Unabridged: A Book Podcast

Read-Aloud Book Recommendations for Parents and Teachers

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we're discussing books for all levels that we believe would work really well for read-aloud choices. We were thrilled to be joined by Holly Hicks, a third-grade teacher and Unabridged Ambassador who has experience choosing and sharing read-aloud picks with her third-grade students. We also share our own experiences with read-aloud picks both at home and in the classroom.
 
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering
Jen - Marissa Meyer’s Instant Karma (from NetGalley, out 11/3)
Sara - Sarah Morgan’s One More for Christmas
Holly - Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key and Alex North's The Shadows
 
Our Read-Aloud Recommendations
 
Picture Books
Ashley - Ashley Franklin’s Not Quite Snow White, illustrated by Ebony Glenn
Holly - Adam Rubin’s Secret Pizza Party, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Jen - B. J. Novak’s The Book with No Pictures
Sara - Drew Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Quit, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
 
Middle-Grade Books
Kate DeCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie
Barbara O’Connor’s Wish
Hena Khan’s Amina’s Voice
K. A. Holt’s House Arrest
 
YA Lit
Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X
 
Mentioned in Episode
Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood
Jane Harper's The Dry
Emily X. R. Pan's The Astonishing Color of After
Drew Daywalt’s The Day the Crayons Came Home, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Drew Daywalt’s The Crayons' Christmas, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
My Name Is Earl TV series
Shrek
Jason Reynolds’s Long Way Down
 
Give Me One - Favorite Thing about Being a Pet Owner
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
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Teaching Tidbits 3: Using Picture Books in the Secondary Classroom

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, Sara shares tips for using picture books in the secondary classroom. She discusses the benefits of using picture books and her own teaching experiences. In addition, she recommends two books with which she has had success in her own classroom—David Shannon's A Bad Case of Stripes to teach theme and Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs to teach point of view.
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
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Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
 
Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Our Speculative Fiction Recs with Virginia Soenksen, Author of the GENETICS CHRONICLES Series

In this Unabridged podcast episode, we're talking all things speculative fiction with Virginia Soenksen, author of The Titan Strain, The Osiris Contingency, and The Ragnarok Resolution. We talk with her about her amazing science fiction series, and then we all recommend books that we've loved within the speculative fiction realm. We wrap up our episode with some favorite museum recommendations in honor of Virginia's role as an art historian and an associate director of a museum.
 
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - The Toni Morrison Book Club by Juda Bennett, Winnifred Brown-Glaude, Cassandra Jackson, and Piper Kendrix Williams
Jen - Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X
Sara - Dusti Bowling’s Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Virginia - Janella Angeles's Where Dreams Descend
 
Featured Books
Virginia Soenksen’s The Titan Strain (The Genetics Chronicles Book 1) - See Ashley's review!
Virginia Soenksen’s The Osiris Conspiracy (The Genetics Chronicles Book 2)
Virginia Soenksen’s The Ragnarok Resolution (The Genetics Chronicles Book 3)
 
Our Speculative Fiction Recs
Ashley - Stephen Graham Jones’s The Only Good Indians
Jen - N. K. Jemisin’s The City We Became (check out Jen's review!)
Sara - Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion
Virginia - V.E. Schwab’s Vicious
 
Mentioned in Episode
V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (check out Jen's review here!)
Tommy Orange's There There (Listen to our book club episode, or join our Facebook book club discussion for late October by requesting to join here!)
The National Museum of Natural History
 
Give Me One - Favorite Museum
Ashley - the Louvre
Jen - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Sara - Air and Space Museum
Ginny - Freer Gallery of Art & Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
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Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
 
Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Our 2020 Spooky Reads Recommendations

This week, Unabridged Podcast is launching into the Halloween spirit with some spooky recommendations. After our Bookish Check-in—featuring a guest appearance by Unabridged Ambassador Talie—each of shares a perfect October pick, and then (for our Give Me One) we talk about our autumn favorites.
 
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Nic Stone’s Shuri
Jen - V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Sara - Lamar Giles’s Not So Pure and Simple and Tommy Orange’s There There (listen to our Book Club episode, 146)
Talie - Hench (find Talie at taliesadventures.com or @talielovesbooks on Instagram.)
 
Our Spooky Reads Recs
Ashley - Kelly Keaton’s Darkness Becomes Her
Jen - Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic
Sara - Riley Sager’s Lock Every Door
 
Mentioned in Episode
Shea Ernshaw’s The Wicked Deep and Winterwood
Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark
 
Give Me One - Favorite Thing about Fall
Ashley - pumpkin carving
Jen - fall leaves/plants
Sara - crisp air, and getting to wear fall clothes
 
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
 
Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Teaching Tidbits 2: Technology during the Time of Virtual Teaching with Ashley

In this Unabridged Teaching Tidbits episode, Ashley talks about some tips for surviving the trials and tribulations of using technology during the era of virtual teaching. She builds off of what Jen shared in Teaching Tidbit #1 about her experience with virtual teaching so far, and Ashley talks about a few things that have helped her navigate technology during this time.
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
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Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

October Book Club - Tommy Orange's THERE THERE

In this Unabridged Podcast book club discussion, we talk about Tommy Orange's There There. We all discuss this masterpiece, and then we share our pairings, including Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine, Akwaeke Emezi’s The Death of Vivek Oji, and Tanya Talaga’s Seven Fallen Feathers.
 
