Happy Reading ep 26: Novels in Verse
Happy Reading
This episode spotlights four middle grade novels in verse: Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green, Odder by Katherine Applegate, The Road to After by Rebekah Lowell, and Alone by Megan E. Freeman. Instagram: Kidlit_Lover Twitter: @WordNerd 153 Transcript available at
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Happy Reading ep 25: ADHD Representation
Happy Reading
This episode spotlights four middle grade novels featuring main characters with ADHD: Focused by Alyson Gerber, A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin, Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya, and Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn. Twitter: @WordNerd153 IG: @Kidlit_Lover. transcript available at
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Happy Reading ep 24: Faves from 2023
Happy Reading
As of this recording I have read 655 books this year, 80 of which were middle grade, so I thought it’d be fun for me to review those titles and pluck some favorites from the bunch to share with you. This is also a sneaky way to be loosey goosey with this episode’s theme and spotlight books that might not have anything in common other than wonderful storytelling, endearing characters, and a riveting plot. By no means are these the only spectacular middle grade books I read this year—in fact, several of my favorites will show up in future episodes—but we’d easily be here for over an...
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Happy Reading ep 23: Offbeat Sports
Happy Reading
In this episode I share excerpts from five middle grade books that center around sports that generally aren't consdiered to be mainstream: Call Me Adnan by Reem Faruqi (table tennis), Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera (synchronized swimming), Kenzie Kickstarts a Team by Kit Rosewater and Sophie Escabasse (roller derby), Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (fencing), and Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo (baton twirling). A modified version of the transcript can be found here: https://happyrdng.blogspot.com/2023/11/i-wanna-see-you-sweat.html
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Happy Reading ep 22: Under 200 Pages
Happy Reading
This episode spotlights 4 middle grade novels and one middle grade nonfiction book, all of which clock in under 200 pages. The featured books are When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Thirst by Varsha Bajaj, Saving Winslow by Sharon Creech, The Guardian Test by Christina Soontornvat, and Two Truth and a Lie: It's Alive! by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson. You can read a modified transcript of the episode on the Happy Reading website at
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Happy Reading ep. 21: Spies
Happy Reading
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to listen to excerpts from four middle grade novels about young spies. This podcast will not self-destruct at any point, so do not panic. Spotlighted books include A Recipe for Trouble by Sarah Todd Taylor, City Spies by James Ponti, N.E.R.D.S. by Michael Buckley, and Undercover Latina by Aya De León. Find a partial transcript of this episode at
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Happy Reading ep. 20: Baking
Happy Reading
This episode is all about one of my favorite things: baking! I share excerpts from Janae Marks's debut From the Desk of Zoe Washington, the first book in Erin Soderberg Downing's The Great Peach Experiment series, Summer of a Thousand Pies by Margaret Dilloway, Aimee Lucido's Recipe for Disaster, and All You Knead is Love by Tanya Guerrero. A transcript without book excerpts can be found
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Happy Reading ep. 19: Social Activism
Happy Reading
This epsiode opens with "Amplify," a verso poem about young people getting involved in social activism, and then spotlights five middle grade books about protagonists who are passionate about bettering their communities. Featured books include A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée, Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone, Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles, Turn the Tide by Elaine Dimopoulos, and Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper.
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Happy Reading season 3, ep. 2
Happy Reading
Spotlights four middle grade books - The Unteachables, Good Enough, The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA and after zero.
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Happy Reading season 3, ep. 1 - Four great reads
Happy Reading
Spotlights four incredible middle grade books I read recently and couldn't put down.
info_outlineThis epsiode opens with "Amplify," a verso poem about young people getting involved in social activism, and then spotlights five middle grade books about protagonists who are passionate about bettering their communities. Featured books include A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée, Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone, Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles, Turn the Tide by Elaine Dimopoulos, and Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper.