BookHuddle with Readgab

Karen Reeder
  • 5.0 (17)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Book Huddle with Readgab where you get to hear from authors of children's books and others having to do with children's literacy. We chat not only about what inspired these amazing authors, but also time relevant themes in their books and how kids can benefit from these themes. Each guest also recommends one of their favorite children's books at the end of the episode so you will constantly be building a wonderful list of books for the kids in your life. 

  1. 4d ago

    95: Middle School Theater with Disability Representation - Wendy Lu Middle Grade Author Interview

    Casting April by Wendy Lu is partly based on Wendy's own youth experiences with theatre and living with a tracheostomy tube. While April is partly based on Wendy as a youth, April has a lot of her own experiences as well. We get to hear all about parts of the story that were very much a part of Wendy's own life as well as other important moments like the unexpected friends April encounters and surprising layers to a teacher who could have been the villian for April.  Find middle grade author Wendy Lu https://www.wendyluwrites.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wendyluwrites/ https://www.amazon.com/Casting-April-Wendy-Lu/dp/B0FRDMD3MZ/ Wendy Lu is a journalist, a children’s book author, and a global speaker on disability representation in the media. She is a deputy editor at The New York Times and has covered disability, politics and culture for the last 10 years. Her work has appeared in HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Refinery29 and more. Wendy is the author of “Casting April,” a middle-grade novel from Penguin Random House about a girl who is determined to land the starring role in her school's play — except nobody believes she can do it because of her disability. "Casting April" was selected for the Indie Next List and the Indies Introduce List in 2026. She lives in New York with her husband, Andrew, and their turtle, Little Cloud. Casting April by Wendy Lu Twelve-year-old April is a talented performer who is determined to land the starring role in the school play, but no one believes she can do it because of her tracheostomy tube. A heartwarming story of friendship, identity, and the importance of chasing your dreams. Sixth grader April Xue lives and breathes all things Broadway. When she builds up the courage to audition for the lead role in the school play, she thinks she’s knocked it out of the park—until she finds out that she’s been assigned to the stage crew. April is devastated—it seems like the curtain is closing on her dream of being an actor.  A day later, April overhears that the theater director, Ms. Rooney,  decided not to cast her because she’s disabled. With the help of her best friend, a sneaky student reporter, and her spirited castmates, April learns to confront her own insecurities as a performer and proves to everyone (including Ms. Rooney) that she deserves a fair shot—all in time for opening night. Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Wendy Lu 03:01 What is Casting April by Wendy Lu about? 05:18 How is Casting April personal for Wendy? Was theatre something Wendy did as a youth? 08:50 Developing a middle school theatre story with disability representation 12:34 Finding friends in unexpected places 13:50 Parent relationships and the importance of kids letting their parents know what they need 16:43 Are any of Wendy’s other characters in Casting April based on real people from her life? 20:18 How to appropriately talk to someone about their trach tube? 24:14 What surprised Wendy when writing Casting April 26:59 If Wendy could get a message to her teenage self what would she tell her? 28:50 What else would Wendy like for readers to take away from Casting April 30:13 What is next for author Wendy Lu? 31:09 Wendy’s book recommendation 33:01 What to read next if you loved Casting April?

    95: Middle School Theater with Disability Representation - Wendy Lu Middle Grade Author Interview

  2. Jul 27

    94: Everything a Horse Story Can do for Kids - Interview with Middle Grade Author Melanie Sue Bowles

    LIberty Biscuit and Little Pearl by Melanie Sue Bowles  Find author Melanie Sue Bowles Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Melanie Sue Bowles 03:50 What is Liberty Biscuit about? 07:53 How did Melanie create the story? 10:27 A happy/strong family that has weaknesses 13:05 A mixed race family in a story 15:40 How did Melanie end up with rescue horses on her farm? 16:55 Real horses and donkeys Liberty Biscuit is based on Around 19:30 ish How Liberty Biscuit teaches us empathy 21:35 What is next for author Melanie Sue Bowles 25:46 Melanie’s book recommendation

  3. Jul 25

    93: Life Altering Moments for Writers and Their Characters - Jessica Khoury Author Interview

