Philosophy for Kids: Claudia Mills on Bringing Socrates, Plato, and Epictetus to Middle Grade Readers
In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes acclaimed children's book author and retired philosophy professor Claudia Mills to discuss her hilarious, heartfelt new middle grade novel, Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom.
Claudia shares how her decades of teaching philosophy finally collided with her lifelong passion for children's literature—and how a girl with a very big name, a very big personality, and a very beloved dog became the perfect vessel for bringing Socrates, Plato, and Epictetus to young readers.
From writing one hour a day with an hourglass to championing the humanities at a time when they're under siege, Claudia reveals why wisdom truly belongs to everybody, how she crafted a character who genuinely needs philosophy rather than just stumbling upon it, and why Epictetus—a formerly enslaved Stoic philosopher—might be the most relevant thinker for an eleven-year-old living today. Whether you're a parent of a kid who's been called "too much," an educator looking to bring critical thinking into the classroom through story, or a reader who has ever felt like they're living their own Greek tragedy, this conversation is a warm and wise celebration of seekers everywhere.
Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review (coming soon).
Highlights:
- Dinner with a Philosopher: Why Claudia would invite Epictetus over Socrates or Plato—and what that reveals about the heart of the book
- The Hourglass Method: How writing exactly one hour a day—timed with an actual hourglass—has powered 60+ books over decades, and why stopping is just as important as starting
- A Character Who Really Needs the Wisdom: Why Callie's high emotional stakes—lose the philosophy, lose the dog—made her the ideal guide through big philosophical questions
- Ancient Ideas, Modern Kids: How the Ring of Gyges, Socratic ignorance, and Epictetus's two-bucket theory of control translate naturally into an eleven-year-old's very real problems
- The Philosophy Club: Why Claudia designed an adult mediator into the story—and how even the most reluctant seekers end up finding their way in
- STEAMH, Not STEAM: Claudia's passionate case for putting the humanities back at the center of education—and why philosophy is the original critical thinking course
- A Love Letter to Seekers: What a Kirkus review got exactly right, and why the community of people asking hard questions might be the most powerful community of all
Notable Quotes:"True wisdom is learning how to live well." —Claudia Mills
"Philosophers are the grownups who keep on asking the questions the other grownups have stopped asking." —Claudia Mills
Books Mentioned:
- Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom by Claudia Mills: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- The Lost Language by Claudia Mills: Amazon or Bookshop.org
- The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills: Amazon or Bookshop.org
About Claudia Mills:Claudia Mills is the author of more than 60 books for young readers, including the After-School Superstars chapter book series and the middle grade novels The Lost Language and The Last Apple Tree. A professor emerita of philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder, she brings a philosopher's love of big questions and a lifelong reader's ear for language to every book she writes. Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Visit https://www.claudiamillsauthor.com/
Download the Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom Discussion Guide here.
Credits:Host: Bianca Schulze
Guest: Claudia Mills
Audio Editor: Kelly Rink
Producer: Bianca Schulze
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