A weekly podcast about young adult literature, their film and television adaptations and everything in between. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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It's time for a party in the woods and Brenna and Joe are becoming increasingly worried about Effy. Obviously the rock fight at episode's end will have some big ramifications, but the looming mental health crisis of pairing Effy and Cook has us terrified for the young girl. Plus: rural horror vibes; Brenna's burgeoning interest in Katie; and predictions for the penultimate episode. Wanna connect…
On the heels of the 1994 short, Brenna and Joe check out Trevor: The Musical , the Off Broadway adaptation that is a full blown musical! Written by Dan Collins and directed by Robin Abrams, the nearly two hour version of the story unfortunately doesn't add content so much as stretch it out. Still, there's some good to be found here, including the Diana Ross performance, and the staging. But what…
Brenna and Joe finally reach the JJ episode of Skins series 3 and...we're divided. On one hand, the show finally gives JJ a diagnosis and allows him agency, but we find Skins ' handling of mental health treatment so grim and one-sided. Plus: different readings on JJ's mom; disappointment about the handling of Emily; a completely different episode soundtrack; and JJ as a truth teller. Wanna connect…
Brenna has programmed us an Oscar-winning short Trevor (1994) that also led to the creation of The Trevor Project. Directed by Peggy Rajski and written by Celeste Lecesne, the ~18 minute short is clever and slightly surreal, though C/W for suicide attempt. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray > Joe:…
Brenna and Joe are in love with Naomi's episode, which feels like a series three high. Sure it's a struggle to watch her try to deny her feelings for Emily, but she's getting there! Plus: school elections; Katie being the worst; and Brenna's cheer for dressing down a pervy teacher. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna:…
Brenna and Joe return to discuss the six episode S02 of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder , which shifts the focus prominently to Max Hastings. This definitely changes the messaging of the book, though TV-only viewers likely won't notice. Plus: struggling to connect to Stanley Forbes; praising the casting of Max's cousin; and pondering what the third and final series will look like. Wanna connect with…
Prep your sexual euphemism because we're auditioning for Sexxbomb in the latest episode of Skins series 3. Episode 5 "Freddie" tells us as much about the title character as it does his love interest, but our patience with JJ is running thin. Plus: Cook's lack of verbal skills; debate about Freddie's father; and the moment that had us screaming "Oh Effy!" Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on…
Pip is back for another mystery in Holly Jackson's Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020) AKA A Good Girl's Guide to Murder book two. There's plenty to admire about this entry, which finds Pip growing up and discovering the world isn't fair in a pretty devastating way. Plus: hating Ant & Lauren; admiring the dark ending; and Max Hasting's trial reminding us of real life Canadian scandals involving the World…
Skins series 3 delivers another strong episode as we zero in on Pandora's birthday, which ends in the most typical Skins fashion ever. Plus: the heated exchange between Effy and Panda; another bad parental model; and what kind of adult crashes a party at a teenager's house?! Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray…
Brenna and Joe return to wrap up the love affair between Nick and Charlie in the conclusion of Alice Oseman's Heartstopper . We're reading Volume 6 and watching the Netflix film, Heartstopper Forever (2026) directed by former gay porn director Wash Westmoreland. This is lovely...but we have a few issues, including a forced conflict, a too long break-up in the film, and the lack of time for…
This is the episode of Skins that Brenna needed! The arrival of Merveille Lukeba's Thomas upends the familiar narrative as teleplay writers Daniel Kaluuya & Bryan Elsley expertly integrate the teen from the Congo into the series' other narratives. Plus: Brenna's love of Pandora; Joe's desire for donuts; and a chilli pepper showdown for the ages Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram…
Brenna and Joe respond to a Sherlock Holmes/Peter Pan crossover recommendation from teabooksandchocolate: The Adventures of Mary Darling by Pat Murphy. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky) Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com Theme…
