Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Special thanks to listener Emma for recommending A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, which proved to be a great companion to last week's The House on Mango Street. This coming of age narrative takes its time, allowing for tangents as it tells its tale of class struggle at the turn of the 20th century. Up for discussion: female friendships, put upon mothers, widowers in the wings, the surprisingly feminist read (for the time). Plus: the film's condensed timeline and why we love Aunt Sissy, even if she caused a real life scandal!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us at our new Twitter handle @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Considered a classic of Latinx literature, Cisneros' book is a series of vignettes set on a street in Chicago. Brenna selected this book to complement our regularsode next week, so we tackle the novel's class and feminist themes. Plus: an ode to lyrical, poetry-like texts!Wanna connect with the show? Follow us at our new Twitter handle @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Who's ready for an abusive relationship? What about "storytelling" as opposed to good writing? Do you like your FX dodgy and your vampires sparkly? The truth is...we didn't like Twilight. But we do try to be fair about how it became a cultural juggernaut and with whom, in addition to dissecting why it is harmful, problematic and filled with bad representations. Hope you're ready for a mega-sized discussion, because we have thoughts!For reading context:Feminist Mormon HousewivesSucking the Quileute DryReckoning with Twilight, 10 years laterWanna connect with the show? Follow us at our new Twitter handle @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We felt a responsibility to address the breaking news from the holidays surrounding Trickster and Inconvenient Indian director Michelle Latimer. We also offer some context and include statements from writer Eden Robinson and film director Jeff Barnaby.Wanna connect with the show? Follow us at our new Twitter handle @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Saved By The Bell mega-fan Brenna introduces Joe to the wonders of Pacific Palisades as we tackle the very self-aware new version, who is surprisingly smart, class-oriented and progressive. It's also very funny!We also follow-up on our holiday activities.Brenna:Mind the Gap, Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David LevithanDarius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib KhorramLong Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason ReynoldsJoe:PEN15Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-GarciaSlay by Brittney MorrisWanna connect with the show? Follow us at our new Twitter handle @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're staying gold through the end of 2020 with arguably one of the most significant YA texts in history! This is ultimate "YA for boys" (although it is written by a woman); it's also deeply nostalgic and kinda terrifying.Expect comparisons to our previous discussion on Stephen King's The Body/Stand By Me, talk about whose story this really is and why Hinton's staunch refusal of a queer reading is misguided. Plus: Tom Cruise, prank wars and struggles with on-screen violence.Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the final minisode of 2020, we each selected a news item to capture a trend in YA for the year.Brenna looks at an evidence-based study out of the UK that has found improvements in the percentage of published authors of colourFlood, Allison. "Number of young adult writers of colour doubles to almost 20%" The Guardian. Sept 29, 2020Joe , meanwhile, tackles the dominance of Netflix as the main exhibitor of YA TV and films, courtesy of The Ringer.Baker, Katie. "The New Generation of Teen Movies Is Nicer (and on Netflix)" The Ringer. Aug 28, 2010Plus: starting January 2021, we're starting a Book Club! Read The House on Mango Street with us for Jan 19.Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

 This week on the pod, we're getting literary with a deep dive into Selvadurai's acclaimed queer coming of age novel (or is it a collection of short stories?) and the long-delayed, highly controversial film adaptation (now available on CBC Gem in Canada and on Netflix in the US).Up for discussion: how the book seamlessly interweaves history and coming of ages narratives, negotiating discomfort about our lack of knowledge about the Sri Lanka Civil War, comparing the ending of the two texts, and why the film has sparked not one, not two, but three (!) controversies, including one involving Ava DuVernay.Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're on the edge of great courtesy ofJulie and the Phantoms, the candy coloured confection of a Netflix trifle that isn't good per se, but is incredibly enjoyable. Up for discussion: the surprisingly heartfelt exploration of grief and music (shocking no one, both of us cried watching!); the very Vancouver production, Brenna's bemusement at Julie's "hologram" box and an appreciation of "out" director Ortega's cultural contributions.Plus: our first game on the fully redesigned Book Three YA BINGO board!Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...for a scavenger hunt across NY city! Brenna and Joe are feeling nostalgia for Big Apple circa Dec 2019 (when the series was filmed), though there's a bit less passion for stars Austin Abrams and Midori Francis, who are well-cast and also mildly aggravating.Plus: we speculate who writes who in the book, tackle the ridiculous written ending, praise director Fred Savage and disagree about the use of holiday music. It's a magical episode!Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Happy 2 years listeners! We're celebrating this milestone with 10 essential texts (ok 11, but who's counting?) that we've covered on the show. Care to wager what makes the list?Plus:Our six least fave textsOur top ten episodesOur "Wish List" of books & comics that we want to see adapted so that we can cover them!Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The time has come to cover the fall season's buzziest YA adaptation, in which high school seniors are mysteriously popping! And the verdict is: both texts are fine. Lol.For this episode, we're asking the hard hitting questions:-What happens when a book about friendship becomes a movie about romance? (Bye Tess!)-Why do so many wealthy, successful people have bad hair? Charlie Plummer -What's more distracting: the way Katherine Langford's body is shot or her atrocious wig?-Did Starmer have a plan for this story beyond its great hook?Plus: great parents! A terrible role for Insecure's Yvonne Orji! And, finally, egregious Dude Bro voice!Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brenna:Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins (Nov. 10)A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey (Nov 10)The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley (Dec 1)Honourable Mentions: Captain Marvel YA Novel by Shannon and Dean Hale (Dec 31)Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (Nov 13 - Netflix) The Prom  (Dec 11 - Netflix) Joe:The Way Back by Gavriel Savit (Nov 17)Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon (Nov 17)Link by Link: An Anthology of Haunted Holidays, edited by Meg Dailey (Dec 2)Honourable Mentions:Dash & Lily (Nov 10 - Netflix) Alex Rider (Nov 13 - IMDbTV) His Dark Materials S2 (Nov 16 - HBO) Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As we head into the last two months of the year, we're in need of some guaranteed enjoyment. Enter The Princess Diaries, wherein 15 year old Mia finds out - and detests - that she's the princess of a fictional European nation called Genovia.Now, we have questions (would the world really be interested in such a small country? Also: why does it have such a tiny banquet hall?). Overall though we're mostly interested in the small stakes and unconventional family structure of the book, as well as how very Garry Marshall (ie: rom com) the film is. Plus: why we love Julie Andrews and Fat Louie, the cat. Oh, and Joe forgets Brenna’s inability to recognize pop culture figures (confession: Francis Ford Coppola is Robert Schwartzman’s *uncle*, not grandfather). Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out info

We're heading to the East Coast of Canada to discuss class, isolation and abortion. The recently released on VOD film is anchored by an amazing performance by Kelly Van der Burg as a small town Newfoundland teen who falls in love with a much older man, Joel Thomas Hynes' Danny Sharpe.Topics include: how appreciative we are that Oates doesn't attempt to rescue Danny, region differences and universal storytelling in Canadian cinema and two very different reads of the film's abortion scene.Homework:Brenna: Let Me In (Reeves, 2010)Joe: Indigenous YA episode of Seventh Row podcastWanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just in time for spooky season, we go hunting for bodies in King's novella (or is it a novel?), as well as Rob Reiner's seminal 80s film, which boasts an all-star cast of young male actors (RIP River Phoenix)Up for discussion: the meanness of Castle Rock and the tragic backstories (and future lives) of these protagonists; the purpose of that infamous pie-eating contest; disagreements over the success of John Cusack's Denny and Richard Dreyfuss' narrator, and speculation about switching the year of the text from 1960 (in the novella) to 1959 (in the film).Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteMichael: @michaelroffmanHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the advice of Max (and liberally stealing a page from Joe's friends' podcast - thanks Talk Movie To Me) we're putting the careers of Kevin Williamson and Judy Blume under the microscope to consider how and why they've made an impact in YA.Homework:Brenna:Lucky Penny by Anath Hirsch & Yuko OtaGiant Days by John AllisonA History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray BelcourtJoe: Cemetery Boys by Aiden ThomasWanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Someone has finally sunk some money into a new Indigenous YA adaptation and we couldn't be more excited! After attempting to tackle the sprawling, slow burn narrative of Robinson's book (don't call it magical realism), Brenna and Joe discuss why this tale needed to be adapted by an Indigenous creative. Expect lots of gushing praise for break out Joel Oulette, as well as Crystle Lightning.Plus: the complicated history of other Canadian Indigenous YA properties, janky FX and four new squares on the YA BINGO board. Can you spell "abuse"?Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After a fortuitous series of social media connections, Meredith Russo joins us for a chat that encompasses a little bit of class politics, a little bit of video gaming and a little bit of punning.In addition to giving us an overview of her career, Meredith tells us about the ways that fiction is always already autobiography, how her work addresses the traditional depictions of the American South and why we expect trauma (but not romance) in trans YA narratives.Plus: Meredith's "secret plan" to turn up the heat on cis readers with each successive book, rants about the watering down of YA and also…the ridiculousness of Rent, the musical!Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteMeredith: @Mer_Squared / Meredith's PatreonHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As requested by listeners, we're kicking off a new season of the pod with a book that combines manic pixie dream people with healthy doses of ableism! Strap yourselves in for a mixed episode from Brenna and a downright hostile episode from Joe, who finds both texts "baffling."Up for discussion: Haley's many blandly titled projects, Niven's confounding creative decisions adapting her own text, Justice Smith's chest hair, Elle Fanning's Urban Outfitters glasses and bad, BAD parents and friends.Wanna connect with the show? Use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteHave something longer to say or a minisode topic? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.