It's been a while since we've had a feel good coming of age dramaedy, so Joe has brought Brenna writer/director Sean Yang's Dìdi (2024). Obviously Brenna has big feels about mother Chungsing (Joan Chen), but there's plenty to applaud about Izaac Wang's performance as Chris and the depiction of 2008 Internet friendship. Plus: sibling rivalry, intern…

Kelly and Erica discuss the latest media they've been consuming and the YA books coming out in August that they're most excited about. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Book Riot is hiring a digital content specialist! If you love b…

Brenna and Joe are barrelling towards the finale of Skins Series 02, but first we need to cross off the back-door pilot for Series 03 with 2.07 "Effie" and (finally!) a Jal-centric episode with 2.08. It's all moving very quickly - to such a degree that we wonder when the creative team knew they were swapping out the cast. Plus: Cassie's bisexuality…

To coincide with the release of Freakier Friday, we're checking out all things Freaky Friday. Kicking off the discussion is Mary Rodgers' 1972 book, which weirdly doesn't feature the mom's experience in her daughter's body! Then it's onto the 1976 film starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris, which gives the latter much more to do than the former.…

Erica talks queer YA graphic novels you should read and Kelly speaks with author and activist Frederick Joseph. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help! T…

We've hit the halfway point of Skins series two with "Chris" and "Tony" and...Brenna is not impressed. Episode five focuses on the burgeoning relationship of Chris and Jal, which we don't entirely believe. Meanwhile Brenna has no time or patience for Tony's episode, which feels like the writers realizing they make a huge mistake giving Tony a traum…

Brenna and Joe are back to discuss Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After (2020), our Book Club pick for July. We have one response from listener Miriam on this incredibly rich text, which features a complicated, even occasionally frustrating protagonist that we ultimately come to love. Plus: the messy villains of the text, exploring trans identity bey…

Brenna and Joe head back to Cousins for another swing at Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty series. First up: decent beach read It's Not Summer Without You (aka book 2), which works when it focuses on the loss of Susannah and is *fine* when it does the usual love triangle. The same cannot be said for the Amazon TV show, which pads the runtime a…

Danika joins Kelly this week to talk about exciting new YA books that hit shelves in June and July, as well as to talk the best YA books of 2025 so far. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailore…

We're back for another round of Skins Series 2, but Brenna has mixed feelings. It probably has something to do with the death of Peter Capaldi's character, as well as the fact that one of the two episodes is about Michelle. Plus: Cassie travel logistic questions, hook-ups galore, and continued proof that the only good Skins parent...is a dead one? …

A quick reminder that your responses to Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After is due Friday, July 18. And also: the announcement of our August 2025 selection, which is Elizabeth Acevedo's Clap When You Land (2020). If you wanna read along, the due date for responses is Friday, August 22. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky …

We're back for our third Judy Blume text with Forever! The 1975 book was written to candidly discuss a sexual relationship between teens and even if some aspects don't quite hold up, Brenna and Joe find its frankness refreshing. On the flip side, the Netflix series from 2025 falls somewhere between IP cash grab and spiritual adaptation. Creator Mar…

We're doing a mega mailbag round-up with bits and pieces from listeners Neera, Victoria, and Sophie. First up: an apology to Neera about Inkheart and an observation about 2000s YA and middle grade fiction. Then: More fall-out from Quiet on Set with regard to Drake Bell's sexual misconduct charges, as well as the Pride Month murder of Indigenous gay…

Kelly talks with YA author L.M. Elliott about historical fiction, Watergate, and contemporary politics for teens. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Looking to elevate your reading life? Tailored Book Recommendations is here to help!…

Class is back in session as Brenna and Joe kick off Skins Series 2 with a look at the first two episodes. From the bold decision about Tony's traumatic brain injury to the sidelining Cassie to Maxxie's dancing to...Sketch (?) it's a brand new summer of the kids are not alright! Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPo…

Book Club returns as Brenna and Joe discuss Sarah Dessen's 2006 novel Just Listen, along with responses from Miriam, Victoria, and Tea, Books & Chocolate. C/W: sexual assault and disordered eating. We *loved* this book, which feels fresh, accessible and side-steps glamorizing or wallowing in the trauma. Plus: girlhood, placelessness, glass house me…

Brenna and Joe check out coming of age film Uproar (2023), directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett and written by Bennett and Sonia Whiteman. The 80s-set New Zealand movie follows Josh (Julian Dennison), a Maori boy who becomes politically engaged when his small town hosts a South African rugby club during Apartheid. It is an unintentionall…

We're revisiting a fantastic interview from earlier this year! Kelly talks with YA author and children’s literature champion Jason Reynolds about his career, writing the inner lives of teen boys, his favorite middle grade and YA books, and more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendatio…

It's easy, breezy time as Brenna and Joe check out our first Jennifer E. Smith text with Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2015) and Michael Lewen's 2022 Netflix adaptation. This feels like a classic first year HKHS combo: a beach-read book and an enjoyably slight romantic film, anchored by likeable leads. We're especially shocked at the n…

A quick reminder that your responses to Sarah Dessen's Just Listen is due Friday, June 20. And also: the announcement of our July 2025 selection, which is Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After (2018). If you wanna read along, the due date for responses for July is Friday, July 18. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPo…

It's a YA blast-from-the-past meets popular-still-for-a-reason this week. Kelly talks with E. Lockhart about the We Were Liars adaptation, and Erica talks with Rioter Danika Ellis about the 10th anniversary of Nimona. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s U…

Thanks to listener requests, Brenna and Joe dig into the fantasy world of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart and its 2008 film adaptation starring Brendan Fraser. It's...not what we expected. In addition to less driving, Joe wanted more fantasy, while Brenna wanted more famous characters. Possible reasons this didn't connect for us: translation issues and t…

At the request of Miriam, we're re-starting Book Club! Our first pick is Sarah Dessen's Just Listen (2006), which concerns rape and eating disorders (C/W). In order to proceed, we need your thoughts! Send us an email response at [email protected] before June 20th! Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @b…

Erica goes over a nice mix of new YA books by AAPI authors, while Kelly has a great convo with Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia, authors of the new rom-com On Again, Awkward Again. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What’s Up in YA newsletter! Ready to level…

Brenna and Joe tackle the buzzy four episode Netflix limited series Adolescence (2025). Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (with all episodes directed by Philip Barantini), the show has drawn raves for its single long take format and outstanding acting. But what's missing from the discussion? Does it earn the acclaim? And what should a poten…

Brenna and Joe have a quick conversation about Miriam's email regarding the stark realities of Olympic winners, with a quick comparison to lottery winners. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky) Have a ma…

Erica shares a few new books to start the month off with. Then, we revisit a great past episode where Kelly and Erica discuss the first book of the super-popular 1980s/1990s series Sweet Valley High. We also find out who is more of a Jessica/Elizabeth. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more YA news and recomm…

Brenna and Joe return to inspirational sports movies with The Fire Inside (2024), but this is secretly two movies in one! The first is the story of Clarissa "T-Rex" Shields fighting for boxing gold at the Olympics; the second is what happens upon her return to Flint, Michigan. Anchored by two stellar performances from Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree H…

We're back with a fresh Mailbag courtesy of Sophie and Tea, Books and Chocolate. First up: a question about the popularity of comic adaptations of books such as the After series?! Then, a response about the recent Quiet on Set episode which further complicates the issue of kids working in entertainment. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us…