Nancy’s always said that her favorite food is fruit, but could she be harboring a secret love for the taste of… human flesh? GASP!

Well, we don’t get a definite answer in our latest podcast, but Karen definitely tries to get at the truth. Plus, we’ve got book reviews involving a magical building, a wacky grandma, and a Native American legend. Not to mention a visit from an adventurous author!

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  (6:16)

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• Author visit from C. Alexander London, author of the Accidental Adventures series
  
• Karen’s book review: A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
• Nancy’s book review: Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
• A review from YOU: The Story of Pocahontas by Caryn Jenner
• Cannibal in the room? Yikes!

And don’t forget: write in with a book review. We’ll feature a kid review in our next podcast!

— Karen and Nancy

We know what will make your day — the sweet sounds of Karen singing! No? You don’t want to hear that? Well, too bad, because that’s included in our latest podcast!

But don’t go! We’ve also got an author serenade, speculation on a strange name, a defense of stubbornness, and more. So tune in below:

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  (7:01)

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• Special visit (and singing!) from Meg Haston, author of How to Rock Braces and Glasses
• Karen’s book review: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver
• Nancy’s book review: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm by Betty MacDonald
• A review from YOU: The Clique series by Lisi Harrison
• Karen gets a little, shall we say, over-excited…

And don’t forget: As we mention in the podcast, we’re giving away a signed copy of How to Rock Braces and Glasses! Enter before December 1 for a chance to win!

Also, write in with a book review below. We’ll feature a kid review in our next podcast!

— Karen and Nancy

Just when you thought Halloween was over and you’d be safe from all the menacing terrors that haunt the night, we’ve got something truly horrifying in our latest podcast… corny jokes! Or should we say candy corny jokes?! HA HA HA HA!

Sorry.

Anyway… we’ve also got book recommendations, wacky facts, and cruelty to turkeys. So rise above your fear of lame humor and give our podcast a spin:

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  (6:39)
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• Karen’s book review: How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston
• Nancy’s book review: Every Day On Earth, written by Steve Murrie and Matthew Murrie, illustrated by Tom Bloom
• A review from YOU: Libby on Wednesday by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
• Comedy, drama, romance, and burritos

And don’t forget: As we mention in the podcast, we’ve got TWO book giveaways running right now! Enter for a chance to win signed copies of Aaron Starmer’s books (DWEEB and The Only Ones) and Dancing With The Pen: A Collection of Today’s Best Youth Writing.

And speaking of writing, you should write in your review below! Or send in a review of any book you love. We’ll feature a kid review in our next podcast!

— Karen and Nancy

We’re so excited! And we just can’t hide it!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Sorry. Told ya we couldn’t hide it…

Now, you’re probably wondering why we’re so excited. Well, you’ll just have to listen to our latest podcast! But here’s a hint: sweepstakes!

And we’ve also got flying bowling balls, zombie breakfast, battle in the streets of New York, and drool. So tune in, already!

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  (6:59)

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• Intergalactic author visit from Aaron Starmer
• Karen’s book review: Floors by Patrick Carman
• Nancy’s book review: The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
• A review from YOU: Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac — perfect for Halloween!

And don’t forget: As we mention in the podcast, we’ve got THREE sweepstakes running right now! Enter for a chance to win signed copies of the Sweet Farts books, When Life Gives You O.J., and Aaron Starmer’s books (DWEEB and The Only Ones).

Of course, if you’ve already read any  of ‘em,  write in your review below. Or send in a review of any book you love! (Or any spooky Halloween picks?) We’ll feature a kid review in our next podcast!

— Karen and Nancy

YOU’RE WELCOME!

Why should you be thanking us? Well, the wait is finally over! It’s time to unveil the first Kidsmomo podcast in our new format!

We’re mixing things up, turning a new leaf, welcoming a new day, and all those other things that people say when they’re introducing something new and awesome. So get your ears ready, friends… You’re welcome.

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  (7:22)
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• Author cameos from Raymond Bean and Erica Perl
  
• Karen’s book review: 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass
• Nancy’s book review: The Phantom Tollboth, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer
• A review from YOU: 90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis
• Hamster pee

And don’t forget: As we mention in the podcast, we’ve got two (count ‘em, TWO) sweepstakes running right now! Enter for a chance to win signed copies of the Sweet Farts books and When Life Gives You O.J. Of course, if you’ve already read those books — or any good books lately — send in your review. We’ll feature a kid review in our next podcast!

