In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to chat with Gordon Korman, a true legend in the middle grade world. With over 100 books under his belt (106, to be exact!), Gordon has something for every young reader—from the most reluctant to the endlessly curious.
His latest release, Snoop, follows a screen-obsessed boy who finds himself grounded—and discovers that life gets trickier when screens are all you have. Gordon shares how he began his writing career at age 14, what keeps him excited about writing for middle grade, and why he believes humor and the right book at the right time can completely change a child’s reading life.
Episode Highlights:
- Gordon’s unexpected milestone of hitting 100 books—and how kids helped him see its impact.
- Why middle grade is the most powerful age to reach readers.
- The inspiration behind his latest novel, Snoop.
- How humor helps kids learn, connect, and grow.
- Encouragement for parents of reluctant readers—and why it only takes one “yes” book to spark a love of reading.
This is a fun, thoughtful, and inspiring conversation for anyone who loves books, works with kids, or just wants to remember the magic of finding that book.
Connect with Gordon Korman:
Books and authors mentioned in the episode:
- The Fort by Gordon Korman
- Rearview Window by Alfred Hitchcock
- Island Trilogy by Gordon Korman
- Superfudge by Judy Blume
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
- Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
- The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith
Book Flight
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
- Jack Henry books by Jack Gantos
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
✨ Find Your Next Great Read! We just hit 175 episodes of Bookish Flights, and to celebrate, I created the Bookish Flights Roadmap — a guide to all 175 podcast episodes, sorted by genre to help you find your next great read faster.
Explore it here → www.bookishflights.com/read/roadmap
Be sure to join the Bookish Flights community on social media. Happy listening!
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!