Almost seven years into SSR, we’ve covered almost all of Judy Blume’s kid lit masterpieces. On Episode 298, Alli and... more

At long last, it's John Green time! Episode 297 unpacks Looking for Alaska, the YA superstar's award-winning debut novel. Conversations... more

You already know that Ramona Quimby is curious, precocious, hilarious, and bold... but now she gets to be brave, too.... more

Abby and Alli welcome their first-ever guest to the WriTing Friends series for a conversation about the publishing process, astrology,... more

Longtime listeners know that Sarah Dessen books always, always bring the spice and juicy discussion to the podcast. This episode... more

Jump aboard Episode 293 for a transatlantic voyage on the gorgeous writing of kid lit GOAT, Sharon Creech. This week,... more

Join Alli and her guest for a trip to one of our favorite settings: Stonybrook, Connecticut—home of the Baby-Sitters Club.... more

At long last, we tackle the final book in the original Hunger Games trilogy: Mockingjay. This is a heavy book,... more

Welcome back to SSR: WriTing Friends! This time around, Alli and Abby are digging a little deeper into one of... more

It’s been too long since we paid a visit to Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield in good old Sweet Valley, California.... more

This special bonus episode features Rachelle Bergstein, author of the new book The Genius of Judy. In it, Alli and... more

This week, SSR gets a jump on Halloween festivities with a long overdue trip to R.L. Stine’s Fear Street. Specifically,... more

Colleen McKeegan returns this week to celebrate another book hitting the shelves and to unpack another one of her favorite... more

On the second installment of our SSR: WriTing Friends series, Alli and Abby focus on the writing process: plotting, pantsing,... more

Let's talk about How to Eat Fried Worms! Thomas Rockwell's 1973 book has never been out-of-print, which is a pretty... more

By popular demand, we are finally covering Scott Westerfeld's Uglies! Alli and her guests talk about the book's unique place... more

This week, SSR takes it all the way back to 1961 for a discussion about a classic: J.D. Salinger’s Franny... more

Welcome to the first episode of SSR: WriTing Friends! This new monthly series—co-hosted by Abby Wolfe—is a fun look at... more

Timed appropriately (and accidentally) with the 4th of July holiday, Episode 281 is a return to the beloved Dear America... more

For the first time this year, we’re back to Stoney Brook with our favorite sitters! The fifty-sixth book in the... more

Like the book at its center, Episode 279 will feel like a warm hug! Kate is back, this week to... more

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a bookseller at an independent bookstore? Kate from Thunder Road Books... more

If you’ve been missing SSR’s signature approach to the literary throwbacks of your teen and tween years, the wait is... more

SSR is back after Alli’s maternity leave! We’ll be back to discuss a new literary throwback next week, but we’re... more

Thanks to all of the listeners who participated in this year’s crowd-sourced episode: Abby, Diane, Julia, Holly, Kat, Shira, and... more

For the final book episode of 2023, Alli and her guest turn their attention to a real classic: Betty Smith’s... more

At long last, Alli and her guest turn their attention to a book that’s been requested many times by listeners:... more

With New Reads November 2023 behind us, we’re back to throwbacks, starting with Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. Alli’s guest... more

It’s the grand finale of SSR’s New Reads November 2023… and the perfect time to discuss Talia Hibbert’s YA debut,... more

Week 3 of New Reads November takes a very close, very fun look at Maurene Goo’s Throwback. The book inspires... more

Week 2 of New Reads November 2023 is all about Joelle Wellington’s Their Vicious Games. The book feels like a... more

New Reads November is BACK for a SIXTH year!This time around, we get things rolling with a conversation about Camryn... more

On this special bonus episode, Alli is joined by Sara Hildreth of Fiction Matters and the Novel Pairings podcast! As... more

Listener favorites Allison and Mary from Dolls of Our Lives are BACK for Episode 267! This time around, they join... more

On this special episode, Alli answers listener questions about…* How she handles tricky situations with podcast guests* Whether she would... more

On Episode 265, Alli and her guest explore a new side of all-time kid lit rock star Beverly Cleary —... more

Let’s get back to the Upper East Side, listeners! Episode 264 explores the fourth book in the bestselling Gossip Girl... more

On Episode 263, Alli’s guest walks her through the first installment of one of her all-time favorite series: Tamora Pierce’s... more

Five years after our first foray into the world of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, SSR finally returns to the... more

At long last, Episode 261 dives into the oft-requested All-of-a-Kind Family, the 1951 novel by Sydney Taylor that represented an... more

Let’s have a Judy Blume moment, shall we? Episode 260 takes a close look at the iconic author’s 1972 “divorce... more

Episode 259 centers around The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett! Originally published in 1911, this is one of the... more

For the first time in YEARS, SSR once again takes on Gertrude Chandler Warner’s beloved Boxcar Children series. Episode 258... more

Tune in for a special announcement in the episode intro!Get ready to investigate, listeners, because we’re revisiting the Baby-Sitters Club... more

On Episode 256, Alli and her guest cover not just one throwback read, but a whole series of them! Adventurers... more

On Episode 255, Alli and her guest consider Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey’s Cheaper By the Dozen… and... more