(Banned) Book Club is back in session with Malinda Lo's incredibly "study-able" text, Last Night at the Telegraph Club (2021). With input from listeners Daphne, Spencer, Miriam, and teabooksandchocolate, there's so much richness to pull from this queer historical book. Plus: where it's banned; being disappointed by Lily's dad and aunt; heating up over the sex scenes; and why the signposted…
Brenna and Joe return for Skins S03E02 and...someone isn't feeling it. "Cook" is too slight an episode and the archetypes and narratives are too familiar to series one. Plus: Praising Jack O'Connell (but hating the character); Pandora's bag of drugs; and guest star Mackenzie Crook in an unconventional role. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag…
Joe and Brenna move on to Enola Holmes , the first film in the franchise, which was meant to go theatrical but debuted on Netflix due to the pandemic. Starring Millie Bobby Brown (who's clearly proving she can do more than Stranger Things ), the film is plenty of fun, even if it is a bit too long. Plus: good Sherlock and bad Mycroft; aging up a love interest; and Helena Bonham Carter in a beefed…
Brenna and Joe kick off another summer of Skins , which a look at Series 3, episode 1 "Everybody" We're concerned that this is just a new cast with the same storylines, though Joe is a bit more optImistic. Plus: Effy's bad decisions; different career paths for the twins; and our immediate dislike of Cook. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag…
Brenna and Joe dip a toe into Nancy Springer's mystery series with the first Enola Holmes Mystery : The Case of the Missing Marquess (2006) This Middle grade text is deft, but surprisingly deep, particularly the way Springer uses women's fashion as a central component of the narrative. Plus: sexist Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft; a bad mother; and the novel's subtle, but specific historical/political…
Listener Hannah writes in to offer a more optimistic/happy reading of the end of You Can Live Forever . Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky) Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution" Hosted on…
Joe and Brenna are joined by returning guest Jes Battis to discuss Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986) for its 40th anniversary. Jes literally wrote the book on the film, It's Only Forever: Labyrinth , which means this celebratory episode is filled with tons of insights into both the film and Jim Henson. Plus: 80s nostalgia; academia as goblin-world; our fave characters/puppets and songs; and, of…
Brenna and Joe check out singer/writer Hayley Kiyoko's queer romance novel Girls Like Girls (2023) in advance of the feature adaptation. C/W: Discussions of suicide It's a great approximation of the fiery heat of young love, though we can't fully invest in the main couple (ugh Sonya!) Plus: father/daughter relationships; "wrong" partners; and our hopes for the film. Wanna connect with the show?…
Joe and Brenna return to discuss director Amber Sealey (the voice of The Princess Diaries audiobook?!) and writer Daniel Stiepleman's adaptation of Out Of My Mind (2024). Starring real life disabled actor Phoebe-Rae Taylor, this Peabody-winning film will definitely get the waterworks going, especially Luke Kirby (who gives Stanley Tucci a run for his money for Best Dad in YA). Plus: the…
Brenna and Joe catch up on emails from Tea, Books, and Chocolate and Charlotte about Lord of the Flies , including a disturbing read on Simon and the pig and the comic adaptation by Aimee de Jongh. Plus: Joe recommends the Amazon show The Wilds . Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray > Joe: @bstolemyremote…
Brenna and Joe check out Sharon Draper's Out Of My Mind (2010) about Melody, a non-verbal girl with Cerebral Palsy who wants to be able to communicate more than anything. Unlike so many other books about disability, however, this isn't a book about how Melody changes the world...and it's better for it! Plus: exceptional Middle Grade fiction; resisting the temptation of a fantasy ending; and…
Joe and Brenna boldly explore a YA topic they've never discussed before: the sex comedy! We're getting filthy and profane with Jillian Bell's directorial debut, Summer of 69 (2025) in which a teenager hires a stripper to teach her about sex. This is a ton of fun, which great performances, a sex (and sex worker) positive perspective, and a group of women doing it for themselves. Plus: a schwoopy…
Brenna and Joe return to discuss the eight episode S01 adaptation of Finding Her Edge , co-created by Jeff Norton and Shelley Scarrow (disappointingly - she worked on Canadian faves like Wynona Earp and Being Erica ). This is BAD on multiple levels (try to count Joe's innumerable rants), most egregiously in how little anyone seems to care. Plus: digging into that Rotten Tomatoes score; the show's…
