The Kidlit Chronicles

Erika Lewis is a prolific author of fantasy books and graphic novels. The Kelcie Murphy series is her first venture into middle grade fantasy, and it's all about Celtic mythology! In this episode, we talk with Erika about the first book in the Kelcie Murphy series: The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. We ask her about her unconventional entrance into the publishing world, her passion for Celtic mythology, and how to write complex main & side characters. We also learn a LOT about Celtic mythology, and we make predictions for what will happen in book two! We had such a great time talking with Erika! Book two in the Kelcie Murphy series JUST came out, so there's never been a better time to check out Erika's work! ***Spoiler timecodes*** (31:19 - 35:45) (37:55 - 38:31) Check out our other episodes and social media: https://thekidlitchronicles.carrd.co/ Theme song by Ella Rowen: https://linktr.ee/holdshelf Erika's links: Website: https://www.erikalewis.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikaelylewis/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikaElyLewis Go buy the Kelcie Murphy series at your local bookstore!! Book one: https://bookshop.org/p/books/kelcie-murphy-and-the-academy-for-the-unbreakable-arts-erika-lewis/16719671?ean=9781250208248 Book two: https://bookshop.org/p/books/kelcie-murphy-and-the-hunt-for-the-heart-of-danu-erika-lewis/18410810?ean=9781250208309

We're back with the third installment of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan -- ominously titled, The Icebound Land. The series follows Will, apprentice to the ranger Halt, who works with a cast of characters to battle evil forces in the country of Araluen and beyond. In the third book, we follow Will and Evanlyn, aka Araluen’s Princess Cassandra, as they try to escape their Skandian kidnappers, while Halt and Horace race through the land of Gallica to rescue them.  We talk about how Horace is a himbo, Halt is too OP, and Jarl Erak has a kinda good, kinda sucky redemption arc. We also dig into some thorny political messages, like how monarchs seem to always be great and Araluen, aka Medieval England, always seems to be better than other countries. Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay

"That's the real question: do they fight while wearing a dress, though?" Michelle Lam is the author and illustrator of Meesh the Bad Demon, her debut graphic novel. Michelle wears many hats; she has worked as a story artist in the animation industry, a YouTuber, a comic artist on Instagram, and is now a graphic novel author! In this episode, we talk with Michelle about her new novel. We get into her inspiration of magical girl manga and anime as well as the deeper themes present in the story, including racism and the demonization of femininity. We also make predictions for what will happen in book two! It was so fun and insightful to talk to Michelle-- we're so grateful she lent us her time! Go check out Meesh the Bad Demon and Michelle's other work if you enjoyed our discussion! Check us out on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekidlitchronicles/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheKidlitChronicles Theme song by Ella Rowen: https://linktr.ee/holdshelf Michelle's links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mewtripled/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mewtripled Website: https://www.mewtripled.com/ Go buy a copy of Meesh the Bad Demon!! At your local bookstore: https://bookshop.org/p/books/meesh-the-bad-demon-1-michelle-lam/18600877?ean=9780593372876

Special guest Andy Hicks stops by to dish some hot takes about the third installment of the Percy Jackson series. In The Titan’s Curse, Percy and his friends journey across the country to rescue the goddess Artemis, battle monsters along the way, and struggle against a prophecy of doom that could mean the end of the world as they know it. We discuss Artemis' band of Hunters and the gender binary, whether loyalty can be a fatal flaw, and what it really means to be a good hero. A warning: the ancient Greeks were NSFW, so we followed in their footsteps. Listen at your own peril! Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay Harp and Pad Fm Complicated Loop by f-r-a-g-i-l-e via Freesound.org

The crew is diving into the cringiest, angstiest, messiest parts of teenage life in this episode of the pod, which covers the LGBTQ coming-of-age novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. We also have a special guest from our own teenage years joining us -- our friend since middle school, Betty! We dig deep into the book's themes of love, vulnerability, complicated family dynamics, and toxic masculinity (our favorite topic). We also discover our first manic pixie dream guy and reminisce about our own embarrassing adolescent moments.  Content warning: The book, and as a result this episode, includes mentions of violent homophobia. Below are timestamps for those mentions, if you'd rather avoid them:  8:15-8:35 26:12-26:18  31:10-31:17 Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay Guitar Loop performance by ValentinSosnitskiy via Freesound.org

We recently closed out our second full year of the podcast, and we wanted to celebrate! Join us for this special anniversary episode, where we reminisce about the books of yesteryear, guess our best and worst-rated selections, and share a glimpse of our podcast plans for the coming months. Also included in the episode is a special throwback version of our usual book trivia, as well as some reflections on our lives outside of kidlit.  Our links: Instagram Twitter YouTube Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm via Pixabay

We're going on an adventure! Join Chelsey, Hannah, and a special guest on an unexpected journey across Middle Earth to slay the dragon Smaug. We talk comfy vibes, dwarf fan-fiction, and positive masculinity. We also talk about some of the darker implications of this jaunty tale; fat-phobia and fantasy racism being the main culprits. Grab your tea and seed cakes, and get cozy cause this is a long one! Our links: https://www.instagram.com/thekidlitchronicles/ https://twitter.com/kidlitchronicle https://www.youtube.com/@TheKidlitChronicles Sound credits: Theme song by Ella Rowen (https://www.instagram.com/ellarowensound/) School Bell Ringing Sound Effect by GFX Sounds https://gfxsounds.com/free-sound-effects No.3 Morning Folk Song by Esther Abrami Master of the Feast by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400019 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Achaidh Cheide - Celtic by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100340 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Buckle up for a classic cross-country adventure tale in this sequel to the Ruins of Gorlan. We return to the lives of Will, Horace, Halt, and Gilan, as well as meet some new (and mysterious) characters as they all try to avert a surprise attack from Morgarath. Topics at hand include comical sexism, Halt's love of violence, queer-coded villains, and our reactions to a shocking ending. Listen now to learn more! Our links: https://www.instagram.com/thekidlitchronicles/ https://twitter.com/kidlitchronicle https://www.youtube.com/@TheKidlitChronicles Music credit: Theme song by Ella Rowen (https://www.instagram.com/ellarowensound/) Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm Discomfort 1N56c by Setuniman via Freesound.org

Listener, beware. You're in for a scare...  We're celebrating spooky season with an episode about Coraline by Neil Gaiman! We talk about the book AND the movie, and compare and contrast the two.  We talk about the different things that scare adults and children, mother-daughter relationships, the inherent horror of fairytales, and digress into talking about Criminal Minds and the satanic panic, somehow.  But most importantly, happy Halloweeeeen!!  Music credit:  Our spooky intro was made by Ella Rowen!  Let the Mystery Unfold by Geoff Harvey   Elevator Music bossa nova background music ( Version 60s) by Lesfm 

Our special guest Andy Hicks returns as we dive back into the Percy Jackson series. Join us as we discuss the merits of overthrowing Western civilization, argue about whether Circe is a man-hater or a radical feminist, and reveal our own fatal flaws.  Who knew these books were so political? A warning: the ancient Greeks were NSFW, so we followed in their footsteps. Listen at your own peril! Music credit: "Elevator Music" by Lesfm via Pixabay "October Rose" by StephieQueen via Freesound.org