Buckle up for some real darkness this week, listeners, because we’re heading back to the world of Lemony Snicket’s A... more

Join us on Episode 253 for a nostalgic journey back to Beverly Cleary’s Klickitat Street, more specifically, a discussion about... more

Grab your favorite pens, markers, and stickers and prepare to jump back into the pages of Amelia’s Notebook! Listen to... more

SSR is BACK from summer break and jumping right into a conversation about 2009’s Beautiful Creatures, a southern gothic novel... more

Five years of the podcast and 250 episodes… it’s a big week! And what better way to celebrate than by... more

The subject matter of Episode 249 is HEAVY because it mirrors the equally heavy subject matter of Lurlene McDaniel’s long... more

The SSR Podcast has spent no shortage of time on Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club and their idyllic life in... more

On Episode 247, Alli finally gets the chance to revisit a book that’s been at the top of her personal... more

Episode 246 takes a sweeping look at the mystery genre and Agatha Christie, paying special attention to a book that... more

Let’s talk about the eerie world of Ally Condie’s Matched! In it, main character Cassia Reyes anticipates her Match Banquet,... more

At long last, the podcast turns its attention back to Mia Thermopolis with a conversation about the second book in... more

Prepare to swoon, listeners, because Episode 243 is all about sweet summer romance! Alli and her guest gush about Jenny... more

Episode 242 is all about L.M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon. With the help of her guests, Alli digs into... more

Is your child talking back? Refusing to bathe? Staying up past their bedtime? Call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, the star of Betty... more

Whether you’re looking for lessons in beating your competition in business, being an advocate for your own health, designing a... more

Episode 239 takes a close look at the polarizing 1979 novel by V.C. Andrews, Flowers in the Attic. Alli and... more

There’s never a dull moment in Sweet Valley, California… and there’s never a dull moment on SSR when Alli and... more

Baby-Sitters Club Super Specials take the standard BSC format and make them even more, well, super… by alternating POVs so... more

Published in 2013, Catching Fire was the follow-up to Suzanne Collins’s wildly popular The Hunger Games… and on Episode 236,... more

Ann M. Martin has written more than just the 100+ titles in the beloved Baby-Sitters Club series. She’s also authored... more

In one word, Episode 234 is ICONIC. It brings together YA superstar Meg Cabot with a book written by our... more

On this episode, author Carlyn Greenwald joins Alli to discuss one of the weirdest books they’ve ever read: Libba Bray’s... more

On Episode 232, Alli and her guest attempt to analyze her bizarrely vivid memory of Jan Slepian’s The Broccoli Tapes.... more

If you thought we’d made it through all of Judy Blume’s iconic kid lit, you thought wrong! As you’ll discover... more

Join Alli and her guest Jo Piazza for a journey back to the Little House in the Big Woods and... more

It’s been nearly four years since our episode about The Face on the Milk Carton… but we’re finally ready to... more

On Episode 228, join us for another journey to the Land of Oz! This time, our focus is on the... more

On Episode 227, guest Iman Hariri-Kia makes a strong case for Lisi Harrison’s Clique series as social commentary and tween... more

It’s a new year of throwback reads with SSR! This week, Alli and her guests get things started with a... more

It’s the FOURTH annual SSR Listenersode, featuring bookish and nostalgic insights from our friends Tracey, Rachel, Margaret, and Julia. What... more

For our final book episode of 2022, we strap on our walking shoes, grab our dog treats, and take a... more

Karen Cushman’s The Midwife’s Apprentice was published in 1995 and won the Newbery Medal in 1996… which makes it a... more

New Reads November is over… and we’re back to our usual throwback reads! This week, the focus is Paula Danziger’s... more

It’s the final episode of New Reads November 2022… and we’re making it a grand finale! Alli and her guest... more

For Week 4 of New Reads November, Alli and her guest talk about Alli’s first-ever graphic novel: Anne of West... more

Tune in for Week 3 of SSR’s New Reads November 2022, on which Raquel Marie’s Ophelia After All takes center... more

Week 2 of New Reads November 2022 is all about R. Eric Thomas’s Kings of B’More, a YA novel that... more

Happy New Reads November 2022!This year, we kick off our annual exploration of recently-published YA and middle grade with a... more

Episode 216 takes us back to another time and place — more specifically, to Los Angeles circa 2009. Alli and... more

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys come together for the crossover Super Mysteries series… and on Episode 215, Alli and... more

On Episode 214, Alli and her guest go back to Sweet Valley… but they find it grittier and sassier than... more

On Episode 213, Alli and her guest explore a newer and also lesser-known throwback, E. Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of... more

You are cordially invited to one of the most terrifying slumber parties in history: more specifically, Christopher Pike’s Slumber Party,... more

Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee was published in 1990 and won the Newbery Medal in 1991. On Episode 211, Alli and... more

On Episode 210, Alli and her guest travel back to the ‘90s and share their first experience with the Animorphs—more... more

Pippi Longstocking has been beloved by readers of all ages for decades thanks to her strength, generosity, silliness, bravery, and... more