Brenna and Joe hit the ice with Jennifer Iacopelli's 2022 novel Finding Her Edge . It's the story of an ambitious 16 year old with Olympic dreams, and her gaslighting trash father and dismissive older sister. Oh...and a love triangle. It's fine! The novel is a bit too long & tropey and the romance is the least interesting part, but it's readable and the sports stuff is engaging. Spoiler alert:…
Lord of the Flies is back thanks to the new four episode limited series from Adolescence creators Mark Munden and Jack Thorne. After revisiting William Golding's original text, Brenna has a list of adaptation changes and how they affect the colonial, queer, and race readings. Plus: non-professional child actors; fish eyed lenses; the impact of B/W vs colour; and why this series isn't exactly…
Brenna and Joe return to discuss D.J. Caruso's film adaptation, I Am Number Four (2011). Screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar ( Smallville ) and Marti Noxon ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) make some smart decisions, though they also jettison a few key book ideas. Meanwhile star Alex Pettyfer makes for a petulant John Doe and he lacks romantic chemistry with co-star Diana Agron. Plus: decent…
With Brenna back from her French vacation, we dig into the mailbag to address messages from Neera, Spencer and the creative team behind You Can Live Forever ! Neera's recommendations: > Lady's Knight by Meagan Spooner & Amie Kaufman > Gwen and Art Are Not in Love and Not For the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the…
Brenna and Joe kick off Book 8 with the first entry in The Lorien Legacy series: I Am Number Four (2010). Ostensibly written by "Pittacus Lore", this is actually from James Frey's Fiction Factory, which paid MFA students $250 to write YA books for the disgraced author. The book is basically Teen Superman as alien John Doe falls in love with human girl, alien species "the Mogs" try to murder him,…
Brenna and Joe wrap up Book 7 with a look at the 2002 Disney adaptation of Tuck Everlasting , starring Alexis Bledel and Jonathan Jackson (and his schwoopy hair!) The big change in the film is the focus on Winnie and Jesse's love story, as well as an updated time period (and no jailbreak!) Plus: Joe's movie-ruining factoid; Ben Kingsley's villainous performance; and why being abducted on a horse…
Brenna and Joe return to middle grade fiction with Natalie Babbitt's 1975 classic novel, Tuck Everlasting . It's a beautifully simple, but effective story with some age-appropriate moral lessons. Plus: Brenna's experience with the graphic novel; the jailbreak finale; and why immortality is such a drag. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag…
Brenna and Joe return to discuss the film adaptation of Along For The Ride , written and directed by Sofia Alvarez ( To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before ). Shocking no one: the complicated relationship with the parents is downplayed in favour of the romance with Eli. But we're thankful that the friendship with the girls remains in place, and the parents still suuuuck (though Andie McDowell is barely…
Brenna and Joe return to the world of Sarah Dessen to discuss 2009's Along For The Ride . There are no surprises here: it's all predictable conventions and tropes...and we don't care *at all* thanks to Dessen's fantastic writing and characterizations. Plus: possibly the worst parents we've ever seen; internalized misogyny; and issues with the title and cover art. Wanna connect with the show?…
Brenna and Joe check out Tracey Deer's Indigenous Canadian film, Beans (2020), which we've both been eager to check out for years. Pre-teen actor Kiawentiio gives an incredible performance as the title character in a film that mixes coming of age elements with historical re-enactments of the 1990 Oka Crisis, when settler colonialists tried to take over Indigenous land to build a golf course and a…
Joe and Brenna venture into new territory to discuss writing/directing duo Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky's queer Canadian Jehovah's Witness romance. Featuring stand-out performances by Anwen O'Driscoll and June Laporte, the 90s-set film is beautifully quiet and contemplative. Plus: debate about the effectiveness of the ending; a surprising best friend character; and questions about the "mom on the…
Brenna and Joe return to the world of Jim Henson to discuss the one-off reboot of The Muppet Show (2026). We discuss why Sabrina Carpenter was an inspired first host, how kiddos handle the "scary" Beeker skit, why Kermit sounds a little different, and our hopes for more felt friends in the future. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod:…
Former guest Alex Heeney writes in to gently read Brenna and Joe about recent comments that suggest they may be aging out of YA. At what point do you realize you're no longer the target audience and move onto New Adult literature? Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Instagram) or…
