Wonder World Book Cafe'
Episodes
127. A Work in Progress Jarret Lerner
09 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This heavily illustrated novel (mostly) in verse follows 7th grader Will, who is navigating some tough issues around disordered eating and body dysmor...
126. The Roach King of Raleigh
26 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
16 year old Quill is devastated about the break-up of his parent's marriage due to his dad's alcoholism. Money is tight, really tight. Quill n...
125 A Scar Like a River Lisa Graff
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Fallon is one strong 13 year-old girl dealing with a heavy past, family secrets, and events that will impact her for a lifetime. Yet, there are some c...
124 Yasha's Amazin' Bar Mitzvah Margaret Gurevich
08 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever felt like you didn't fit in, or like you were losing yourself trying to be someone else, this book is for you. Yasha is dealing...
123. A Year Without Home V.T. Bidania
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this novel written in verse, Gao and her family make a harrowing escape from her beloved country, Laos, after the Vietnam War. Ending up in a Thai ...
122. The Amazing Generation Haidt & Price
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hey Gen Alpha. You're the first kids who’ve always had social media and are super tech‑savvy. That’s a major strength, and lots of screen ti...
121. Hail Mariam Huda Al-Marashi
04 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Mariam. She’s in sixth grade and starting at a new school in a small California farm town. It’s a Catholic school, and Mariam’s Muslim. Her...
120. A Sea of Lemon Trees Maria Dolores Aguila
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Set in San Diego, 1931. Based on a true story about a school board and local chamber of commerce pushing segregation by creating a separate school for...
119. Words Apart Aimee Lucido
29 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sisters Mattie and Olive are inseparable but couldn't be more different. One thinks in words, and the other in pictures. This makes for a playful ...
118. Invisible The Sort of True Story of Me & My Hidden Disease David Soren
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hilariously written about a serious topic! J.J. is living with a hidden disease, Chron's. In this story, the disease is an actual character (funny...
117. Speechless Aaron Nels Steinke
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mira has ONE big goal for her 6th grade year: start talking at school. A talented stop motion film producer, Mira is comfortable creating in her bedro...
116. Spark Chris Baron
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Living in California, 8th graders Finn and Rabbit are not strangers to wildfire danger. It's not IF, rather WHEN. And, when one devastates their c...
115. The Trouble With Heroes Kate Messner
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Overcome with grief over his father's death, 7th grader Finn is given a chance to make amends for an act of vandalism by hiking the 46 highest peaks o...
114. Zarina Divided Reem Faruqi
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zarina is a young girl navigating challenges of identity, family and culture during the political turmoil of the Partition in 1947 when India gained i...
113. Top 3 of All Time
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to a new season! Here, I shine a light on the top three listened to episodes of ALL TIME! Want a sneak peak? Okay! Ep. 46 Solito by Javie...
112. Hoops Matt Tavares
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by a true story in the 1970s. A group of high school girls just wanted to play basketball, like the boys. There is no funding and no fans in ...
111. Whale Eyes James Robinson
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Whale Eyes, author James Robinson and illustrator Brian Rea collaborate to provide readers with an interactive experience--inviting them to experie...
110. Where Wolves Don't Die Anton Treuer
19 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A prime suspect for burning down the house of a long-time bully, Ezra find comfort in learning his Ojibwe ancestral traditions of hunting and trapping...
109. A Simple, Special Way to Recommend Books
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover a simple, special method to recommend books that requires NO time on your part while making a significant impact on readers' next book ch...
108. One Step Forward Marcie Flinchum Atkins
30 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's 1913. Teen Matilda Young wonders if she's brave enough to join the many suffragists fighting for something so simple: women's right t...
107. No Purchase Necessary Maria Marianayagam
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
8th grader Ajay is navigating being the only Sri Lankan in his new community. He has numerous family rules to uphold, and now he's stolen a candy bar ...
106. It's All or Nothing, Vale Andrea Beatriz Arango
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
7th grader Vale is THE best athlete in her gym. After a devastating accident, Vale is determined to come back stronger than ever as she strives to rea...
105. Radiant Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Surrounded by her supportive family, ten-year old Cooper is growing up in 1963, a time marked by the Civil Rights Movement. She's dealing with iss...
104. All the Blues in the Sky
16 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On 13 year old Sage's birthday, her best friend was hit and killed by a speeding driver as she crossed the street. . . on her way to Sage's. N...
103. Dear Dad Jay Jay Patton
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this middle grade graphic memoir, Jay Jay has grown up with an incarcerated dad, and now he's home. Dad is a program developer and wants to use...
102. Flying Through Water Mamle Wolo
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sena's life on his farm in Ghana is difficult, and he'd do anything to help his family. A story of survival, human trafficking (a world-wide crisis), ...
