That’s Novel Reading
One self-proclaimed, avid reader and one reluctant reader, discussing contemporary, young adult literature. Sounds like the opening to an epic tale, but really this is just the journey of two middle school teachers who are embarking on a quest to find the best books for kids. Recognizing that they represent two bookends of the reading spectrum, Scott and Katie, are looking to find the books that will speak to students’ minds and hearts (and maybe get one or two of them to pick up a book every once in a while). But, I guess, that’s just novel reading. Logo Credit: @fearlessfallon (Instagram)
Episodes
This week’s episode is all about how books make us want to read more. Listen in as Scott and Katie discuss those series that have made them into readers and the ways in which authors get us hooked into stories. Katie and Scott relive some of their favorite memories with books series and talk about ways in which current students are reading and thinking about duologies, trilogies, and beyond!
They’re back! Listen to the newest episode for 2025 as Scott and Katie discuss their New Year’s resolutions for reading. Having taken a brief hiatus (because we all know life happens), Scott and Katie recognize they need a reset on their reading. This week’s episode dives into reading resolutions for the new year that you may want to adopt to enhance your own reading life.
This week’s episode, Scott and Katie are straying away from the young adult and middle grade read to discuss an adult book. Yes, you read that correctly: an adult book. They’ll be discussing The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, a book released in March that has been gaining traction in parent and school communities because of its research-based theories on the current mental health crisis among adolescents. Join Scott and Kati...
The American Library Association celebrates Banned Book Week at the end of September, but Scott and Katie think it should be celebrated all season long. Join Scott and Katie in this very special Novel Short as they discuss banned books and the impact it has on our schools and communities. This week’s episode also features a sound clip by award winner writer Ashley Hope Pérez, author of Out of Darkness, a book featured in Season 2. ...
This week’s episode features a book that Scott and Katie read and loved over the summer: Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas. Join Scott and Katie as they discuss some of the most important themes of family and friendship explored in this amazing graphic novel. They also discuss the historical lessons of racism threaded within the story. It's a great quick, but informative read that they recommend to everyone, but especially middle scho...
This week’s Novel Short is brought to you by the age-old debate: which is better - the book or the movie? Listen in as Scott and Katie grapple with this question themselves revealing new insights about which they personally believe is better. It’s a great conversation starter, and this episode will definitely get you thinking!
In this week’s episode, Scott and Katie discuss the book that Scott picked for Katie! You may remember from last season that the co-hosts made a bit of a wager that ended with Scott’s loss. This meant Scott needed to choose a book for Katie, and according to them both, he hit it out of the park. Listen in as Scott and Katie discuss The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy, a feel-good middle grade novel that hits on so many important top...
To begin a new season, Scott and Katie decided to talk about a topic of particular interest to them: children’s literature. As new parents, both Scott and Katie are always looking for fantastic reads for their daughters. But a recent article about problematic children’s literature sparked a conversation about what books we read to our children and students. Listen in as Scott and Katie talk about their favorite books from childhood...
As the second season of That’s Novel Reading comes to an end, Scott and Katie try and guess each other’s favorite books from the season and even set up a little wager. This week’s episode will feature Scott and Katie reflecting on the season and some of their favorite reads. We'll see you all in season 3! Support your local libraries and take care.
Starting a podcast is not an easy task, but Scott and Katie decided to begin winding down Season 2 discussing the origins of That’s Novel Reading as the podcast celebrated its one year anniversary! Listen in as Scott and Katie discuss the origins of the podcast, their process, and how they continue to plan and discuss great books and reading topics each week.
In this week’s episode, Scott and Katie will discuss Katie’s hometown One Book, One Town pick for the year: Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley. One Book, One Town is a local library sponsored program where each year a book is selected for the whole town to read. Events and programs are planned for the town up until the author visit, which usually takes place in March. Listen in as Scott and Katie discuss Warrior Girl Uneart...
This week, Scott and Katie will celebrate their 1 year anniversary of That’s Novel Reading by going back to their roots. The very first episode of the podcast featured The Heartstopper series: Volumes 1 and 2. This week, Scott and Katie will discuss Volumes 3, 4, and 5. Spoiler Alert: Check out Scott and Katie’s first full book review episode in Season 1 to hear about Volumes 1 and 2 before checking out this episode.
Today’s conversation was sparked by a statistic Scott found about readership in The United States. Listen in as Katie and Scott react to the percentage of folks in the United States who only read one book a year. Looking at the origination of this statistic, and their own personal experience, Scott and Katie make recommendations on what they believe we all can be doing to help each other read more stories.
This week, Scott and Katie discuss Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorrell about one town’s experience with changing their school mascot. Told in verse and from multiple perspectives of middle school students, Mascot delves into the debate about whether or not a community should retain their indigenous mascot. In the episode, Scott discusses her own personal experience with this, having dealt with it in his hometown and both h...
Back from a short hiatus, this week Katie and Scott will feature books, authors, and resources for Black History Month. Have a pen and paper ready to jot down some of the resources that Scott and Katie share, and more importantly, feel free to share some of your own via social media. Both Scott and Katie acknowledge that the learning is never finished, especially when learning about Black History, which is American history, and the...
This week’s episode features a book that both Scott and Katie agree is the perfect window and mirror for all readers: Garvey in the Dark by Nikki Grimes. Told in verse, and set in the backdrop of the COVID-19 shutdown, the main character Garvey is learning to grapple with his new “normal” leaving school because of the virus. Join Scott and Katie this week as they share their own memories of the COVID-19 lockdown, and discuss Garvey...
Join Scott and Katie in this week’s Novel Short as they reveal their top 5 books from both seasons. To add fuel to the fire, Scott and Katie try to predict each other’s choices. Listen in to hear about their favorite books featured on the podcast so far and see how well they did with their guesses!
Coming back from their winter break, Katie and Scott are so excited to share part two of their Choose Your Own Adventure. In an earlier episode in the season, Scott and Katie shared books recommendations for each other with them ultimately choosing a book to read. Listen in as Scott shares his thoughts on The Fountains of Silence by Rita Sepetys and Katie will discuss The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken!
For this week’s Novel Short, Scott and Katie are coloring outside the lines by featuring a book in this week’s episode. Scott and Katie are going to discuss A First Time For Everything by Dan Santat, a graphic novel memoir about Dan’s study abroad experience the summer before he entered high school. Scott and Katie understand why this book recently won a National Book Award, and they couldn’t wait to share a book they both related ...
In this week’s full episode, Scott and Katie discuss Gabrielle Zevin’s adult novel, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow in Books that Spark Our Passions. With Scott, an avid gamer, and Katie, a nostalgic gamer, this book spoke to Scott and Katie on a different level as the story shows the journey of two characters as they develop a video game. Scott and Katie now understand this book’s popularity and hope their discussion will inspi...
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