppy via The Betsy-Tacy Encyclopedia, who also share A Very Mer-Ray Christmas describing happy scenes from Heaven to Betsy

    Betsy-Tacy's Deep Valley: All things Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Deep Valley

    Photo by Damien Walmsley

    The Most Festive Things to Do in Milwaukee this Holiday Season

    Ten Beloved German Christmas Traditions

    A Smoke-Free Goodnight Moon

    Christkindlmarket Chicago

    Five Good Things from the Christmas Fair on Staten Island Catholic school Christmas Fairs, by Dinosaur Dracula

    Italian Christmas Traditions: The Legend of La Befana

    Readalikes

    The Wondrous World of Violet Barnaby by Jenny Lundquist

    The Emily Byrd Starr series by Lucy Maud Montgomery

    Current Reads

    The Ghost of a Chance by Natalie Vivien

    The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian



  • The month of dark becoming light and whitefish become lutefisk continues! Kate Bjorkman uses her Romance Writer's Handbook, with its three paragraph kisses and dashing heroes, to capture her winter romance. Along the way we get to experience the Bjorkman family Christmas, love in the time of broken glasses and six layers of fleece and wool, and the affectionate embrace of a nerdy, quirky family.

    The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman: Goodreads

    Louise Plummer: Blog

    Happy First Night of Hanukkah!

    Here are the recommendations we made in this episode:




    How to Be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis: Goodreads

    The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli: Goodreads

    Fearless by Shira Glassman: Goodreads, website

    Content Warnings

    Side character death, casual 90s homophobia (fruit boots?!), assault of a male character by a female character, friendship aggression and slut-shaming. There's also a horrifying anecdote about baby mice.

    Show Notes

    The true story of how Teen Vogue got mad, got woke, and began terrifying men like Donald Trump

    How Sassy Changed my Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time by Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer



    Want a modern take on The Romance Writer's Handbook? Try Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes

    Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

    Courtney Milan

    Beverly Jenkins

    Is A Muppet Family Christmas the Best Holiday Special Ever? (Spoiler: Yes.)

    Just as Long as We're Together and Here's the You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume

    Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

    Code Words For Lesbianism In Classic Films

    The Something Awful Christmas Albums

    Photo by Marco Verch

    Scandinavian Christmas Traditions

    10 Nordic Christmas Traditions You Can Try at Home

    17 Ideas for a Merry Scandinavian Christmas

    The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy

    Lagom: This Swedish Lifestyle Trend Will Help Balance Your Life

    Announcing the Danziger Awards for Hilarious Kids Books




    Readalikes

    Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

    Remember Me to Harold Square by Paula Danzinger

    7 Days to a Brand New Me by Ellen Conford



    Current Reads

    Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

    Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M.Montgomery

  • Happy Yule and Saturnalia! It's a Winter Wonderland at Go Your Own YA, where everything festively terrible happens to Gemma Doyle in Rebel Angels by Libba Bray. Carols, presents, wraiths and horrible fates in the classic about monstrous teen girls. We talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the heroine's journey and folk horror Christmas traditions as we gear for a festive month of reads.

    Rebel Angels: Goodreads

    Beauty Queens: Goodreads

    Libba Bray: Website

    Content Warnings

    Drug addiction in a family member, general Victorian racism,classism, and sexism, parental incest, blood and gore, suicide, and a whole lot of plot set in an asylum

    Show Notes

    Paradise Lost by John Milton at Project Gutenberg

    Cassandra Clare scoops £1m for first adult novels

    A Victorian [England] Christmas

    Saturnalia: The December Festival of Joy and Merriment in Ancient Rome

    The Winter Solstice - Yule Lore

    Folk Horror Revival

    Jólakötturinn, The Christmas Cat of Iceland

    8 Legendary Monsters of Christmas

    15 Fascinating Facts About The Wicker Man

    Picnic at Hanging Rock

    One Thing Leads to Another: An Interview with Libba Bray

    Monstrous Bodies: Feminine Power in Young Adult Horror Fiction

    Who are the Baby Bees? Listen to Baby-Sitters Club Club to find out

    Actually it was Lizzie Skurnick that talked about friends of proximity in Are You There God? It's Me Margaret

    Internet Anagram Server

    From Bethlehem to Bedlam - England's First Mental Institution

    Here's a playlist of the BBC's videos on Victorian Christmas How Tos!

    Libba Bray blogs on depression

    The Finishing School series by Gail Carriger

    A Gemma sighting in Lair of Dreams! Thank you to allthesmallwords.tumblr.com for the photo

    Readalikes

    The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

    Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

    Current Reads

    Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen

    Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore



  • What do marauding vampires, teen restaurant impresarios, small town politics and grieving families have in common? Cynthia Leitich Smith, writer and scholar extraordinaire. Carey and Marie talk about the inescapable legacy of Twilight, Native American kidlit and YA, photography as a catalyst for self-exploration and expression, and really terrible men who dress like they did a walk of shame from a Hot Topic. 

    Rain is Not My Indian Name: Goodreads

    Tantalize: Goodreads

    Cynthia Leitich Smith: Website

    Content WarningsRain is Not My Indian Name

    Racism, small town prejudice, anti-Native prejudice, grief (long term and short term), girl on girl relational agression

    Tantalize

    Gore, physical violence, vampirism, sexualization of teenagers, drugging and forcibly turning a teenager into a vampire. Also the baby squirrel thing.