101. Safe Harbor Padma Venkatraman
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Geetha's important story will be loved by middle grade readers with its relatable topics such as immigrating to a new and very different country (fr...
✨100. When We Flew Away Alice Hoffman
27 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Celebrating 100 episodes with Alice Hoffman's When We Flew Away A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary. In this fictional account grounded in historic...
99. Free Lunch Rex Ogle
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rex Ogle's memoir, Free Lunch, is his first of three. Here, as a sixth grader, Rex endures domestic abuse. School is safer, yet not without the strugg...
98. Run Deer Run Ann Clare LeZotte
30 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
12 year-old Effie is deaf and uses ASL (American Sign Language), but nobody in her family knows ASL, nor do they care to learn. Effie is courageous an...
97. Red Bird Danced Dawn Quigley
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Best friends, Ariel and Tomah, live in intertribal housing in the heart of a city. Ariel's auntie becomes an all too common, devastating statistic of ...
96. Popcorn Rob Harrell
10 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This middle grade novel, Popcorn, bring readers preteen, Andrew who suffers from serious anxiety and OCD. These serious topics are combined with plent...
95. Buffalo Dreamer Violet Duncan
27 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Through the eyes of 12 year old cousins enjoying summertime fun on a Cree Reservation in Northern Alberta, Canada, middle grade readers learn about th...
94. Not Nothing Gayle Forman
13 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An unlikely friendship between 12 year old Alex and 107 year old Josey. Alex has done something terrible. Josey has lived through the Holocaust. How c...
93. The Beautiful Game Yamile Saied Méndez
06 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
12 year-old Valeria (AKA Magic) plays soccer on an elite all-boys team. On the field she's strong, rebellious even, and the top-scorer. When the coach...
92. Orbiting Jupiter Gary D. Schmidt
22 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A foster family welcomes 8th grader, Joseph into their family despite knowing he was incarcerated and has an infant daughter he's never met and lo...
91. Kareem Between Shifa Saltagi Safadi
15 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
2016. 7th grader Kareem is a Muslim, Syrian American desperate to be on the football team. He's caught between his faith, language, culture, and h...
90. The Diamond Explorer Kao Kalia Yang
07 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Malcolm is a first generation Hmong living in Minnesota longing for a sense of safety, a stronger sense of his identity, and a connection with his anc...
89. I'm From Here Too Kashmira Sheth
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I’m From Here Too brings us a middle grade story of friendship, prejudice, senseless bullying, hope, and Anoop, a first generation American Indian S...
88. Break to You Shusterman, Young, and Knowlden
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Break to You is set in a juvenile detention facility, and is told from alternating teen perspectives: Adriana’s and Jon’s. The authors hope to s...
87. The Bletchley Riddle Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
04 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Release date 10/8/24. Jakob, 19, works the night shift at Bletchley, near London, with other brilliant minds and complex machines all working toward d...
86. Reintroducing the Podcaster (Susan)
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello! With season six on the way, here I reintroduce myself as Wonder World Book Cafe's podcast host! You can look forward to episode 87 in the v...
85. And Then, Boom! Lisa Fipps
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Oak can rely on math and his grandmum; both are consistent. He cannot rely on food or his mom; both are inconsistent. Joe knows and experiences th...
84. As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow Zoulfa Katouh
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The deep devotion and respect Syrians have for their ancestral homeland is deeply moving and so beautiful. This is a story of history and hope, dreams...
83. Other Words for Home Jasmine Warga
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jude, her parents, and her favorite person in the whole world–her older brother–are living in Syria. With political unrest and safety concerns, ...
82. Shark Teeth Sherri Winston
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In and out of foster care, twelve-year old Kita's story is heavy and hopeful. It won’t take but a few pages before readers become Kita’s bigge...
81. Puzzled Pan Cooke
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this graphic memoir, Pan lives with what he calls “The Puzzle.” This unwelcome, relentless Puzzle impacts nearly every part of his life. After ...
80. Louder Than Hunger John Schu
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
13 year-old Jake needs to quiet his inner-bully, the voice in his head so he can begin recovering from disordered eating. Based on the author's ow...
79. Top Story Kelly Yang
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mia Tang is back in book 5 of the Front Desk Series. Readers will enjoy Mia at 13 years old while she explores San Francisco’s Chinatown and attends...
78. Keeping Pace Laurie Morrison
16 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to win? Explore this with Grace and Jonah, two highly competitive students, on their way to high school. Keeping Pace has plenty of ...
77. Hope in the Valley Mitali Perkins
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join 13 year-old Pandita as she adapts to MANY changes while honoring her ma's memory and attempting to right a wrong in her community. Set in the...