Prepare for a trip down the rabbit hole! On Episode 208, Alli and her guest chat all things Alice’s Adventures... more

Episode 207 brings us back to Louis Sachar’s Wayside School — more specifically, to his 1989 novel Wayside School Is... more

On Episode 206, Alli and her guest get ahead of spooky season with a discussion about Roald Dahl’s The Witches.... more

Judy Blume and the Hatcher family are BACK! On Episode 205, Alli and her guest revisit the rowdy world of... more

On Episode 204, Alli and her guest dig into all things Addy Walker. They discuss the larger origin story that... more

We’re overdue for a Q&A episode, so let’s make up for lost time! On Episode 203, Alli answers listener questions... more

Anything can happen when the Wakefield twins are around… including the arrival of a brooding, mysterious vampire who becomes the... more

SSR is back for year FIVE… and there’s no better way to return from summer break than with a conversation... more

Cue the confetti and the champagne, because it’s SSR’s TWO-HUNDREDTH episode!To celebrate, Alli and her guest have a fun, thoughtful... more

On Episode 199, a subject matter expert in Jewish identity and culture walks Alli through Jane Yolen’s award-winning Holocaust novel... more

Episode 198 is more than a decade in the making! Alli and guest Colleen McKeegan went to high school (and... more

Julie Andrews is Mary Poppins, Maria von Trapp, Queen Clarisse, Lady Whistledown… and a beloved author. On Episode 197, Alli... more

Episode 196 will make you feel almost as many feels as the blockbuster film Titanic did… and not only because... more

Whether you’re ready or not… things are about to get both steamy and political on Episode 195. Alli and her... more

Major spoiler alert: The Truth About Forever is officially Alli’s favorite of the Sarah Dessen books she’s read so far... more

On Episode 193, Alli and her guest explore the third book in the Nancy Drew series, The Bungalow Mystery. As... more

All hail Queen Judy Blume! Episode 192 is all about Judy’s most autobiographical novel, Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself.... more

On Episode 191, Alli and her guests finally explore the wacky world of Carl Hiaasen as it’s written in the... more

Episode 190 is a historic moment for SSR because it explores a book series intended for truly younger readers: Peggy... more

SSR is way overdue for a Saddle Club moment — but on Episode 189, it finally happens! Alli and her... more

Almost exactly one year to the day since SSR first dove into the Royal Diaries series, Alli and her guest... more

We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of Kristy’s mom and Watson… but also the love among the... more

Break out those magnifying glasses, listeners! On Episode 186, Alli and her guest join one of the classic kid sleuths... more

On Episode 185, Alli and her guest have a bit of a love fest in honor of Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart.... more

For the first time since the SSR episode about A Wrinkle in Time back in 2018, Alli returns to the... more

On Episode 183, Alli and her guest get reacquainted with Shirley Temple Wong, the spunky young heroine from Bette Bao... more

This week, SSR takes it allllll the way back to a classic with a conversation about Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A... more

On Episode 181, Alli and her guests explore Francesca Lia Block’s I Was a Teenage Fairy. They discuss everything from... more

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Alli is joined by romance author Alana Albertson to dish about Anna and the... more

On this very exciting episode, Alli is joined by linguist and cult expert Amanda Montell for a conversation about the... more

For the grand finale of Manuary 2022, Alli finally returns to a book that she’s been wanting to discuss on... more

Take one eager canine narrator, a well-read cat, and a seemingly harmless rabbit who might *actually* be a vampire, and... more

It’s Week 2 of Manuary 2022 and Alli and her guest turn their attention to Beverly Cleary’s Newbery Medal-winning novel,... more

On Episode 175, Alli and her guests — the hosts of the Overdue podcast — kick off a new year... more

Happy holidays and happy (almost) new year! To wrap up 2021, we’re once again inviting SSR listeners to join the... more

For the final book episode of 2021, Alli and her guest experience a new-to-them classic, Marie Myung-Ok Lee’s Finding My... more

After an amazing month of New Reads November 2021, it’s time we get back to throwback reads, starting with Zoey... more

This week, New Reads November 2021 comes to its grand finale with a conversation about Emiko Jean’s Tokyo Ever After.... more

At long last, Alli is reading and discussing the book that has been most frequently recommended to her by guests... more

Welcome back to New Reads November 2021! This week, L.C. Rosen’s Camp takes center stage. In Camp, main character Randy... more

It’s Week 1 of New Reads November 2021! This year, we’re kicking things off with a conversation about You Have... more

To all the listeners I’ve loved before… let’s talk about To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before! At long last,... more

The first of Brian Jacques’s twenty-two Redwall books was published in 1986… and it’s about time it gets the SSR... more

Episode 165 kicks off with a proper Judy Blume lovefest! From there, Alli and her guest get into the good,... more

E.L. Konigsburg’s Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth may have the longest title of any book covered on... more

Robert C. O’Brien’s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH was published in 1971 and won the Newbery Medal in... more

On Episode 162, Alli and her guest have a thoughtful conversation about Christopher Paul Curtis’s Newbery Medal-winning novel, Bud, Not... more

If Alli had to describe this episode — not to mention the associated book! — in one word, that word... more