— Karen and Nancy

Sorry, folks. Labor Day has come and gone. So say goodbye to summer barbecues, beach parties, and sleep-away camp. And hello to lockers, textbooks, and cafeteria mystery meat. Sigh…

But school doesn’t have to be all bad! You could discover a secret society, meet a girl named Hamlet, try shoofly pie, or peek inside a diary. All that and more in our latest podcast, all about school stories!

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  (8:52)
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• “Trouble with a capital T” — aka our mystery book revealed!
• Our More School Stories picks (Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School and The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet)
• A school story review from YOU (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth)
• Evil laughter
• Crickets

AND a very big announcement: Kidsmomo is now two years old, and we’ve decided to mix things up a bit. So we’re bidding farewell to our bi-weekly themes format and making way for a ton more exclusives like author interviews and sweepstakes! (And we’ll still do our regular podcasts, so don’t shed a tear over those!) This also means you guys can send in any book reviews you want, without feeling restricted to a particular topic. So keep those reviews coming, and stay tuned for some major awesome-sauce!

— Karen and Nancy

Here’s what we’re looking forward to this autumn: colorful leaves, fall fashion, and the execution of all the “unwanted” people in the land.

Say what?!

Okay, that last bit is from an upcoming book. And we’ve got that, plus two others in our latest podcast: Fall Preview!
 

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  (7:04)
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• We do you guys a big favor
• Our Fall Preview picks (The Unwanteds and Wonderstruck)
• A book review from YOU (Island of the Blue Dolphins)
• Golf? Gross!

Also, don’t forget: ’tis the season for a special month-long theme on More School Stories! So send us a review of any of our picks. (And don’t forget our School Story recs from last fall!)

— Karen and Nancy

Reach into our summer grab bag of book recs and what do you get? How about kid con men, for a start? Then a castle that may or may not be magical… And a time traveler hoping to rescue a new friend…

Yes, it truly is a mish-mosh of books in our latest podcast, but hey — summer’s the time for relaxing the rules, right? And also a time for ice cream treats. But back to our podcast…

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  (6:50)
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• “Ocean’s Eleven… Junior Edition” — aka our mystery book revealed!
• Our Summer Grab Bag picks (The Enchanted Castle and The Magic Half)
• A book review from YOU (Double Eagle)
• We surprise even ourselves with our awesomeness!

Also, don’t forget: we’re kicking off a special month-long Fall Preview theme! So send us a review of any of our “in the meantime” picks, or any new books you’re reading this summer.

— Karen and Nancy

From Crush the Turtle to Mr. Quimby, fathers come in lots of shapes and sizes.

And today, on the heels of Father’s Day, we honor them all in our latest podcast, all about books about dads!

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  (7:47)
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• “Father-daughter make-over time!” — aka our mystery book (AND special guest) revealed!
• Our Books About Dads picks (Amalee and Danny, the Champion of the World)
• A dad-son book review from YOU (Peak)
• Disney animal dads
• We praise our awesomeness

Also, don’t forget: we’re kicking off our special month-long Summer Grab Bag theme! So send us a review of any of your favorite books, or any new books you’re reading this summer. And check out our Summer Grab Bag picks — all books that we’ve never recommended on Kidsmomo before!

— Karen and Nancy

Photo by flickr user Jim, the Photographer

A pig who’s raised by a dog. A mouse seeking help from birds and rats. And a whole zoo full of animal heroes… Meet them all in our latest podcast, all about multi-animal adventures! PLUS, a walk down memory lane, to commemorate our 50th (YES! 50th!) podcast!

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  (10:07)
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• “Have ewe herd?” — aka our mystery book revealed (AND Karen crammed two puns in there! Wahoo!)
• Introducing… The Adventures of Manatee and Seahorse! And a lion + eagle buddy movie!
• Our Multi-Animal Adventure picks (The Secret Zoo and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH)
• A review from YOU (Smiles To Go)
• Zedonks. Again.

Also, don’t forget: our new theme is Books About Dads, just in time for Father’s Day! So send us a review of your favorite book about dads and check out these books about dads!

— Karen and Nancy