76. Turn the Tide Elaine Dimopoulos
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seventh-grader Mimi loves living on a beautiful island in Florida, but is appalled at all the plastic and styrofoam she finds on the beach. Inspired b...
75. Across So Many Seas Ruth Behar
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
✨✨Welcome to Season 5! ✨✨ Written with so much heart, this middle grade novel, Across So Many Seas, spans more than 500 years and follows four...
74. An Impossible Thing to Say Arya Shahi
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
YA. Written in verse. Persian American, Omid, speaks Farsi and English and LOVES words, but he can't seem to find the right ones when he needs the...
73. Impossible Escape Steve Sheinkin
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
YA. Narrative nonfiction. Unputdownable. There are plenty of WWII and Holocaust stories for teens, though none quite like Impossible Escape. This is t...
72. Amil and the After Veera Hiranandani
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
1948. Historical fiction. Twelve-year old Amil and his family are settling into their new and hopefully safer home in Bombay, India after fleeing thei...
71. Ruby Lost and Found Christina Li
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It seems 13 year-old Ruby has lost or is losing everything she has loved: her Ye-Ye, the beloved neighborhood bakery, her friends, and now her summer ...
70. a first time for everything Dan Santat
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
1989 Dan’s first year of high school is a few short months away, and he’s about to embark on the biggest “out of his comfort zone” experience ...
69. Disappearing Act Jiordan Castle
10 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
YA memoir written in verse. Raw. Honest. Real. A gift to readers. Jiordan is looking toward her first high school year, while trying to understand the...
68. Mascot Charles Waters & Traci Sorell
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tempers flare. Social media posts fly. Friendships severed. Cleverly crafted, Mascot follows a group of six diverse students through their 8th grade y...
✨☕Espresso Sized Episode! Calvin and the Sugar Apples Inês F. Oliveira
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can ten-year old Amelia, her twenty-one year old chinchilla, Calvin, and a sugar apple tree possibly have in common? Turns out, quite a bit. Join...
67. The Do More Club Dana Kramaroff
18 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can 12 year-old Josh do after his middle school is stained with freshly painted swastikas and antisemitic messages especially given that he doesn...
66. Where the Sky Lives Margaret Dilloway
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Step into the life of twelve-year old Tuesday Beals whose story is nearly a love letter to Zion National Park, located in Utah, and her beloved sky. ...
65. Huda F Are You? & Huda F Cares? Huda Fahmy
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Featuring two graphic fictionalized memoirs. Huda, a freshman and new to her high school, is a riot. She will have you laughing out loud while tugging...
64. The Lost Year Katherine Marsh
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
2020: A Zelda loving 13 year old boy and his 100 year old great grandmother living in New Jersey during the pandemic 1930’s: A deadly famine in Ukra...
63. Wings in the Wild Margarita Engle
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cuba, 2018. Soleida, 16, is growing up in a place where art is illegal and sea levels are rising. Her family of artists hides their sculpture garden, ...
62. When We Make It A Nuyorican Novel Elisabet Velasquez
30 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's 1996. 13 year-old Sarai is a first generation Puerto Rican who's trying to grow up with her Mami and older sister in Bushwick, a borough ...
61. The Storyteller Brandon Hobson
23 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sixth grader Ziggy lives in New Mexico with his dad and sister. When Ziggy was a baby, his mom vanished, a tragic all-too-common occurrence among Nati...
60. 🌟Give Me A Sign Anna Sortino
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
🌟Cheers to 60 episodes! 17 year-old Lilah is born to hearing parents who aren't interested in learning sign language, but Lilah wants to impro...
59. Mexikid Pedro Martín
09 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this middle grade graphic memoir, Mexikid, readers will love Pedro whose family of 11 is leaving their home in Watsonville, California to travel to...
58. Barely Floating Lilliam Rivera
02 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Through 12 year-old Nat's perspective about synchronized swimming and life, Barely Floating offers several jumping-off points for rich conversatio...
57. The Probability of Everything Sarah Everett
26 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Read The Probability of Everything and learn what happened when a family is faced with an asteroid that is on track to collide with the world. You'...
56. Call me Adnan Reem Faruqi
19 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Twelve-year old Adnan lives for table tennis. In this sport, it doesn’t matter that he is left handed, color-blind, or even on the small side. He’...
☀️Summer Bonus Kaija Langley The Order of Things
24 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sixth graders April and Zee are best friends though more like family. They are inseparable until Zee pursues his dream of being first chair in the Bos...
☀️Summer Bonus Jack Cheng The Many Masks of Andy Zhou
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sixth grader, Andy Zhou agrees to bleaching his hair, joining the dance club, befriending a bully, navigating the culture gap with his grandparents wh...
55. I Kick And I Fly Ruchira Gupta
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Heera, a fourteen year old girl living in a crudely made shack in Northern India, knows girls like her have only two inevitable life paths: marry youn...
