Episode 24 - Al Capone Does My Shirts - live from the Gaithersburg Book Festival
Release Date: 10/08/2025
Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
Book Club for Kids
Sophie's quest to find her mother takes her from London to Paris - mostly rooftop to rooftop. Katherine Rundell's novel "Rooftoppers" is our book this episode. Students from the British International School of Washington discuss the book with host Kitty Felde. Director and audio book actress Stevie Zimmerman is celebrity reader. Katherine Rundell talks about writing for the stage vs. writing books for kids.
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Bonus Episode - Katherine Marsh
Book Club for Kids
Katherine Marsh says her son helped a lot with the creation of "The Door by the Staircase." She also offers some writing tips.
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Episode 79 -The Door By The Staircase by Katherine Marsh
Book Club for Kids
This week, we get a new look at an old fairy tale – the story of the Russian witch known as Baba Yaga. A boys book club in Portland, Oregon met us at Powell's Books to discuss Katherine Marsh's novel "The Door by the Staircase" with host Kitty Felde. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who represents Portland on Capitol, is celebrity reader.
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A Conversation with Sean OBrien
Book Club for Kids
How does a White House speechwriter turn into a writer for kids? How do you become a Washington speech writer to begin with? We speak to Sean O'Brien, former speechwriter to then-Vice President Joe Biden. Kitty Felde is host.
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White House Clubhouse by Sean OBrien
Book Club for Kids
Former White House speechwriter takes us inside the building to a secret passageway to the past in his mystery "White House Clubhouse." Readers from in Fairfax, Virginia discuss how Theodore Roosevelt's mantras are still relevant to them today. Actress is celebrity reader. is host. FAVORITE BOOKS FROM OAKVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: The Chronicles of Whetherwhy: the Age of Enchantment - Anna James Echo - Walk Two Moons - The Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare SEAN O'BRIEN'S FAVORITE BOOK: All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren ELIZABETH LOGUN'S FAVORITE BOOK: Charlotte's Web - E.B....
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Favorite Books from You and the National Book Festival
Book Club for Kids
If you’ve listened to the show before, you know that we ask everybody our favorite question: What’s your favorite book and why. We ask it in classrooms, we ask it in libraries, and we ask if of YOU. A pair of twin brothers from Washington state picked up a phone and recorded their answers on the voice memo app of a smartphone and sent it to us. We also visit the National Book Club in the other Washington: Washington, D.C. Kitty Felde is host.
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A Conversation with Janet Macreery
Book Club for Kids
We have a conversation with "A Little Wicked" author Janet Macreery about two kids of writers: plotters and pantsers. Kitty Felde is host.
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A Conversation with Janet Macreery
Book Club for Kids
We have a conversation with "A Little Wicked" author Janet Macreery about two kids of writers: plotters and pantsers. Kitty Felde is host.
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NPR's Susan Stamberg live from the National Archive
Book Club for Kids
We reprise our episode taped before a live audience at the National Archives. Readers from the Girlfriends BookClub Baltimore discuss A Little Wicked by Janet Macreery with host Kitty Felde. Celebrity reader is NPR Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg.
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A Conversation with Lisa Thompson
Book Club for Kids
Does a background in radio help you write dialogue? What's the one thing you should never include in a book designed for readers with dyslexia? We ask the expert: Lisa Thompson, author of "The Light Jar" and other middle grade novels.
info_outlineIt's banned books week, as we continue our look at books that have been challenged or banned. This week, it’s Gennifer Choldenko’s tale “Al Capone Does My Shirts.” Back in 2016, the book was challenged by a group that said the book “perpetuates negative stereotypes” by including Al Capone as a character in the book.
And earlier this year, a school board member in Pennsylvania called for a ban on the Newbery Honor book because a character called an autistic teenager stupid.
The school says the books are selected by professional staff members to support the district’s educataional goals and meet the learning needs of students. The writer dedicated the book to her sister who had severe autism and was the inspiration for the character.
What do you think? Give a listen to our discussion of Jennifer Cheldenko’s “Al Capone Does My Shirts.”
It was a rainy, muddy, fabulous day at the Gaithersburg Book Festival where this group of middle school students from Maryland discussed whether they'd like living on Alcatraz and if it's better to be the oldest or youngest in the family. Gennifer Choldenko answers their questions about researching her book AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS. NPR newscaster Jack Speer is celebrity reader. Past Book Club for Kids guests drop by as well. Kitty Felde is host.