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Stephen Graham Jones’s The Only Good Indians
Jen - Julie C. Dao’s Broken Wish (from NetGalley, out October 6)
Sara - Lindy West’s Sh*t, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema
 
Main Discussion
Tommy Orange's There There
 
Pairings
Ashley - Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine
Jen - Akwaeke Emezi’s The Death of Vivek Oji
Sara - Tanya Talaga’s Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City
 
Mentioned in Episode
Episode 104 - What Makes a Holiday Movie?
Libro.fm’s ALC Program
 
Give Me One - A New Interest
Ashley - Indoor plants
Jen - Virtual teaching
Sara - Puppies
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
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Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
 
Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Lit Chat Game with Unabridged, Fall 2020

In this Unabridged Podcast episode, we revisit a favorite game that we've played on past episodes, Book Riot's Lit Chat Game. After our Bookish Check-in, we dive into the game and answer some impromptu questions related to our reading lives, all while recording our responses. In this episode, we leave you with a favorite store for our Give Me One segment.
 
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Jennifer De Leon’s Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From
Jen - Helen Macdonald’s Vesper Flights
Sara - Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam's Punching the Air
 
Mentioned in Episode
Ibi Zoboi's American Street and Pride
Helen Macdonald's H Is for Hawk
Lit Chat: Conversation Starters about Books and Life
Richard Adams's Watership Down
Stan and Jan Berenstain's The Berenstain Bears series
Russell Hoban's Tea Time for Frances
Anne Dewdney's Llama Llama Red Pajama
Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day
P. D. Eastman's Are You My Mother?
Elizabeth L. Cline's The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good
 
Give Me One - Favorite Store
Ashley - Plant Life Indoors
Jen - Stitch Fix
Sara - The Bluest Willow
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
Want to support Unabridged?
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Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
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Check us out on Podbean.

Teaching Tidbits 1: Reflecting on Virtual Teaching . . . 3 Weeks In

In this Unabridged Episode, Jen shares five conclusions she has drawn about teaching virtually after three weeks of instruction with her students. Teaching and learning are definitely different than usual right now, but adjusting our expectations and preparation can make a big difference! We'd love to know your virtual teaching (and learning!) tips, so reach out on social media.
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
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Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Celebrating Global Read Aloud

In honor of the final year of the Global Read Aloud, Unabridged Podcast revisits our episode from last year, in which we discussed Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves, Padma Venkatraman's The Bridge Home, and Kelly Yang's Front Desk. Join us in celebrating this fantastic program, which highlights books for young people and promotes global collaboration.
 
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Mark Oshiro’s Each of Us a Desert (thanks to Partner NetGalley)
Jen - Roshani Chokshi’s The Silvered Serpents (thanks to Partner NetGalley)
Sara - Beth O’Leary’s The Switch (thanks to Partner Libro.fm)
 
Celebrating the Global Read Aloud
Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves
Padma Venkatraman's The Bridge Home
Kelly Yang's Front Desk
 
Mentioned in Episode
Roshani Chokshi's The Gilded Wolves
Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift
Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material
Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare
Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony
Cormac McCarthy's The Road
Peter Heller's The Dog Stars
Neal and Jarrod Shusterman's Dry
Mindy McGinnis's Not a Drop to Drink
Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven
Alan Gratz's Refugee
Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers
 
Give Me One - New Find
Ashley - American Gods
Jen - 800 Words
Sara - Olive and June and Speed Cubers
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.

Reading Romance - Interview with Farrah Rochon, author of THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT

We are thrilled to share our interview with Farrah Rochon, the USA Today Bestselling author of more than 35 novels, including her latest release, The Boyfriend Project. The two-time RITA Award finalist is a native of South Louisiana. When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and catching her favorite Broadway shows.
 
Bookish Check-in
Ashley - Marie Lu's Wildcard
Farrah - Sandra Kitt's Winner Takes All
Sara - Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely's All American Boys
Lia Louis's Dear Emmie Blue
 
Mentioned in Episode
Farrah Rochon's The Boyfriend Project (check out Sara's review) and The Dating Playbook (book two in the series, coming out in 2021!)
Marie Lu's Warcross and Rebel
Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient
Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date
Alyssa Cole (An Extraordinary Union)
Suzanne Brockman's SEALS series (Book 1, Prince Joe)
Priscilla Oliveras (The Island Affair)
K. M. Jackson / Kwana Jackson's Real Men Knit
Denny S. Bryce's Wild Women and the Blues
 
Give Me One - Favorite Broadway Musicals
Farrah - Hamilton, Aida, Dear Evan Hansen, Spring Awakening, Once
Ashley - Rent
Sara - Cabaret
Jen - Hamilton, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Once
 
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
 
 
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.​
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.