Category: Young Adult

Ep. 150: Jennifer De Leon on the Power of Story to Build Empathy and Create Change

Posted in Writing, Young AdultTagged , Leave a comment

Today my guest is Jennifer De Leon, author of the new young adult novel Borderless. Caught in the cross hairs of gang violence, in Borderless a teen girl and her mother set off on a perilous journey from Guatemala City to the US border.

 

51QZKwIA5sL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_

 

“Grabbing and nicely-woven, this tale places a girl’s inspiring determination against a harsh reality and allows fate to pull both in unexpected ways.” – Bookworm for Kids

 

Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Jennifer De Leon is an author, editor, speaker, and creative writing professor who lives outside of Boston. She is the editor of Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, the 2015–2016 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library, and a 2016–2017 City of Boston Artist-in-Residence. She is also the second recipient of the We Need Diverse Books grant. She is the author of Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From and Borderless. Learn more: https://jenniferdeleonauthor.com/

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

Screen Shot 2023-03-29 at 2.46.05 PM

 

Links:

Macmillan Audio

 

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 121: Author, Actor, and Activist Maulik Pancholy on Writing Timely, Moving Middle Grade

Posted in middle grade, Writing, Young AdultTagged , , Leave a comment

This week, I’m excited to share an interview with author, actor, and activist Maulik Pancholy. Pancholy’s debut middle grade novel, The Best At It, was a Stonewall Honor Award winner and is in development for television at HBO Max. His second novel, Nikhil Out Loud is available now and is a Junior Library Guild gold selection.

 

nikhil

 

“Pancholy’s sophomore effort is a layered coming-of-age tale, melding puberty’s woes with familial expectations and grief…. The sweet, peck-on-the-cheek–level romance is delightfully middle school—as is the squeeworthy joy alongside more difficult moments. A timely affirmation that hate has no place in school.”

— ★ Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.

 

About the Author:

Maulik Pancholy is an award-winning actor whose career has spanned hit television shows (Only Murders in the Building and 30 Rock), animated favorites (Phineas and Ferb, Sanjay and Craig, and Mira, Royal Detective), the Broadway stage, and films. He served on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and he is the cofounder of the antibullying campaign Act To Change. Maulik lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his husband, Ryan, and their dog, Arlo. His debut novel, The Best at It, was a Stonewall Honor Award winner. Learn more: https://www.maulikpancholy.com/

 

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

Screen Shot 2022-10-18 at 9.33.02 AM

Screen Shot 2022-10-18 at 10.13.31 AM

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 97: Jennieke Cohen, Author of My Fine Fellow

Posted in History, Research, Young AdultLeave a comment

Jennieke Cohen is on the podcast this week to discuss her new young adult novel, My Fine Fellow, which is a retelling of My Fair Lady set in 1830s London. 

I adored My Fine Fellow and agree with author Stacey Lee who called it “a fun dish of a novel with a healthy sprinkle of feminism. My Fine Fellow is fresh as the rain in Spain.” 


57789639

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Jennieke Cohen is a Filipina-American author of young adult historical fiction. Her debut novel, Dangerous Alliance, was a Junior Library Guild selection and has been translated into multiple languages. Jennieke studied English history at Cambridge University and has a master’s degree in professional writing from the University of Southern California.

To learn more about Jennieke Cohen and follow her on social media visit https://www.jenniekecohen.com.

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

Screen Shot 2022-03-24 at 12.44.40 PMScreen Shot 2022-03-24 at 12.42.03 PM

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 89: Soman Chainani, Author of Beasts and Beauty

Posted in Children's, Libraries, Podcast, Reading Life, Young AdultLeave a comment

I’m thrilled to share an episode today with author Soman Chainani. I’ve seen firsthand the way his School for Good and Evil series hooked kids on reading and young people will be excited to pick up his new collection of fairy tales, Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales. 

Soman Chainani’s debut series, The School for Good and Evil, has sold more than 3 million copies, been translated into 30 languages, and will be a major motion picture from Netflix in 2022. His new book, Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales released in September. A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University’s MFA Film Program, Soman began his career as a screenwriter and director, with his films playing at over 150 film festivals around the world. He lives in New York City.

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

 

beasts

A volume that transports readers to a place where the lines between beastly natures and beautiful appearances can be difficult to discern. Expertly crafted . . . Chainani’s writing is raw in what it lays bare on the page, perfectly appropriate to revisiting these beloved, ubiquitous stories that may have left readers with naïve expectations or dissatisfied conclusions. For any lover of fairy tales who seeks alternative endings. -Kirkus

To learn more about Soman Chainani, follow him on social media, and stay in the know about upcoming author events visit https://somanchainani.com/.

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

Screen Shot 2021-10-21 at 10.05.46 AMScreen Shot 2021-10-21 at 10.05.53 AM

 

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 87: Fade Into the Bright with Jessica Koosed Etting & Alyssa Embree Schwartz

Posted in Audiobooks, Podcast, Reading Life, Young AdultLeave a comment

Today we have a special episode with writing partners, Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Embree Schwartz, authors of the new young adult novel Fade Into the Bright, about two sisters, one summer, and a diagnosis that changes everything. 

Alyssa Embree Schwartz, from Virginia Beach, and Jessica Koosed Etting, a Los Angeles native, met at the University of Southern California and became best friends after meeting on the first day of school freshman year.  After graduating and moving in together, they began a career in television writing. Following a lifelong passion for literature and fiction, Jessica and Alyssa branched into the world of Young Adult Fiction several years ago with the Georgetown Academy series, The Lost Causes, and their latest, Fade into the Bright.

 

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

fade

“Give this layered romance to readers who wished for a happy ending to John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.” —School Library Journal

To learn more about Jessica and Alyssa, follow them on social media, and stay in the know about upcoming author events visit http://www.jessicaandalyssa.com/.

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

Screen Shot 2021-09-17 at 10.28.58 AMScreen Shot 2021-09-17 at 10.29.06 AM

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.

Ep. 84: Brittney Morris, Author of The Cost of Knowing

Posted in Podcast, Reading Life, Summer Reading, Young AdultLeave a comment

This week I’m chatting with Brittney Morris, whose new young adult novel The Cost of Knowing has received wide acclaim including multiple starred reviews, inclusion on the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide, and an Indie Next Pick selection. Tune in to hear more about the book, Brittney’s writing process, what she’s been reading lately, and much more.

You can also listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

image

 

Emotional and gripping, The Cost of Knowing uses fantastical elements to convey how life-threateningly real the problems that Black boys face in America are—so real, in fact, that even having superpowers isn’t always enough to overcome them.

—Booklist

Brittney Morris is also the author of SLAY, the founder and former president of the Boston University Creative Writing Club, and holds a degree in economics. To learn more about Brittney, follow her on social media, and stay in the know about upcoming author events visit https://www.authorbrittneymorris.com.

Browse Books Mentioned On This Episode:

Looking for a book mentioned on the podcast? Want to browse books by past guests? Visit A Bookish Home Podcast’s Bookshop.org page.

Happy Reading and Listening,

Laura Szaro Kopinski

ABookishHome.com

*A Bookish Home is now an affiliate of Bookshop.org. At no extra cost to you, we receive a small commission if you purchase something through the Bookshop.org links provided.