Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr
Episodes
Film: I Am Number Four (2011)
28 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 M...
Mailbag 49: More Aging Out and Muppets
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 F...
Book: I Am Number Four (2010)
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
Film: Tuck Everlasting (2002)
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 schw...
Book: Tuck Everlasting (1975)
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return to middle grade fiction with Natalie Babbitt's 1975 classic novel, Tuck Everlasting.It's a beautifully simple, but effective sto...
Film: Along For The Ride (2022)
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Book: Along For The Ride (2009)
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Beans (2020)
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 Kiawe...
You Will Live Forever (2022)
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Joe and Brenna venture into new territory to discuss writing/directing duo Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky's queer Canadian Jehovah's Witness romanc...
The Muppets Show (2026)
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return to the world of Jim Henson to discuss the one-off reboot of The Muppets Show (2026).We discuss why Sabrina Carpenter was an insp...
Mailbag: Aging Out of YA
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Percy Jackson and The Olympians S02 (2025)
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ne...
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters (2006)
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
TV Show: My Lady Jane (2024)
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Book: My Lady Jane (2016)
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe gallop through Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows's My Lady Jane (2016). Our final revisionist text concerns England's ...
Film: Rosaline (2022)
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Book: When You Were Mine (2012)
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe's revisionist theme continues with author Rebecca Searle's When You Were Mine (2012).This contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet is f...
Film: Catherine Called Birdy (2022)
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe turn their attention to writer/director Lena Dunham's 2022 adaptation of Catherine Called Birdy.Starring Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott,...
Book: Catherine, Called Birdy (1994)
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 nove...
Book Club: Whiteout (2022)
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our annual holiday episode is on the collaboratively written novel Whiteout (2022). Featuring an all-star line-up that includes Dhonielle Clayton, Tif...
Mailbag 47: 'I Wish You All The Best' Non-Binary Discussion & Heated Rivalry
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 we...
Skam Season 1 (2015)
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 feat. Jenny Nulf
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for another Twilight saga as guest Jenny Leigh joins Brenna and Joe to once again discuss a Stephenie Meyer text.This time it's a wedding, a...
I Wish You All The Best
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to a recommendation from listener Andrew, we're checking out non-binary author Mason Deaver's 2019 book I Wish You All The Best and transwoman ...
Clown in a Cornfield
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe wrap up another scary season with a look at Adam Cesare's YA slasher Clown in a Cornfield (2020) and Eli Craig's 2025 film adaptation.J...
Mailbag 46: Skam Follow-Up & Dec Book Club Announcement
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Oh my gosh, we get it: YOU LIKE SKAM!We have *never* gotten as much listener mail as we did for episodes 1-2 of Skam S01, so thank you to listeners Re...
Dark Harvest
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe kick off scary season with Norman Partridge's 2007 Stoker award winning novel Dark Harvest and David Slade's 2023 adaptation.The book i...
Last Swim (2024)
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe unofficially wrap up summer with Sasha Nathani's feature directorial debut Last Swim (2024). The UK film is about Ziba (Deba Hakmat), a...
Skam S01 (2015): Episodes 1 - 2
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the urging of past guest Alex Heeney, Joe and Brenna finally check out Skam, the "Norweigan Skins" that began airing in 2015.In the first two episo...
Mailbag 45: Weeding The Library
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe respond to listener mail from Shaun (about Book Weeding), Andrew (about Harry Potter references in Felix Ever After), and Tea, Books &a...
A Good Girl's Guide To Murder
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe dig into the death of Andie Bell with a look at Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (2019) and S01 of the BBC3/Netflix series...
Book Club: Clap When You Land (2020)
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Book Club is back in session for the last time this summer as Brenna and Joe dig into Elizabeth Acevedo's novel in verse, Clap When You Land (2020).We...
Skins Series 2: Episodes 9 & 10
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are back to wrap up Series two of Skins and...it's a lot of mixed emotions!On one hand, we think 2.10 "Final Goodbyes" is a pretty soli...
Dìdi (2024)
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a while since we've had a feel good coming of age dramaedy, so Joe has brought Brenna writer/director Sean Wang's Dìdi (2024).Obviously Bre...
Skins Series 2: Episodes 7 & 8
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are barrelling towards the finale of Skins Series 02, but first we need to cross off the back-door pilot for Series 03 with 2.07 "Effie...
Freaky Friday
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To coincide with the release of Freakier Friday, we're checking out all things Freaky Friday.Kicking off the discussion is Mary Rodgers' 1972 book, wh...
Skins Series 2: Episodes 5 & 6
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've hit the halfway point of Skins series two with "Chris" and "Tony" and...Brenna is not impressed.Episode five focuses on the burgeoning relations...
Book Club: Felix Ever After (2020)
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are back to discuss Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After (2020), our Book Club pick for July. We have one response from listener Miriam o...
It's Not Summer Without You / The Summer I Turned Pretty S02
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe head back to Cousins for another swing at Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty series. First up: decent beach read It's Not Summer Wi...
Skins Series 2: Episodes 3 & 4
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're back for another round of Skins Series 2, but Brenna has mixed feelings. It probably has something to do with the death of Peter Capaldi's chara...
Book Club Announcement: July 18 Reminder & August's Pick
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A quick reminder that your responses to Kacen Callender's Felix Ever After is due Friday, July 18.And also: the announcement of our August 2025 select...
Forever
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're back for our third Judy Blume text with Forever! The 1975 book was written to candidly discuss a sexual relationship between teens and even if s...
Mailbag 44: Corrections, Elaborations, and Recommendations
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're doing a mega mailbag round-up with bits and pieces from listeners Neera, Victoria, and Sophie.First up: an apology to Neera about Inkheart and a...
Skins Series 2: Episodes 1 & 2
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Class is back in session as Brenna and Joe kick off Skins Series 2 with a look at the first two episodes.From the bold decision about Tony's traumatic...
Book Club: Just Listen (2006)
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Book Club returns as Brenna and Joe discuss Sarah Dessen's 2006 novel Just Listen, along with responses from Miriam, Victoria, and Tea, Books & Ch...
Uproar (2023)
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe check out coming of age film Uproar (2023), directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett and written by Bennett and Sonia White...
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's easy, breezy time as Brenna and Joe check out our first Jennifer E. Smith text with Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2015) and Michael ...
Book Club Announcement: June 20 Reminder & July's Pick
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A quick reminder that your responses to Sarah Dessen's Just Listen is due Friday, June 20.And also: the announcement of our July 2025 selection, which...
Inkheart
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to listener requests, Brenna and Joe dig into the fantasy world of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart and its 2008 film adaptation starring Brendan Fras...
Book Club Announcement: Just Listen (June 2025)
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the request of Miriam, we're re-starting Book Club! Our first pick is Sarah Dessen's Just Listen (2006), which concerns rape and eating disorders (...
Adolescence (2025)
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe tackle the buzzy four episode Netflix limited series Adolescence (2025).Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (with ...
Mailbag 43: Olympic & Lottery Winners
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe have a quick conversation about Miriam's email regarding the stark realities of Olympic winners, with a quick comparison to lottery win...
The Fire Inside (2024)
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return to inspirational sports movies with The Fire Inside (2024), but this is secretly two movies in one! The first is the story of Cl...
Mailbag 42: Comic Adaptations and Kids on Screen
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with a fresh Mailbag courtesy of Sophie and Tea, Books and Chocolate. First up: a question about the popularity of comic adaptations of boo...
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024)
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to a prompt from listener Victoria, we're checking out Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024), the five part docuseries exposing harmful...
Rez Ball (2024)
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're checking out director Sydney Freeland's Indigenous basketball movie, Rez Ball (2024). C/W: suicide (off-screen)Co-written by Reservation Dogs' S...
Uglies
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return with their first book to film adaptation episode with a discussion of Scott Westerfeld's 2005 dystopian novel Uglies and the lon...
Bonus Track (2023) feat. Conrad Chambers
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are joined by Conrad Chambers, Joe's co-host from The Queer Gaze podcast, to discuss 2023 UK gay coming of age film Bonus Track.It's a ...
Mailbag 41: Heartstopper's Tara & Darcy, Banned Book Club, and Child Actors
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are back for another mailbag, with recommendations from Tea, Books and Chocolate, gentle criticism about Heartstopper S03 and a call to...
My Old Ass (2024)
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return to discuss My Old Ass (2024), our second Megan Park text (after The Fallout).Don't let the title put you off! This is an extreme...
Heartstopper S03 (2024)
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe continue their tradition of covering Heartstopper with a look at S03.We discuss how creator Alice Oseman tackles Charlie's eating disor...
Mailbag: Redwall! Queer Sex! Libraries!
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return to tackle two emails from the Mailbag:1) Tea, Books & Chocolate wrote about a prolific series called Redwall by Brian Jacque...
S07 Begins
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe kick off HKHS Pod S07 with a few updates, including a revised schedule and an altered format for the time being. Let's just say we were...
The Afterlife of Holly Chase (2017)
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are back for a special holiday bonus episode on Cynthia Hand's The Afterlife of Holly Chase (2017).The novel is very enjoyable, immi...
Holiday Episode Tease...
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Watch out for falling hammers because Brenna and Joe are back next Tuesday for a special holiday episode on Cynthia Hand's utterly delightful Scrooge ...
A Series of Unfortunate Events S01 Episodes 5-8
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe conclude our special Halloween coverage with episodes 5-8 of S01 of Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which adapts books 3 &...
A Series of Unfortunate Events S01 Episodes 1-4
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are back to untangle the first four episodes of Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events. We compare Neil Patrick Harris with Jim Carre...
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return for the first of three special Halloween episodes, all focused on Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket)'s popular Middle Grade boo...
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse feat. Jenny Leigh
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For our S06 finale, Brenna and Joe bring back guest Jenny Leigh to tackle the third entry in Stephenie Meyer's The Twilight Saga series, Eclipse (2007...
Genèse / Genesis (2018)
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe tackle one last Canadian text in 2024 and it's a doozy: Quebecois filmmaker Philippe Lesage's Genesis (2018). C/W: Sexual assaultThis i...
Under The Bridge feat. Lindsay Traves
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe collect fellow Canadian Lindsay Traves to discuss Under The Bridge, the murder of Reena Virk and its contemporary (Emmy-nominated) TV s...
Mailbag 40: Australian Place(lessness)
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe revisit the idea of place(lessness) thanks to Australian listener Neera's email about two recent YA romances: Dancing Barefoot by ...
Skins Series 1: Episode 9
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are ready to wrap up Series 1 of Skins, but we're having a few issues with this finale. Is this a redemption arc for Tony? Is the depic...
Backspot (2023)
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe return to Canada for a reprieve on "the kids aren't alright" summer with D.W. Waterson's feature directorial debut, Backspot (2023).Sta...
Skins Series 1: Episodes 7 & 8
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe close in on the end of S01 of Skins with episodes on Michelle and Effy (kinda) as the show becomes a wild fever dream!Up for discussion...
Mailbag 39: Revolutionary Recommendations and Pregnancy Pauses
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Before providing an update on future programming (in anticipation of Brenna's new baby!), we list listener Tea, Books, and Chocolate's recommendations...
A Monster Calls
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ready to cry? Brenna and Joe discuss Patrick Ness' surprising A Monster Calls (2011) and J.A. Boyana's 2016 film adaptation.These texts are both beaut...
Mailbag 38: Filing The Serial Numbers Off
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe respond to listener Tea, Books, and Chocolate about how "filing the serial numbers off" of source material can lead to more successful ...
Skins Series 1: Episodes 5 & 6
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our summer series on Skins continues and Brenna & Joe are ready to call it: Tony is irredeemable.Between his public show of embarrassing Michelle ...
To Kill A Mockingbird
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe is on the struggle bus as he and Brenna tackle a classic text: Harper Lee's 1960 book To Kill A Mockingbird and director Robert Mulligan's 1962 ad...
Mailbag 37: Skins Music
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are dismayed to hear from listener Dann that (of course!) the Muzak we're been hearing on Skins isn't what originally aired. And when w...
Skins Series 1: Episodes 3 & 4
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe and Brenna's journey through the first series of Skins continue with extremely different episodes: an underwhelming episode on Jal that doesn't ev...
Mailbag 36: Heart Break High
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Actual teenage listener Neve (who is the child of listener Toni from Australia!) writes in to recommend the new iteration of Netflix's Heart Break Hig...
The 5th Wave
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe dip back into dystopian territory with The 5th Wave, Rick Yancey's 2013 novel and J Blakeson's 2016 film adaptation.This one is unique ...
Skins Series 1: Episodes 1 & 2
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe kick off our summer programming with a long requested title: Skins.Every other week we're watching two episodes of Series 1, starting w...
Mailbag 35: Neurodivergence Recommendations (Updated!)
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After Victoria requested positive depictions of neurodivergence last week, Miriam reached out with a list of recommendations:Autism Titles> A Kind ...
Dare Me
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe kick off "the kids aren't alright" summer with Megan Abbott's 2012 novel Dare Me and its 2019 TV adaptation. C/W: implied sexual assaul...
Mailbag 34: Positive Depictions of Neurodivergence
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After a brief lament about Sia's misguided directorial debut Music, Brenna and Joe tackle a question from listener Victoria about positive depictions ...
Fitting In (2023)
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe and Brenna return to Canadian YA to discuss writer/director Molly McGlynn's semi-autobiographical text, Fitting In (2023).The film has a great cas...
Aquamarine
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe and Brenna dip a toe into romantic fantasy with Alice Hoffman's 2001 novel Aquamarine and Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum's 2006 film adaptation.The boo...
Mailbag 33: A Series of Unfortunate Events & The Satanic Mill
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe respond to a question and a request from listener Tuck, who wants to know if we'll cover A Series of Unfortunate Events and recommends ...
Like Real People Do (2022)
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe dip back into queer romance (and fan fiction!) with Book 1 of E.L. Massey's Breakaway series, Like Real People Do (2022).This is very c...
Turtles All The Way Down
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe discuss John Green's last YA novel Turtles All The Way Down (2017) and its 2024 adaptation by Hannah Marks. C/W: self-harm.This is a to...
Boys State (2020) / Girls State (2024)
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time on the show, Brenna and Joe check out a documentary...or rather a pair of documentaries: Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine's Boys State...
The Spiderwick Chronicles S01 (2024)
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As promised/threatened, we're back with a review of Roku's The Spiderwick Chronicles S01.Join us as Joe walks Brenna through the highs (the focus on J...
The Spiderwick Chronicles
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brenna and Joe are back in fantasy territory with the first five books in Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's The Spiderwick Chronicles, as well the 200...
Percy Jackson and the Olympians S01
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At listener Kaetlyn's urging, Brenna and Joe check out S01 of the Percy Jackson TV show on Disney+.It's a much better text than the film! With more ti...
Mailbag 32: Listener Recommendations
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mailbag returns after a brief hiatus, so we're showcasing listener recommendations from Clara, Charlotte, and Tea, Books and Chocolate, including:>...
Never Been Kissed (1999)
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Just in time for its 25th anniversary <gulp>, Brenna and Joe check out Raja Gosnell's Never Been Kissed (1999).While Joe thinks this take on As ...