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The SSR Podcast — Arts
The SSR Podcast

Each week, freelance writer and lifelong bookworm Alli Hoff Kosik will challenge a guest to reread a literary throwback or to experience for the first time ever a book they may have missed as a kid. After that, they’ll be asked to spill all the feels and all the opinions about that book on the air for your podcast-listening pleasure. Every Tuesday, you can find us breaking down an old school read from our tween and teen days on a new episode of the show. We’ll cover everything from The Baby-Sitters Club to Holes, Nancy Drew to Harry Potter. This time around, we’re a little wiser (yay!), a lot older (ugh.), and of legal age to drink wine… so we’ll have a lot to say. Happy Reading!

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Latest Episodes:

Episode 30: The Phantom Tollbooth (Manuary) Jan 15, 2019

Show notes

There is perhaps no other book in history that captures the importance of imagination — and of sucking it up and having a good attitude about learning new things — better than Norton Juster’s 1961 The Phantom Tollbooth. In Episode 30, Alli jumps aboard a giant toy car with protagonist Milo and his friend Tock (the literal watchdog) and explores the fascinating Kingdom of Wisdom with the help of Curtis from the He Read She Read podcast. Alli and Curtis geek out over wordplay, speculate on “what the kids are doing these days,” and break down the many brilliant, zany moments of The Phantom Tollbooth. Follow @hereadsheread and @curtisreads on Instagram, and tune into He Read She Read on Apple Podcasts.

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Episode 29: BSC Super Special // Baby-Sitters Island Adventure (Manuary) Jan 08, 2019

Show notes

The Baby-Sitters Club Club’s Jack and Tanner join Alli for this history-making first episode of Manuary! In it, they break down the ridiculous circumstances that lead Dawn, Claudia, and several children (!!!) to find themselves shipwrecked in Connecticut in Book #4 of the Baby-Sitters Club Super Special series extension, Baby-Sitters Island Adventure. They also make an argument for which babysitter is objectively the worst, share their definitive list of Ann M. Martin’s best-ever novels, and explain why the Baby-Sitters Club series holds up better long-term than Sweet Valley High.

Follow the Baby-Sitters Club Club on Twitter (@BSCCPodcast), and join them on Facebook, too (@The Baby-Sitters Club Club). Listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

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Episode 28: Bonus Q+A #1! Dec 21, 2018

Show notes

For the first time ever, SSR host Alli answers listener questions! Tune in to hear her talk about her marriage, her previous job in the publishing world, and her career as a freelance writer… and for plenty of book talk, too. Alli dishes on her favorite titles past and present, her favorite genre, and the books that have been on her TBR list for, like, ever.

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Episode 27: The Westing Game Dec 18, 2018

Show notes

Ever since its publication in 1978, Ellen Raskin’s Newbery Medal-winning The Westing Gamehas been introducing young readers to key elements of amazing books: a fascinating ensemble cast of characters, a whodunit storyline, and a series of shocking bombshells at the end. It’s no surprise, then, that the novel has endured as a favorite for so many over the years. In Episode 27, guest Lauren Boone joins Alli to break down the many twists and turns of this beloved book, to discuss the way stereotypes were handled by authors in the seventies, and to generally marvel at how freakin’ talented Ellen Raskin was. Follow Lauren — who currently works at Renaissance Literary & Talent — on Instagram (@lalafalana).

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Episode 26: Stargirl Dec 11, 2018

Show notes

Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirlwas a favorite of Alli’s when she was growing up, and in Episode 26, she discovers that she can still mostly love rereading a book from childhood, while also recognizing that it’s pretty problematic. Is she still a Stargirl fan? Tune in and find out! In this episode, Alli and guest Britta Lokting talk about all things high school stereotype, popularity, and conformity. They also discuss first loves, the #MeToo movement, Taylor Swift, Hillary Clinton, and Alli’s hilarious history as part of her high school’s morning news show. Britta is a New York-based freelance journalist, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, The Baffler, and more. Follow her on Instagram (@blokting) and Twitter (@BrittaLokting).