Brenna and Joe wrap up our coverage of Percy Jackson with a look at Disney +'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians S02. It's an improvement on the film in every way, including the depth of characterization for the central trio, the great depiction of Tyson, and a fantastic episode featuring Circe. There are, however, still a few missteps, including Mr. D and Tantalus (UGH), occasional slavish to Rick…
Brenna and Joe return for week two of our discussion on Percy Jackson 's second adventure, with a look at the 2013 film Sea of Monsters . Armed with a new director ( Diary of a Wimpy Kid 's Thor Freudenthal) and a mostly new adult cast, the film makes the odd decision to change a million little elements from the book. Plus: pitch perfect roles for Nathan Fillion and Stanley Tucci; Logan Lerman's…
Brenna and Joe kick off the first of three weeks on Percy Jackson and the Olympians with a look at Rick Riordan's second novel of the series: The Sea of Monsters . Up for discussion: new character Tyson (and what that means for Grover), Middle Grade writing structure, how the book renders Greek mythology accessible, and the very 2006 era inclusion of <gulp> Confederate soldiers. Wanna connect with…
Brenna and Joe close out revisionist history month with a look at the first (and only) season of Prime's My Lady Jane (2024). This New Adult text ages everyone up because it is *horny* (and quite hilarious). Plus: a male voice-over for a female-driven show; a messy metaphor, a reliance on needle drops, and our favourite beautiful gown. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and…
Brenna and Joe gallop through Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows's My Lady Jane (2016). Our final revisionist text concerns England's nine day queen, Jane Grey, but uses a fantasy metaphor to tackle the real life Prostestant vs Catholic battle. Plus: thoughts on the YA romance; Jane as a modern heroine; and how the three authors' voices blend together. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us…
This week Joe and Brenna find ourselves in uncharted waters. Rosaline (2022) is most definitely NOT an adaptation of When You Were Mine (if anything, it's a contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet, the play). With that bizarre fact aside, Rosaline is extremely enjoyable. A fantastic cast, playful direction, and a screwball screenplay make this a breezy good time. Just don't call it an adaptation!…
Brenna and Joe's revisionist theme continues with author Rebecca Serle's When You Were Mine (2012). This contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet is from Rose's perspective as she watches her childhood crush, Rob, stolen by her unhinged cousin Juliet. But the propulsive (and highly readable) book has us asking: do we even need the R&J connection? Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram…
Brenna and Joe turn their attention to writer/director Lena Dunham's 2022 adaptation of Catherine Called Birdy. Starring Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott, there's some queer subversion embedded in the film. Plus: stunt casting Billie Piper, modernizing a classic (the music!) and a new YA BINGO board for a new year. Correction: Joe should have said David Bradley, *not* Doug Wanna connect with the…
Brenna and Joe get a head start on the new year with a slightly tweaked weekly format. This week we're talking about Karen Cushman's award-winning novel Catherine, Called Birdy (1994) about a headstrong 14 year old Lady in the Middle Ages who refuses to marry. Plus: the pros and cons of using diary entries as a narrative structure, eel pies, and plenty of women's issues Wanna connect with the…
Our annual holiday episode is on the collaboratively written novel Whiteout (2022). Featuring an all-star line-up that includes Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon, Brenna, Joe and listener Tea, Books & Chocolate are left wondering: why is this so...slight? Plus: great representation, debating distinct voices, comparisons to Love,…
Brenna and Joe respond to non-binary listener Kai's thoughtful feedback about the nuance we missed in our discussion of I Wish You All The Best , as well Tea, Books & Chocolate's request to cover Heated Rivalry, the new Canadian romance series about queer hockey players Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray >…
As promised, Brenna and Joe return to finish the remainder of S01 of Skam . Obviously we're appreciative of listeners' demands we do so because we *love* Noora and Sana. Plus: thoughts on Eva's S01 evolution, Vilde's pregnancy vs disordered eating storyline, the tease of Isak's queerness, and wanting more of girl Chris Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use…