    Do you remember the moment you fell in love with reading? Or a magical moment in a story that stuck with you forever? In this episode I talk with author Jessica Khoury about creating her newest book, Monster and Apprentice, how the story developed, how she discovered its themes, and all of the magical moments that go along with a writer's journey.  Jessica Khoury is the author of many books for teens and young readers. Her stories have been translated into over a dozen languages and have been finalists for awards like the South Carolina Junior Book Award, the Ignyte Award, the Maine Student Book Award, the Oklahoma Sequoyah Masterlist, the Amelia Bloomer Project, and many more. Her bestselling middle grade debut The Mystwick School of Musicraft was named one of the Best Audiobooks of 2019 by Audible and is one of the Top 20 Most Listened-To children's books of all time. Jess comes from a family of immigrants and currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina with her husband and daughters. She spends free time hiking in the mountains, playing video games, and sketching new characters for new stories. Her stories draw inspiration from the world around her, her own childhood, and her Scottish and Syrian-Palestinian heritage. Find author Jessica Khoury https://www.jessicakhoury.com/ https://www.instagram.com/authorjess/ https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicakhoury https://www.pinterest.com/jesskhoury/ https://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/ Monster and Apprentice by Jessica Khoury https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Apprentice-Jessica-Khoury/dp/1665990112/ Chapters 00:00 Meet middle grade author Jessica Khoury 05:08 What is Monster and Apprentice by Jessica Khoury about? 10:04 On world building 13:15 How Jessica came up with the idea for Monster and Apprentice 15:43 When writing fantasy do authors plan themes in to their books? 20:10 When Jessica had a brilliant writer moment when she was struck with inspiration that was perfect for her book 22:11 A moment that a child loved in one of Jessica’s books 23:47 What was the moment that Jessica knew that she was an author? 26:16 What was the moment that led Jessica to being published? 28:46 Does Jessica illustrate her own books? 29:45 What is next for author Jessica Khoury 35:10 Jessica’s book recommendation 37:03 What to read next if you have loved reading Monster and Apprentice

    93: Life Altering Moments for Writers and Their Characters - Jessica Khoury Author Interview

  4. Jul 14

    92: Creating Books Good Enough for You - Interview with Author Nancy Hudgins

    Nancy Hudgins is a nonfiction middle grade author of Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom. You will likely be familiar with many books that Ursula edited during her long career championing children's books: Goodnight Moon, Charlotte's Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Harriet the Spy. Nancy puts together a wonderful history about Ursula in a way that reads like someone is telling you a selection of stories. Hear more about it in this episode. Find Nancy Hudgins https://nancyhudgins.com/books/books-good-enough-for-you/ https://www.instagram.com/nancyhudginsbooks/ Chapters 00:00 Meet nonfiction author Nancy Hudgins 06:05 What is Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom about? 09:31 Nancy’s experience researching about Ursula Nordstrom 12:20 What was most difficult in putting a nonfiction middle grade story together? 16:33 Who was Nancy’s Ursula Nordstrom, who championed Books Good Enough for You? 18:38 How has the publishing world changed since Ursula Nordstrom’s day? 20:38 What got cut from the book that Nancy can share? 25:27 What is Nancy’s favorite project that Ursula worked on? 26:30 Does Nancy know anyone like Ursula? What does Nancy most admire about Ursula Nordstrom? 28:18 The audiobook for Books Good Enough for You and how it came about? Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat 29:55 How did Nancy come up with the title for Ursula’s story? 31:32 What is next for author Nancy Hudgins? 32:00 Nancy’s book recommendation 34:05 What to read next if you loved Books Good Enough for You?

    92: Creating Books Good Enough for You - Interview with Author Nancy Hudgins

  5. Jun 28

    91: What To Do When Failure Arises And How Kids Can Be Happy Regardless - Interview with Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow

    No one likes to fail. It isn’t fun. But it is how we grow. The way authors Kate and Nate illustrated this powerful theme while providing an entertaining story fascinated me and I am so thrilled that they joined me in this podcast episode to discuss it. I love all that I learned about their creation and the thoughts that went into Confessions of a Mango. There is so much more to the story than the importance of failure and I hope that you will enjoy hearing about it all in this episode and then go out and buy this amazing book! Find authors Kate and Nate https://kateandnatebooks.com/ https://www.instagram.com/confessionsofamango Confessions of a Mango by Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Mango-Kate-Lumsden/dp/0316586072/ Space Case by Stuart Gibbs https://www.amazon.com/Space-Case-Moon-Base-Alpha/dp/1442494867/ Ramona books by Beverly Cleary https://www.amazon.com/Ramona-Collection-Vol-Beezus-Father/dp/0061246476/ Frindle by Andrew Clements https://www.amazon.com/Frindle-Andrew-Clements/dp/0689818769/ Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt https://www.amazon.com/Fish-Tree-Lynda-Mullaly-Hunt/dp/0142426423/ Chapters 00:00 Meet authors Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow 04:56 What is Confessions of a Mango by Kate and Nate about? 07:03 How did Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow become a writing team? 09:27 Did Kate base the main characters on both her and her brother? 11:14 How to help kids see their strengths? 16:17 The importance of failure 24:38 How did the mango come into their story? 26:10 What other fun elements did Kate and Nate add into their book? 29:18 What influence did the authors have on the cover of their book? 32:03 Overachievement culture in schools 37:43 What is next for author duo Kate and Nate? 41:00 Nate and Kate’s book recommendations 44:14 What to read next if you loved Confessions of a Mango

    91: What To Do When Failure Arises And How Kids Can Be Happy Regardless - Interview with Kate Lumsden and Nate Pieplow

  6. Jun 20

    90: Stories of Resistance and Resilience with Maria Dolores Aguila - Middle Grade Author Interview