    Show Notes

    Rain is Not My Indian Name readers' guide

    Cynsations Blog: The Tantalize Series

    11 Most Haunted Places in Austin

    Austin Book Store: Book People

    Nowadays, Cassidy can attend one of these programs: These Revolutionary Programs Are Helping Native American Kids Chase Careers In Science, Technology, And Engineering

    A real life Aunt Georgia: Czarina Salido fighting to help young Native American girls discover STEM

    10 STEM Summer Camps for Students of Color

    Native Now: Contemporary Indian Stories: article by  by Cynthia Leitich Smith (contemporary to Rain is Not My Indian Name)

    A real-life Sanguini's in Tokyo, Japan

    Weekend Update: Pete Davidson on Staten Island





    Readalikes

    Sunshine by Robin McKinley

    The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

    Current Reads

    My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

    The Mindful Child by Susan K Greenland




  • Carey and Marie discuss the myriad works of Matthue Roth! From teen punk sitcom stars, slam poets in San Francisco, and boys trying to find their way from Hebrew school to Rocky Horror, Matthue Roth writes music, faith and friendship in an unimitatable style. 

    Never Mind the Goldbergs: Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Better World Books

    Yom Kippur a Go-Go: Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, IndieBound, Better World Books

    Rules of My Best Friend's Body: It's free! Go download it here

    Matthue Roth: Website

    Content Warnings

    Never Mind the Goldbergs: Creepy predatory older man creeping on a teen girl. Lots of confusions around identity and general punk anger.

    Yom Kippur a Go-Go: Matthue uses some words that are really only used intra-communally nowadays when talking about his very loved friends. There is also a theme of confusion around feelings about girls in conflict with his faith.

    Rules of My Best Friend's Body: This book is about the best friend's character surviving rape. It is from the viewpoint of a teen boy, and the experience is based on the experience of the author. It is realistic, heartfelt, and also had some moments that made me, a thirtysomething woman and assault survivor, go WHAT THE HELL. It is an important viewpoint, but if sexual violence is in your past, proceed with caution. 

    What happened to Never Mind the Goldbergs? It has more to do with The Goldbergs than we thought. :

    http://www.matthue.com/2013/10/goldbergs-meet-goldbergs.html

    Fault Line by Christa Desir

    Matthue Roth's writing on Hevria

    Hevria’s mission is to become the go-to community for Jewish and spiritual people who are “creators”.

    Lizard People podcast

    The Toast, may it rest in peace 

    7-Up: The Up Series of Documentaries





    Readalikes:

    Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn

    Sister Mischief by Laura Goode

    Current Reads:

    The Weight of Sound by Peter McDade

    Rocket Romance by Sophia Chester

    Find us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! Send us an email! We love our Readers and Listeners.

  • Travel to magical utopian New Jersey with Carey and Marie in this groundbreaking queer YA romance. For such a sweet book, we spend a lot of time talking about mental health issues and our dead parents! But don't let that take away from this very sweet, very romantic magical realist story where boy meets boy and transphobes meet the Jersey Devil (in our hearts).

    Boy Meets Boy: (You want the tenth anniversary edition!) Goodreads, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound, Better World Books

    David Levithan: Website

    Content Warnings:

    Infinite Darlene is a wonderful trans girl character that the narrative--and Paul's point of view--doesn't serve. The short story at the end of the anniversary edition puts some of this to right, but yeah, it was slim pickings in mainstream YA for a really long time. We'll be addressing this! This is also a pretty white book, and there's a lot of diminishing the abusive relationship of one best friend and abusive parents of another, because you're getting inside the head of a sheltered white cis gay teenage boy. Queer YA--and the author--has grown a lot in the past 12 years, and we're really happy about that, despite the long way we still have to go.

    This is Paul's Elsewhere song. It's also from Robot Unicorn Attack.

    Datable cryptids? Learn more about them on the Cryptid Keeper podcast!

    The Adventures of the REAL Winnie-the-Pooh - visit them at the Central Children's Room!

    Did you know there is Boy Meets Boy fanfic? That's what Host Rie learned while making these shownotes!

    David Levithan, editor extraordinaire, talks with Ann M. Martin as the Baby-sitters Club Turns 30 on Scholastic Reads podcast

    Strand Bookstore where Paul and Tony meet

    A-Camp, Host Rie's family reunion

    Montclair Book Center

    Cheaper by the Dozen

    Weird NJ magazine: why we love New Jersey and why you should too

    Feed transphobic boyfriends to the Jersey Devil

    Captain Awkward

    "Tony" by Patty Griffin. Content warning for gay slurs and suicide.

    Obsessed with Joseph Scrimshaw Podcast

    The Huntswoman: Brianne Huntsman, business coach

    A Short List of LGBTQAI Teen ResourcesResources for LGBTQ Youth By State from Lambda LegalPFLAG NYC Links to Recommended Resources for TeensScarleteen LGBT ResourcesTrans Life LineCrisis Text Line



    Readalikes

    Girl Goddess #9 by Francesca Lia Block

    Mermaids on Parade by Melanie Hope Greenburg

    How I Paid for College by Marc Acito

    Current Reads

    Hi-Fi Fight Club by Carly Usdin

    It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sigiura