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Episode 25: The Dark Is Rising Dec 04, 2018

Show notes

Published in 1973, Susan Cooper’s The Dark Is Risingfeels in many ways like the OG Harry Potter — in it, a young, seemingly average British boy learns on the eve of his eleventh birthday that his fate is much bigger than he ever could have imagined. In Episode 25, Alli (a total newbie to this series!) and guest Erica Berger discuss everything from spiritual energetic centers and childhood nostalgia to Star Wars and modern politics. Are the lines between dark and light really so clear? Is it more important for kid protagonists to learn by making mistakes or by beating impossible odds? Tune in to hear what they think! Hear more from journalist, host, strategist, and investor Erica on the TBD Podcast. Follow her on Twitter (@GoodBerger).

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Episode 24: The Hate U Give (New Reads November) Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

Published in 2017, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give has become a bestselling phenomenon and a conversation starter among readers of all ages. The book — which tells the story of 16-year-old Starr Carter in the days and weeks after her unarmed best friend is shot and killed by a police officer right in front of her — makes the Black Lives Matter movement all the more real for teens and assigns a relatable face to an all-too-frequent tragedy that may feel distant to kids who only hear about it on the news. Traci Thomas joins Alli on Episode 24 to discuss both the merits and the shortcomings of this hugely popular title — and to offer suggestions for important next steps. LA-based Traci hosts The Stacks podcast. Follow The Stacks on Instagram (@thestackspod).

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Episode 23: Leah on the Offbeat (New Reads November) Nov 20, 2018

Show notes

Fans of the movie “Love, Simon” or the book that inspired it Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agendawill already be familiar with Leah Burke, Simon’s BFF and the title character of Becky Albertalli’s 2018 novel Leah on the Offbeat. In it, cool, confident, and body positive Leah is keeping two major secrets from her tight-knit group of friends: her bisexuality and her lingering feelings for former best pal Abby. Albertalli goes on to explore everything from racism and labels to the LGBTQ+ spectrum and fights in the dressing room with your mom. For Episode 23, we’re joined by real life YA author Laura Stampler. Check out her book Little Black Dresses, Little White Liesand follow her on Twitter (@laurastampler) and Instagram (@lastamp).

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Episode 22: We Are Okay (New Reads November) Nov 13, 2018

Show notes

Meet Marin, the star of Nina LaCour’s 2017 Printz Award-winning novel We Are Okay. In it, Marin is grappling with the recent loss of her Gramps, whose sudden death reveals the startling and upsetting circumstances of his life. Having moved across the country to start her freshman year of college, she’s isolated herself from everyone back home in order to cope with the fallout of the tragedy. Over the course of We Are Okay, LaCour examines mental illness and tells beautiful, heartbreaking stories of different kinds of love. The guest on Episode 22 is Chiara Charida, who is the co-host of the Books & Booze podcast. Check out the show on Instagram @booksboozepod, and follow Chiara (bookish.kiki) and her co-host Jade (@boho_bookworm), too!

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Episode 21: When Dimple Met Rishi (New Reads November) Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

In the first-ever New Reads November episode, Alli and guest Laura Yamin discuss the 2017 YA novel When Dimple Met Rishiby Sandhya Menon. First-generation teens Dimple and Rishi meet at a coding conference called InsomniaCon, but — twist! — career-focused Dimple has no idea that their Indian parents are actually working behind the scenes to see if they can arrange a marriage between the two. When she learns the truth, Dimple shuts down the idea entirely, and she and Rishi spend the summer getting to know each other, building an app, choreographing a Bollywood dance routine, and (maybe!) falling in love all on their own. When Dimple Met Rishi is a book about culture, tradition, identity, and first love, and we couldn’t have picked a better debut title for New Reads November. Laura Yamin is the bookworm behind the What to Read Next blog and podcast. Follow her on Instagram (@laurayaminreads).

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