Episode 06: Sloppy Firsts

Sloppy Firsts

On this episode of The SSR Podcast, we break down Megan McCafferty’s 2001 novel Sloppy Firsts, the first book in the bestselling Jessica Darling series. We dive into every last delicious detail of high school drama and tackle some big questions, too. Can things ever stay the same with a friend after she moves away? Can a bad boy like Marcus Flutie ever really be reformed? How do frank discussions of sex, drugs, and suicide affect teen readers? Follow guest Maddie Boardman on Instagram (@mboardman) and Twitter (@ml_boardman).

CHECK OUT MADDIE'S BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

MORE READING:

"Celebrating the (Not So) Sweet Sixteen of Sloppy Firsts" (BN Teen Blog, 2017)

"Sloppy Firsts: Megan McCafferty Tells All!" (Forever Young Adult, 2012) 

Follow SSR on social media!

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

**Please note that the Amazon links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**

Episode 05: Nancy Drew // The Secret of the Old Clock

Nancy Drew // The Secret of the Old Clock

Nancy Drew devotees, beware! On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli and her guest — Brooklyn-based writer Kase Wickman — take a deep dive into the question of whether or not OG girl detective Nancy is really a feminist icon and discuss her highly important role in the history of female protagonists in #kidlit. They focus on the first-ever book in the series, The Secret of the Old Clock. Follow Kase on Instagram (@worstkase) and Twitter (@worstkase).

***Want to hear more about girl detectives in literature? Check out Episode 01: Harriet the Spy!*** 

CHECK OUT KASE'S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready by Meaghan O'Connell

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara 

MORE READING:

"The Story of Nancy Drew, Once Far More Ballsy Than The Girl Sleuth You Know" (HuffPost, 2015)

"Nancy Drew and the Secret of the 3 Black Robes" (The New York Times, 2009)

"You never realized it, but Nancy Drew was a gay and an early LGTB icon" (Babe, 2017)

Follow SSR on social media!

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

**Please note that the Amazon links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**

Episode 04: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli has — refreshingly! — almost nothing bad to say about E.L. Konigsburg’s 1967 book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. For this literary love fest, she’s joined by the brilliant author and food writer Hannah Howard. Follow Hannah on Instagram (@hannahmhoward) and Twitter (@hannahhoward).

CHECK OUT HANNAH'S (INCREDIBLE!) MEMOIR:

Feast: True Love In and Out of the Kitchen by Hannah Howard

CHECK OUT HANNAH'S BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

Asymmetry: A Novel by Lisa Halliday

MORE READING:

"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Fifty Years Later" (The New Yorker, 2017)

"17 Fun Facts About From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" (Mental Floss, 2014)

"The True Story Behind Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Her Mixed-Up Files" (Smithsonian, 2017)

Follow SSR on social media!

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

**Please note that the Amazon links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**

Episode 03: Matilda

Matilda

On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli and Alexandra Fishwick (@alexandra_fish) — who is the assistant director of a childcare facility by day, but a writer and the blogger behind Authentically Alex at night — talk Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel Matilda. There’s plenty of good (little Matilda’s obsession with books), plenty of bad (the evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull), and plenty of ugly (some very weird gender dynamics).

CHECK OUT ALEX'S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (<-- Alli's all-time favorite memoir!)

Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach 

MORE READING:

"Matilda at 25" (Slate, 2013)

"Roald Dahl Wanted His Magical Matilda To Keep Books Alive" (NPR Backseat Book Club, 2013)

"8 Things In Matilda You Probably Didn't Notice The First Time Around" (Bustle, 2015)

Follow SSR on social media!

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

**Please note that the Amazon links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**

Episode 02: The Princess Diaries

The Princess Diaries

On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Alli and publishing pro Haley Davis (@hayc12) relive the life-changing experience of seeing the movie The Princess Diaries for the first time, then compare that to the experience of reading the book (Meg Cabot, 2000) both as tweens and adults.

CHECK OUT HALEY'S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (<-- Alli loves this one, too!)

We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson

MORE READING:

"12 Regal Facts About The Princess Diaries" (Mental Floss, 2016)

"Unpopular Opinion: The Princess Diaries Isn't As Good As You Remember" (Refinery29, 2016)

"Interview with Meg Cabot" (Readers Read)

"There's a reason Mia's dad was killed off in The Princess Diaries movies — and it's because of Dame Julie Andrews" (Hello Giggles, 2017)

Follow SSR on social media!

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

**Please note that the Amazon links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**

Episode 01: Harriet the Spy

Harriet the Spy

On this episode of The SSR Podcast, Brittney Lynn (@brittneyllynn) joins Alli to break down Louise Fitzhugh’s 1964 novel, Harriet the Spy. Learn all about Alli’s complicated history with this character and listen to us talk about A LOT of really mean fictional kids.

CHECK OUT BRITTNEY'S BOOK RECOMMENDATION:

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

MORE READING:

"Unapologetically Harriet, the Misfit Spy" (NPR Morning Edition, 2008)

"Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh" (ThoughtCo., 2017)

"7 Ways Harriet the Spy Was Waaaay Ahead Of Its Time" (Bustle, 2015)

"Classic children's book Harriet the Spy turns 50" (Washington Post, 2014)

Follow SSR on social media!

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter

**Please note that the Amazon links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**

Episode 00: Prologue

Welcome to The SSR Podcast!

In this trailer episode, learn more about what inspired the show and get a sneak peak at the books we’ll discuss in our launch episodes, out June 26!

Follow SSR on social media!

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter