Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

Brenna and Joe stumble into a fairy tale world that compels them to do everything they're told...so long as it's compare Gale Carson Levine's 1997 Ella Enchanted and Tommy O'Haver's over-the-top wacky 2004 adaptation, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this week!The book proves to be a good example of how straightforward and non-subversive books for young adults were in the 90s, while the film makes good use of a game Anne Hathaway's capacity for physical comedy, but goes over board on extra characters and bad CGI. Plus: come for the discussion about misused WOC and stay for the jokes about how uncomfortable Hugh Dancy looks!In homework: Brenna recommends unreliable narrator book A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa B. Sheinmel while Joe has high hopes for Kai Cheng Thom's Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir.Other Trans and Non-Binary YA Lit recommendations: If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo Girl Mans Up by M.E. GirardIf you want to connect with the sh

Brenna and Joe venture deep into the Greendale woods to perform a dark ceremony in advance of Brenna's birthday and they're joined by a very special guest: Emily von Seele! The three unpack the gorgeous art and risky narrative in Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's 60s-set dark reboot of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and contrast it with the more risk-adverse 2018 Netflix adaptation - just in time for its return on April 5.Along the way Brenna wonders why the goat masks in both Sabrina and its companion series Riverdale mean completely different things, Joe vents about the series' aesthetic choices (enough with the Vaseline Iris!) and the three lament the series' antiquated approach to feminist storylines and bland milquetoast boyfriend while praising its liberated "bad girls": Prudence and Madame Satan.In homework: Joe is dismayed to learn that the new Noah Centineo Netflix movie The Perfect Date (April 12) is based on a YA book and Brenna makes a special birthday plea to listeners.If you want to connect wit

Break out your black tights and your pink hair because Brenna and Joe are headed into the Dauntless Pit with Veronica Roth's 2011 bestseller Divergent and the Neil Burger-helmed 2014 adaptation. Both hosts have mixed feelings, contrasting their initial enjoyment of the texts back in the day with the more complicated, less fun reading of both in a post-Trump, anti-intellectual world. It's not all doom and gloom, though: it turns out Brenna's brother and Joe's husband have nearly identical reactions to the film, Brenna gets far too much pleasure whispering the titular term and the episode ends with a SHOCKING revelation that Brenna has been keeping from Joe for the entirety of their friendship!References:Hudson, Laura. "The Divergent Movie Is Social Commentary for Simpletons". Wired: https://www.wired.com/2014/03/divergent-review-online-quiz/In homework: Brenna rediscovers Marvel's rebranded Runaways written by Rainbow Rowell and drawn by Kris Anka, while Joe checks out Becky Albertalli's bestie, Adam

After several weeks of...challenging texts, Brenna and Joe dive into the warm comfort of Becky Albertalli's 2015 Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and Greg Berlanti's 2018 adaptation Love, Simon. The pair break down the book's great writing, problematize the film's depiction of Leah and Ethan and praise what may be the best, most supportive parents in YA.It's a bit of a gush fest, honestly.Plus: Brenna doubles down on Albertalli with a discussion of Simon's sequel/spin-off, Leah On The Offbeat while Joe softly recommends the new Sick Kid film, Five Feet Apart, starring Haley Lu Richardson and Riverdale's Cole Sprouse.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hold onto your Old Tech because Brenna and Joe are on the run from London and the other Traction Cities as they tackle Phillip Reeves' 2001 novel Mortal Engines, as well as 2018's significantly less interesting film adaptation by Christian Rivers. The text has fascinating colonialist and caste implications that are mostly abandoned in the film, in favour of pretty CW-styled actors and a really bad hairpiece by Hugo Weaving's villain. Come for the discussion about the impressive visual rendering of Municipal Darwinism and stay for Joe's invention of a brand new Harry Potter pre-quel franchise.Oh, also, this podcast is not dedicated exclusively to Robert Sheehan.Plus, in the News segment: Brenna strongly recommends the Netflix series One Day At A Time, as well as Ben Filippe’s The Field Guide to the North American Teenager while Joe preps for the latest Canadian YA author interview with Tanaz Bhathena’s The Beauty Of The Moment.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJo

After several weeks of dystopian and urban fantasy, Brenna and Joe travel back in time to the 1980s and the Iranian Revolution for a deep dive in Marjane Satrapi's award-winning comics & animated film, Persepolis.Brenna touches on a vital lesson in semantics re: the classification of the text as a comic vs graphic novel (and why the distinction is so important). We also address the cyclical nature of the two volumes, the melancholy implications of the text’s ending and the universality of Satrapi’s sparse visual style, which is so effective at drawing audiences in.Plus: Brenna pitches Joe on Jacqueline Woodson's Harbour Me and Joe discovers (after the fact) a potential future Chapter in Dan Wells' I am Not A Serial Killer (aka Jr. Dexter).If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mundanes Brenna and Joe muddle their way through a three for one as they tackle Cassandra Clare’s 2007 urban fantasy novel The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, the CGI atrocity that is the 2013 film adaptation and the 2016 Freeform TV adaptation, Shadowhunters (which they declare the best version of the story).Expect A LOT of sighs, guffaws and questions as the pair address the book's generic narrative and love triangle, Clary Fray's lack of agency in the climax and the film's failures in set design, special effects and acting. Perhaps the best thing to come out of this week’s adventure is the concept of an Idris Elba World?Plus: Brenna advocates for Angie Thomas’ new book, On The Come Up while Joe pitches David K Yeh's A Boy At The Edge Of The World.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Part of HKHSPod's mandate is to highlight the work of Canadian YA Lit writers. In this exclusive interview, Brenna and Joe are joined by Steven Bereznai to discuss his bestselling books, why superhero narratives are so appealing to gay men, and which former Teen Wolf stars should begin preparing for a cinematic adaptation of 'I Want Superpowers.'Find out more about Steven's work on his website: https://stevenbereznai.com or on Twitter at @stevenbereznaiConnect with the show on Twitter using #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Strap on your space gear and take off your shoes because Joe and Brenna are tackling The Umbrella Academy, Netflix's latest TV adaptation, which is based on the first two volumes of the mega successful comics by Gerard Way (of the band My Chemical Romance) and artist Gabriel Bá.Join the pair as they attempt to unpack the generic apocalyptic threat and similarly drawn characters, discuss why sometimes you should begin with Volume two instead of one and heap praise the show's fun, evocative dance sequence set to a classic 80s tune. Just be warned: if you prefer to stay completely spoiler free, you may need to delay listening to this episode until you're caught up on S1!Plus: In an important extended news segment, Brenna and Joe unpack the recent racist Bookseller article about falling YA book sales and challenge the "youth" reading habits reported in Chris McCrudden's Twitter thread (https://twitter.com/cmccrudden/status/1093874037460226049). Special thanks to Hannah McGregor, friend of the show and

Welcome to full-on vitriol. Brenna wants to barf and Joe wants to burn this book.In this take no prisoners dressing down of Beth Reekles’ massive Wattpad success The Kissing Booth, Brenna and Joe don’t expect to make any tween fans from Los Angeles happy (or is it South Wales? Or is it South Africa?).Adult listeners wishing to destroy their livers are welcome to play the “Edit!” drinking game as Brenna and Joe lament the inept job that Random House UK did in shepherding a 15 year old’s online serial into a book. Thankfully Vince Marcello’s 2018 film adaptation fares better, although both texts contain abhorrent depictions of “fantasy romances” that young girls should steer far, FAR away from.Plus: Joe finally delivers on his promise to check out the Syfy adaptation of Rick Remender & Wesley Craig's graphic novel Deadly Class to mixed results, while Brenna strongly recommends Tiffany Jackson's unreliable narrator thrillers, Allegedly and Monday’s Not Coming.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPo

Brenna and Joe tackle our second namesake in as many weeks with a deep dive into John Green's 2012 realist YA The Fault In Our Stars and Josh Boone's 2014 film adaptation. The discussion skews a little more towards the book, including Green's extensive fan community, issues of representing "cancer kids" authentically and Joe's issues with the character of Gus.Plus: our news is dedicated exclusively to Canadian Indigenous content! Joe discusses Patti LaBoucane-Benson's graphic novel The Outside Circle while Brenna recommends both Pemmican Wars (written by Katherine Vermette and illustrated by Scott B. Henderson), as well as Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves, which was recently optioned for TV.References: S.L. Huang. "Review: The Fault In Our Stars" Disability in Kids Lit: http://disabilityinkidlit.com/2015/07/17/review-the-fault-in-our-stars-by-john-green/If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@g

Fasten your SJW seatbelts because Brenna and Joe are tackling racism, privilege and duality in our most vital (and emotional) Chapter yet as we cover Angie Thomas' amazing The Hate U Give and George Tillman Jr.'s 2018 film adaptation.The discussion about the book and recent racist events in the media brings one host to tears, prompts a rage-fuelled clap back against #AllLivesMatter, but we're mostly here to heap effusive praise on the best YA book we've covered to date.Plus: Brenna goes to bat for book two of Strong Female Protagonist, a web comic written by Brennan Lee Mulligan and drawn by Molly Ostertag while Joe saves his homework assignment with Becky Albertini and Adam Silvera’s cute queer romance, What If It’s Us.Finally, in an unlikely scenario, we have to swap out a pair of YA Bingo spaces. Which ones get the chop? You'll have to listen to find out!References: Desmond Cole’s The Skin I’m In: https://torontolife.com/city/life/skin-im-ive-interrogated-police-50-times-im-black/If you want to connect wit

Brenna and Joe dive deep into Deborah Harkness’ 600 page tome A Discovery of Witches and discover…that they don’t care for supernatural romances. They debate the attraction to mates that can kill you, question the editorial decisions of the book and praise Teresa Palmer’s performance in the TV adaptation (available now on Sundance Now and Shudder).Plus: Brenna gets excited for the June release of Abdi Nazemian’s Like a Love Story, a vital queer love story set during the AIDS crisis. Joe, meanwhile, seeks comfort in John Allison’s graphic novel series Giant Days.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen!Show Notes:Mukherjea, Ananya . “My Vampire Boyfriend: Postmodernism, “Perfect” Masculinity, and the Contemporary Appeal of Paranormal Romance”. Studies in Popular Culture Vol 33, No 2 (Spring 2011)Silver, Anna. “Twilight is Not Good for Maidens: Gender, Sexuality, and The F

Brenna and Joe dive headfirst into the graphic novel universe of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim, its toxic masculinity and its Maple-soaked Canadian identity. A text to film comparison with Edgar Wright's adaptation reveals that some problems persist in both mediums, but - mores than any other text thus far - this is the one that reveals how far YALit has changed in just a short span of 8-9 years. Strap yourselves in folks…’cause we’re calling out the fanboys and the haters!Plus: Brenna recommends Netflix comedy Atypical, in conjunction with the hashtag that problematizes the show (#ActuallyAutistic) while Joe fails, then salvages his homework assignment with post-holiday YA book, The Afterlife of Holly Chase.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a special appendix edition of the show, Brenna and Joe check out the first episode of the new Netflix series, Sex Education. The discussion ranges from Joe's love of Gillian Anderson, the balance between raunch and heart, and speculation about what role nostalgia, timelessness and class will play in the subsequent seven episodes of the first season.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brenna and Joe are back with our first full Chapter of 2019 and it's a doozy: Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 puritanical novel The Scarlet Letter and Will Gluck's delightful 2010 "loose" adaptation, Easy A. Come for the lively discussion about how to pronounce Hester Prynne's last name, why Salem sucked for women (shocking!) and how much we love Emma Stone.Plus: 2 new YA Bingo terms. In the news, Joe laments the 50 Shades of Grey-esque trailer for the YA adaptation of Anna Todd's After while Brenna champions the rare Indigenous YA text, Cynthia Leitich Smith's Hearts Unbroken, and Debbie Reese's great resource: https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Part of HKHSPod's mandate is to highlight the work of Canadian YA Lit writers. In this exclusive interview, Joe is joined by Carrianne Leung, two time Toronto Book Awards nominee and author of The Wondrous Woo and That Time I Loved You. Here Carrianne discusses her work, why Canadian literature is having a moment and why Michelle Yeoh should get the animated treatment in a movie adaptation of Woo.Find out more about Carrianne's work on her website: https://www.carrianneleung.com/ or on Twitter at @kayee13Connect with the show on Twitter using #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Happy New Year (or whatever it is that you celebrate)! Brenna and Joe have gathered to survey the young adult literature and adaptation landscape for the first quarter of 2019 to select a few picks to add to your Library holds list.If you have a selection that didn't make our cut, please reach out to us at #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr send us an email at hkhspod@gmail.com. See you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Happy holidays from the HKHS crew. Brenna and Joe are here with a list of seasonally appropriate - and entirely non-denominational - YA picks to check out over the holidays, including a few book and TV "special" suggestions.Connect with us on Twitter using #HKHSPod:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr shoot us an email 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 enter the Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant! That's right, Brenna and Joe are talkin' Julie Murphy's 2015 fat-positive YA hit Dumplin' and Anne Fletcher's 2018 Netflix adaptation. Listen as Joe tries a Southern accent, we discuss Manic Pixie Drag Queens and Brenna offers a few other texts to check out in the same vein (including Jes Baker's Landwhale: On Turning Insults Into Nicknames, Why Body Image Is Hard, and How Diets Can Kiss My Ass).All that, plus: 2 new YA Bingo terms and Brenna offers a YA text for your holiday shopping needs.If you want to connect with the show, use #HKHSPod on Twitter:Brenna: @brennacgrayJoe: @bstolemyremoteOr reach out to us on email at hkhspod@gmail.com. We'll see you on the page and on the screen! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.