WOW Reads
Worlds of Words Center of Global Literacies and Literatures is committed to creating an international network of people who share the vision of bringing books and children together, thereby opening windows on the world. The WOW Reads podcast centers voices of young readers who serve as Reading Ambassadors by engaging in literature discussions and author interviews and sharing books in their school and social contexts. Worlds of Words is a center in the University of Arizona College of Education.
Episodes
Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Dear Manny by Nic Stone.
Nic Stone is open and warm, just like her favorite color -- orange. We discuss her commentary on lies (fiction is truth through the lens of a lie), her degree in psychology (understanding human experience helps with character development) and the habit of pursing discomfort (helps us grow and staves off boredom).
Join the Worlds of Words Center Reading Ambassadors (middle and high school) as we recap our experience around University of Arizona Museum Day.
Twelve cultural and science collections on the U of A campus offered free or reduced admission and special programming on Saturday, March 29, 2025. In this bonus episode, we briefly discuss...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we recap our experience around A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga.
In this episode, we discuss...
- How are we seen in real life and in books? How do we see ourselves?
- In what ways do we help or hinder our relationships with friends and family?
- The tight nature of writing in the mystery genre.
- And Emaline takes a clear stance...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow.
In this episode the Teen Reading Ambassadors talk about perceptions of love and life as idyllic, though the reality of most people's experiences aren't always so tidy. We also appreciate Kathleen's writing advice, which could also help with college applications, and found Kathleen's experien...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Destination Unknown by Bill Konigsberg.
Wherever our destination is, we will enjoy the music! In this episode the Teen Reading Ambassadors talk about the joys of banter between friends, complicated family interactions, and how music connects us regardless of the decade. We, like Bill, hope everyone finds love in a beautiful way.
Band men...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we recap our experience around predicting the 2025 Randolph Caldecott Medal winner for picturebook illustration.
In this episode, we discuss...
- Our understanding of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Caldecott committee's criteria and process for selection.
- How we used those understandings in determining our nomination ...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we recap our experience around Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan.
In this episode, we discuss...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we recap our experience around Miracle by Karen S. Chow.
In this episode, we discuss...
- Everyone needs an editor -- and multiple kinds! SO to the copy editor who led Chow to her eventual decision to have the characters play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild throughout Miracle.
- Relationships and mind reading and how we can short ourselves ...
"We had ups." - Gabriel
Worlds of Words Center Middle School and Teen Reading Ambassadors discuss the past academic year as they read and promoted reading together.
As each group read their four novels, we encountered issues around banned books, school libraries, and talking to grownups. We learned about the process of creating and promoting books for young people and are grateful for the diversity broug...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School and Teen Reading Ambassadors as we discuss A Little Like Waking by Adam Rex.
We open the episode by describing our time with Rex as "meeting a legend in person." We chat about dreams and love and the duality of both. We also discuss getting back on the proverbial bike and whether we need a push off a cliff or to jump on our own.
We failed to talk about the bo...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera.
In this episode, we discuss
Other books mentioned in this episode:
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
We will post Higuera's graph on our Instagram account at the end of the season. Watch for it there at @WOWTeenAmbassadors.
Special shout out to Tucson Festiva...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss The Colliding Worlds of Mina Lee by Ellen Oh.
Meeting Oh sparked our thinking around diversity in books for teens, book bans, ghost stories, and how far we are willing to go with research in service to story telling. There's plenty of Ellen Oh love in this group.
In this episode, we also mention:
Sunshine: a currently unpublishe...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Up In Flames by Hailey Alcaraz.
We talk retellings in general and this one specifically as well as new-to-us information about the auction process in publishing in this episode of WOW Reads.
Books and other retellings mentioned in this episode:
Anna K by Jenny Lee
Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Amerie
Gone with the Win...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss our experience participating in a mock Randolph Caldecott Medal award event to determine our winner for the most distinguished artist of an American picturebook.
The mock Caldecott event was held in Worlds of Words by Dr. Kathy G. Short and Dr. Desirée Cueto. The American Library Association announced the awards on January 22, 2024, two...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi.
We tested out some new podcasting equipment, so our sound levels aren't that great. You may want to adjust your volume as you listen.
In this episode, we discuss how we came to read both the U.K. and U.S. versions, the differences we noticed, and how the versions might affect the rea...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors (MSRAP) as we discuss Clarice the Brave by Lisa McMann.
In this episode, the Reading Ambassadors talk about the theme of separation. We also butcher the word "anthropomorphism" to discuss how human characteristics are attributed to the animals in Clarice the Brave. In our off-air literature discussions, we considered anthropomorphism as a basis for...
Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss The Broke Hearts by Matt Mendez.
This episode gets personal as we elaborate on Matt's suggestion that we never stop becoming something.
It was reported in this episode that the book launch had just under 30 attendees, but it was actually over 30 attendees. This matters because the Middle School Reading Ambassadors challenged the tee...
Join the WOW Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we recap our year together.
The novel in verse that Alessa refers to in this episode is Your Heart, My Sky by Margarita Engle. Other books specifically mentioned include Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro and Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert.
The Tucson Festival of Books deserves multiple shout outs!
This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and L...
Join the WOW Center Middle School Reading Ambassadors as we discuss Distress Signal by Mary E. Lambert.
This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.
Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate Director
Co-Producer: Sara Logan, WOW MSRAP Literature Discussant and COE Graduate Student
Audi...
Join the WOW Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Echoes of Grace by Guadalupe García McCall.
Special shout out to Tucson Festival of Books!
This podcast was recorded in the Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL) in the UArizona College of Education with assistance from the UA COE Tech Team.
Co-Producer: Rebecca Ballenger, WOW Center Associate Director
Co-Producer: Sara Logan, RAP...
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