335 episodes
Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Brenna Clarke Gray and Joe Lipsett
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- Arts
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4.3 • 48 Ratings
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A weekly podcast about young adult literature, their film and television adaptations and everything in between.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Turtles All The Way Down
Brenna and Joe discuss John Green's last YA novel Turtles All The Way Down (2017) and its 2024 adaptation by Hannah Marks. C/W: self-harm.
This is a tough read because of its visceral depiction of OCD, but we love the friendship between Aza and Daisy. Meanwhile, the long in-development film does a great job of visually capturing the intrusive thought spirals, though Brenna is unimpressed with a new character who steals Daisy's best bits.
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. -
Boys State (2020) / Girls State (2024)
For the first time on the show, Brenna and Joe check out a documentary...or rather a pair of documentaries: Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine's Boys State (2020) and Girls State (2024)
These docs fill us with dismay for the future of US politics. But while Boys State has a dark nihilism to it, Girls State feels slight and surprisingly unaware; even its own subjects seem determined to break free of the narrative that the camp and the directors are trying to box them in to. It's quite odd.
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. -
The Spiderwick Chronicles S01 (2024)
As promised/threatened, we're back with a review of Roku's The Spiderwick Chronicles S01.
Join us as Joe walks Brenna through the highs (the focus on Jared's mental health) and lows (that theme song!) of the series' first eight episodes.
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. -
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Brenna and Joe are back in fantasy territory with the first five books in Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's The Spiderwick Chronicles, as well the 2008 adaptation from Daniel Waters.
We're mixed on lead Freddie Highmore's success playing twins, though we both like Sarah Bolger's Mallory, the use of fencing and Brenna even likes the CGI!
Plus: innocuous voice casting, the film's horrifying end, and a mini tangent about Hollywood nepotism and privilege.
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. -
Percy Jackson and the Olympians S01
At listener Kaetlyn's urging, Brenna and Joe check out S01 of the Percy Jackson TV show on Disney+.
It's a much better text than the film! With more time, the central trio gels better, the motivation of Percy's mom is more clearly defined, and the adventures aren't as rushed.
Plus: our fave Gods, a "feminist" Medusa episode, a few rushed elements, and whether we'll watch S02.
References: Selome Hailu. "How ‘Percy Jackson’ Updated the Book’s Medusa Storyline to Get Closer to the Original Myth: ‘She Was a Victim of Rape.’" Variety
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. -
Mailbag 32: Listener Recommendations
Mailbag returns after a brief hiatus, so we're showcasing listener recommendations from Clara, Charlotte, and Tea, Books and Chocolate, including:
> Silverhorse by Lene Kaaberbøl
> A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
> Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by writers Brandon Montclare & Amy Reeder and artist Natacha Bustos
> Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee
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.
Customer Reviews
Fun podcast
I enjoy this podcast for the most part. I love that it’s dedicated to YA! The angle of comping books to their respective media is also interesting though of course means we mainly only discuss books that have made it to film or TV adaptation status, though I like that they sprinkle in “book club” episodes as well. I do wish the hosts would engage more deeply with some texts—i.e. they criticize Chaos Walking saying it “doesn’t engage deeply with colonialism” when a simple google search of the series would tell you that’s entirely what the rest of the series is about!—and I wish they didn’t agree with each other so often as I think hosts with more differing opinions make for more interesting discussions. We don’t always agree (Chaos Walking is an incredible and important series!) but I still enjoy listening and am looking forward to more episodes to come!
FANTASTIC podcast!!
If you’re looking for not only a podcast that compares and contrasts YA books and their film adaptations, look no further! If you want a podcast that also will make you laugh, give you more additions to your TBR list, BINGE ALL OF THIS PODCAST NOW!!
Exhausting!
I generally give podcasts a few episodes & jump around before making a decision, which is what I did here. I picked out 5 different episodes to listen to but there was so much negativity it was exhausting. Don’t review YA if you don’t like it…but having a podcast that leans heavily on that genre then complaining that it focuses too much on romance or teen/early adult issues instead of work and politics is a little ridiculous. There also seems to be a lot of putting Todays societal standards on text that were written 10, 15 or even 20yrs ago. I have no issue with calling out problematic plot beats but it’s also important to acknowledge things considered major issues now weren’t seen in the same vein 15 yrs ago.
Many of these episodes feel like two ppl saying how much they dislike the popular thing JUST because it’s popular rather than having genuine issues with the story. Half the time the complaints are things that were either explained in that book or a follow up text they just didn’t read.