middle grade – A Bookish Home Podcast

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.

“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)

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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.

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.

This week, I’m honored to be speaking with this year’s Newbery Medal winner, Donna Barba Higuera, author of The Last Cuentista.

In the book, 12-year-old Petra Peña’s suspended animation fails during the 370-year journey to a new planet after Earth is destroyed, so when all the other children are mysteriously reprogrammed and the adults purged, Petra becomes the lone bringer of Earth’s now forbidden stories and her grandmother’s Mexican folklore to a changing humanity.

“Deftly blends Mexican folklore with science fiction in this thrilling and emotional post-apocalyptic novel.” —Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

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

Donna Barba Higuera’s Middle Grade and Picture books reinvent history, folklore, and or her own life experience into compelling storylines. She lives in Washington State with her husband, four kids, three dogs and a frog.

Her books include Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, El Cucuy (coo-coo-ee) Is Scared, Too!, and The Last Cuentista, and have won awards including: the Newbery medal, both Pura Belpré medal and honor, PNBA best book of the year award, and the Sid Fleischman award for best children’s humor book of the year.

To learn more about Donna Barba Higuera and follow her on social media visit https://www.dbhiguera.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.

Register for the Newburyport Literary Festival

Looking for more bookish conversations? Registration is now open for the 2022 virtual Newburyport Literary Festival: https://newburyportliteraryfestival.org/2022-schedule-of-events/.

I hope to see you at my session: Romance by the Book with Lauren Kate (By Any Other Name) and Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegmund-Broka (The Roughest Draft)! Register here.

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.