Book Club for Kids

The Southwest Neighborhood Assembly is proud to be the fiduciary agent for Book Club for Kids a free, 20-minute podcast devoted to middle grade books and readers. Each show features a trio of students discussing a favorite book, an interview with the author, and a celebrity reading. Kitty Felde is the host.  All proceeds from this fundraiser support Book Club For Kids. 

The Times of London named the program one of the “Top 10 Podcasts for Children” in the world. Book Club for Kids has received the California Library Association's Technology Professional Award and the DC Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Humanities.  

Book Club for Kids got its start in 2000 as a segment of Felde’s talk show on NPR-affiliate KPCC, it moved to cable TV (LA36), and was relaunched as a podcast in 2015. 

Among the authors Felde and our readers have interviewed are Kwame Alexander, Tom Angleberger, Laurie Halse Anderson, Katherine Applegate, Dave Barry, Joseph Bruchac, Kate DiCamillo, Jack Gantos, Dan Gutman, Jennifer Holm, Gordon Korman, Wendy Mass, Shannon Messenger, Linda Sue Park, Jason Reynolds, Rebecca Stead, Sharon Draper, Gail Carson Levine, Erin Entrada Kelly, Jewell Parker Rhodes, and Veronica Roth. 

Our celebrity readers have included actors Joshua Malina (The West Wing), Michael Paul Chan (The Closer), Mimi Kennedy (Mom), Emmy-winner Kim Estes, John Michael Higgins (Pitch Perfect), and Valente Rodriguez (The George Lopez Show).  

Many NPR personalities (Susan Stamberg, Melissa Block, Peter Sagal, to name a few), members of Congress like Rep. Adam Schiff and Senator Angus King, former spy Valerie Plame, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and professional athletes, including Dodger great Tommy Davis, have also read excerpts and shared anecdotes about their favorite books. 

Teachers and librarians in the US, UK and Canada use the program to supplement their curriculum. It’s also one of the most downloaded podcasts in Apple Podcast’s Kids & Family category.

Kitty got the idea for the podcast when she was at a large book fair, and people kept visiting her booth with their kids, and the kids would say they listened too (to her public radio show).

She wondered why the kids were listening, and it was because they were stuck in the car while their parents drove.

She asked kids what they wanted to hear about, and they said books.

She started a show that included book discussions with kids, talking with authors and more. 

Talking to Kids

Adults don’t often take the time to listen to kids, and kids have amazing thing to say. Adults are very polished; kids think it and they say it!  Her podcast focuses on talking to kids and respecting their opinions. 

She interviews kids of all ages, but especially focuses on kids from 5th- 8thgrade. They pick the book and are then prepared to talk about it.

.