Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Brenna Clarke Gray and Joe Lipsett

Brenna and Joe dip back into dystopian territory with The 5th Wave, Rick Yancey's 2013 novel and J Blakeson's 2016 film adaptation.
This one is unique because it's aliens, though we are still dealing with a Chosen One narrative and a potential love quad.
Plus: changing (sometimes inefficiently) perspectives, a film that moves too fast but is too long, putting film critics on blast, and whether we'll check out entries 2-3 in Yancey's trilogy.
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)
> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)
Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  
Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights" 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe kick off our summer programming with a long requested title: Skins.
Every other week we're watching two episodes of Series 1, starting with "Tony" (episode 1) and "Cassie" (episode 2) and already we're into the thick of bad parents, hedonistic behaviour, and major empathy for Hannah Murray's Cassie, who is struggling with disordered eating.
Plus: handlebar moustaches, disgusting food fight parties, and a mid-career Nicholas Hoult!
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)
> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)
Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com 
Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights" 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Victoria requested positive depictions of neurodivergence last week, Miriam reached out with a list of recommendations:
Autism Titles
> A Kind Of Spark - Elle McNicoll
> Geek Girl - Holly Smale
> Even If We Break - Marieke Nijkamp: Marieke Nijkamp
> On The Edge of Gone - Corinne Duyvis
> Metal Fish, Falling Snow - Cath Moore
> The Winter Knight - Jes Battis
ADHD Titles
> Fresh - Margot Wood
> Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas
> Kat And Meg Conquer The World - Anna Priemaza
> The Colours of the Sea (Dutch Only) - Miriam Bruijstens
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)
> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)
Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com 
Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights" 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brenna and Joe kick off "the kids aren't alright" summer with Megan Abbott's 2012 novel Dare Me and its 2019 TV adaptation. C/W: implied sexual assault and disordered eating.
We're talking sociopathic girls, awful parents, and red hold blooded cheerleading in a pair of texts that may just feature the most unlikeable protagonists we've ever covered.
Plus: backstories galore, celebrating Willa Fitzgerald and Marlo Kelly, endless musical montages and ponderous voice over, and the dark side of female friendships.
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)
> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)
Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  
Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights" 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a brief lament about Sia's misguided directorial debut Music, Brenna and Joe tackle a question from listener Victoria about positive depictions of neurodivergence. Brenna defers to former guest Jes Battis' piece in the Los Angeles Book of Review "Imperfect Rhetorics: Neurodiversity in YA Literature and Popular Culture" which focuses on three titles:
> Rainbow Rowell. Carry On
> Rachael Lucas. The State of Grace
> Jen Wilde. Queens of Geek
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)
> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)
Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com 
Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights" 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe and Brenna return to Canadian YA to discuss writer/director Molly McGlynn's semi-autobiographical text, Fitting In (2023).
The film has a great cast and explores a compelling story of non-normative female bodies. We have a few issues with the film's messaging, but overall the film is pretty enjoyable.
Plus: praise for lead actor Maddie Ziegler, wishing better for Ki Griffin's Jax, a dilator montage, and plenty of running!
Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:
> Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)
> Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)
Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  
Theme music: Ben Fox "Think About the Lights" 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.