Welcome
So great to see you!
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Chesapeake Press booth at the LA Times Festival of Books. It was great meeting SO many 5th graders who are READERS. Hope to have you on a future episode!
Isabel, Jasmine, Kirsten, Lucinda, and Jereme from Hollingworth Elementary School in West Covina, California
We continue our series of episodes featuring books that have been banned or challenged around the country. This time, it’s the Newbery Award-winning graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft. Books in Katy, Texas were pulled from library shelves in 2021 after a parent petition complained that it contained harmful content about critical race theory. CRT examines how racism has shaped laws and public policy in America. Writer Jerry Craft says he’d never heard the term before and had to google it. An African American parent in another part of the country objected to Craft’s use of the word “oreo” – a derogatory term used to describe a person as black on the outside, but white on the inside. She said she didn’t want her child to be exposed to the term.
The challenge in Katy, Texas was dismissed and the book was returned to library shelves.
So what do you think? Give a listen to the BookClubforKids podcast discussion of Jerry Craft’s New Kid.
How do you fit in at a new school? Readers from Randle Highlands Elementary School in Washington, D.C. discuss the Newbery Award-winning graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft. They even suggest an alternate version of the book. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is celebrity reader. Kitty Felde is host.
Writer Jerry Craft
Celebrity Reader Gary Anthony Williams
FAVORITE BOOKS FROM RANDLE HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney
The Creepy Cafetorium - Nick Murphy, Colleen Af Venable, Paul Ritchey, Marcie Colleen, Joe McGee, and Shelby Arnold
Nina the Birthday Cake Fairy - Daisy Meadows
JERRY CRAFT’S FAVORITE BOOK:
Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis
GARY ANTHONY WILLIAMS’ FAVORITE BOOK:
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! - Dr. Seuss
This episode was made possible by a grant from the Greater Washington Community Foundation.
Talk to your kids about January 6th…let Fina Mendoza help!
Check Out Kitty’s TEDx UCLA Talk: “BOOKS ARE MY SUPERPOWER…and they can be yours, too!”
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I love this podcast. I can listen to my favorite authors talk about their books nd what inspired them to write and what their ideas were in the first place and what they changed from their first idea to the finished product.”
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“Our son Aaron was fortunate to have participated. It was an event that was memorable for all the right reasons. First and foremost, it made reading exciting for Aaron, who continues to be a voracious reader to this day. Kitty was relaxed with the children, interested in what they were saying, and respectful as she took their comments seriously. Aaron’s reaction to Kitty’s interview was ‘Kitty was like a regular person.’
As a family of readers, we were thrilled with Kitty’s Book Club, and with her!”
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“We are grateful for the gracious way you worked with the children, listened to them, valued them, stretched them, and made sure their voices (in all senses of the word) were heard.”
“What a great podcast! You’re very good at this. I love the variety of participants and the way you strung it all together. I even liked what I had to say (I am usually my own worst critic).... ”
“My heart melted when the young ladies came out of the room smiling, gave me a hug and said thank you. It was a meaningful experience for them. Thanks a million to Kitty for her openness and skill in doing this activity with our young people. ”
“I played the podcast for my students this morning and they were as pleased as I was. Who am I kidding?! Ecstatic beyond words! We are so thrilled to be a part of this episode and this magnificent podcast. Thank you so much for the great experience!”
“We love to listen to these as a family. It gives us great ideas for books we want to read together and extends the books we love into great discussions.”
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