    Maria Dolores Aguila is both a picture book and middle grade author of historical fiction. Her novel in verse, A Sea of Lemon Trees won both a Newberry Honor and Pura Belpre Honor. Find out how this book has changed her and more in today's episode.  Find author Maria Dolores Aguila https://mariadoloresaguila.com/ https://www.instagram.com/maria.d.aguila/ A Sea of Lemon Trees by Maria Dolores Aguila The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Lemon-Trees-Corrido-Roberto/dp/1250342619/ Chapters 00:00 Meet author Maria Dolores Aguila 02:29 What is A Sea of Lemon Trees The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez about? 04:17 Why did Maria decide to use a real person from history for her middle grade historical fiction novel in verse? 05:07 What inspired Maria to write A Sea of Lemon Trees? 07:35 Why did Maria decide to make her debut middle grade a novel in verse? 10:05 What was it like to research for a middle grade historical fiction? 11:56 What was the most exciting thing to discover while researching for A Sea of Lemon Trees? 13:08 What made Maria most emotional when writing A Sea of Lemon Trees? 14:52 Is Maria the same person she was when she started writing A Sea of Lemon Trees? How does writing a story change a person? 18:05 What is personal for Maria in A Sea of Lemon Trees? 19:39 How Maria came up with the title for A Sea of Lemon Trees 20:37 Was Maria involved in the creation of the cover for A Sea of Lemon Trees? 21:50 What does author Maria hope that A Sea of Lemon Trees will do for readers? 23:28 What is next for author Maria Dolores Aguila? 24:40 Maria’s book recommendation 25:20 Maria’s comp titles for A Sea of Lemon Trees

    90: Stories of Resistance and Resilience with Maria Dolores Aguila - Middle Grade Author Interview

  7. Jun 7

    89: The Importance of Disability Representation in Books For Kids - Author Interview Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka

    When Diane Debrovner decided to write a middle grade book about a character with blind parents she decided that she would like a coauthor and so she approached her friend Stacy Cervenka. Stacy adds her unique perspective with her blindness and the experiences she knows about many other individuals. Diane also brings us an animal's point of view as many chapters in the book are told from the persective of a guide dog. While we sometimes get disability representation in the main character in middle grade books, Roxie in Color brings us disability representation in the parents of the main character. Find authors Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka https://stacycervenka.com/ https://www.dianedebrovner.com/ https://www.instagram.com/diane.debrovner/ https://www.instagram.com/stacycervenka/ Roxie in Color by Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka https://www.amazon.com/Roxie-Color-Diane-Debrovner/dp/1536246603/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 Chapters 00:00 Meet authors Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka 03:46 What is Roxie in Color about? 04:47 How Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka become writing partners to coauthor Roxie in Color? 06:56 How Stacy and Diane decided to share their words through story? 12:13 What do the authors hope that sighted people will get from reading Roxie in Color? 13:59 What do the authors hope that a blind person will get from reading Roxie in Color? 18:18 What benefits do the authors hope that mixed families, where some members are sighted and some are blind, will get from reading Roxie in Color? 20:39 Is it appropriate to ask a blind person about their blindness? And how to go about these conversations? 30:28 Where can you get information about blind people? 32:25 How to help blind kids with their expectations for themselves? And how to help adults have high expectations for blind people as well? 35:12 A dog’s point of view in Roxie in color. Blind people and guide dogs. 42:55 Diane and Stacy’s book recommendations.

    89: The Importance of Disability Representation in Books For Kids - Author Interview Diane Debrovner and Stacy Cervenka

  8. Jun 5

    88: The Power of Curiosity - Picture Book Author and Illustrator Interview Matthew Cordell

    Caldecott Award Winning author and illustrator Matthew Cordell talks about the importance of curiosity and how this trait features in his newest picture book, 102. I was so surprised to discover that the brilliantly illustrated picture book was drawn with a multi-color pen. Learn more about this fascinating creator in today's interview.  Find Matthew Cordell https://www.matthewcordell.com/ https://www.instagram.com/cordell_matthew/ https://www.facebook.com/cordellmatthew 102 by Matthew Cordell https://www.amazon.com/102-Matthew-Cordell/dp/0316580953/ A Potion a Powder and a Little Bit of Magic or Like Lightning in an Umbrella Storm a Story Out of Order by Philip Stead https://www.amazon.com/Potion-Powder-Little-Bit-Magic/dp/0823458091/ Chapters  00:00 Meet picture book author and illustrator Matthew Cordell 05:21 What is the picture book, 102 by Matthew Cordell, about ? 09:30 How Matthew Cordell created the story and pictures for 102 15:28 How Matthew goes about writing the text for his picture books? 18:19 The multi-colored pen Matthew used to illustrate 102 29:28 Believe the Unbelievable - how to help kids do this 32:35 What is next for author and illustrator Matthew Cordell 34:20 Matthew’s book recommendation

    88: The Power of Curiosity - Picture Book Author and Illustrator Interview Matthew Cordell
See All (95)

5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Welcome to Book Huddle with Readgab where you get to hear from authors of children's books and others having to do with children's literacy. We chat not only about what inspired these amazing authors, but also time relevant themes in their books and how kids can benefit from these themes. Each guest also recommends one of their favorite children's books at the end of the episode so you will constantly be building a wonderful list of books for the kids in your life. 

Information

  • Creator
    Karen Reeder
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    95
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 BookHuddle with Readgab
  • Show Website
    BookHuddle with Readgab

You Might Also Like