54. They Call Her Fregona David Bowles
20 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Middle school issues are difficult enough, but Güero and Fregona are dealing with even bigger and more important issues. When Fregona’s dad drops h...
53. Breathe and Count Back from Ten Natalia Sylvester
06 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At 17 years old, Veronica wants to reclaim her body. All her life she’s lived with overbearing parents who worry incessantly about the hip condition...
✨☕Espresso Sized Episode! Featuring Hi-Lo Engaging Stories
23 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
☕Listen in on this espresso-sized episode, shorter than usual, to learn about a few YA highly engaging short stories (but not short stories in the t...
52. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega Crystal Maldonado
15 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this YA novel, Charlie Vega battles with societal expectations, and even her own mother about her body type. She longs for her first kiss and a rea...
51. the 9:09 project Mark H. Parsons
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this YA novel, 17 year-old Jamison uses his love of photography to cope with stifling grief and to honor his best friend, his mom. With Dorothea La...
50. Chaos Theory Nic Stone
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this YA novel, Chaos Theory, meet seniors Shelbi and Andy. Both have distinctive voices and their perspectives on families, friends, addiction, men...
49. Ancestor Approved Intertribal Stories for Kids Cynthia Leitich Smith
18 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this middle grade book, readers will relish a collection of 18 short stories and poems all from different Native authors. Each piece is written fro...
48. The Davenports Krystal Marquis
11 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this young adult, historical fiction, romance novel, four strong Black women's lives intertwine in alternating chapters (my favorite format). As th...
47. Sincerely Sicily Tamika Burgess
25 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When classmates accuse 11-year old Sicily of lying about her heritage, she sets out to gain an understanding of and ultimately confidence to explain h...
46. Solito Javier Zamora
18 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At the age of nine, Javier Zamora migrated to California. Decades later, Zamora, a Salvadorian poet, tells his story in this memoir, Solito: a nine-ye...
45. Iveliz Explains it All Andrea Beatriz Arango
11 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Twelve-year old Iveliz's story brings mental health conversations to the forefront. She is grieving the loss of her father whose death, she's sure, is...
44. My Nest of Silence Matt Faulkner
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
During WWII, ten year old Mari and her family are forced to the Manzanar Relocation Center. Mari is devastated with her brother Mak decides to join th...
43. The Passport Project Kellie McIntyre
28 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Teenage sisters embark on "world school" with their parents. Listen in on this true story to learn all the places this family of four traveled to alon...
42. The Secret Battle of Evan Pao Wendy Wan-Long Shang
21 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Evan Pao doesn't feel he fits into his new community steeped in its Civil War history and traditions until he learns Chinese soldiers fought in this w...
41. The Elephant Girl James Patterson, Ellen Banda-Aaku with Sophia Krevoy
14 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jama, a 12 year-old Maasai girl, lives in rural Kenya and has a heart for "her herd of elephants." She uncovers corruption between poachers and the ra...
40. Robin Wall Kimmerer adapted by Monique Gray Smith Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults
24 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Knowledge. Savor the stories. Ponder the questions. Heed the call to action. Use as a reference guide. Care for and l...
39. Phil Earle When the Sky Falls
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Twelve-year old Joseph is aggressive and angry, and now finds himself living with Mrs. F, a cold woman who is trying to keep the few animals left in h...
38. Aida Salazar A Seed in the Sun
10 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's 1965 in Delano, California. Seventh-grader Lula is inspired when she meets Dolores Huerta and thinks maybe she wants to be an activist and organi...
37. Mamle Wolo The Kaya Girl
03 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Set in Ghana, Abena and Faiza, both 14 years old, meet in a busy market place where Faiza earns a meager living being a kayayoo (a porter girl). Abena...
36. Waka T. Brown Dream, Annie, Dream
26 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Set in 1987, 12 year old Annie's future aspirations include playing in the NBA and performing on the big stage. When she gets a part in her scho...
35. Elizabeth-Irene Baitie Crossing the Stream
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Set in modern Ghana, twelve year-old Ato and his two best friends are inspired when they learn of an opportunity to visit Nnoma, a precious bird sanct...
34. Matthew Landis Operation Final Notice
05 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jo and Ronny each have their own dilemmas: Jo is trying to overcome stage fright for her upcoming cello audition while Ronny's entrepreneurial spirit ...
33. Rebekah Lowell The Road to After
29 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
💗The Road to After. Full of heart and hope AND equally important, the reality of trauma and steps toward healing. You’ll want to meet resilient a...
32. Ernesto Cisneros Falling Short
22 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(⏰10 minutes) Two 6th grade best friends, Isaac and Marco, couldn't be more different. But, they have commonality: dads who don't follow through on ...