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 time, the central trio gels better, the motivation of Percy's mom is more clearly defined, and the adventures aren't as rushed. Plus: our fave Gods, a "feminist" Medusa episode, a few rushed elements, …

Mailbag returns after a brief hiatus, so we're showcasing listener recommendations from Clara, Charlotte, and Tea, Books and Chocolate, including: > Silverhorse by Lene Kaaberbøl > A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson > Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by writers Brandon Montclare & Amy Reeder and artist Natacha Bustos > Fake Dates and Moonca…

Just in time for its 25th anniversary , Brenna and Joe check out Raja Gosnell's Never Been Kissed (1999). While Joe thinks this take on As You Like It is totally rufus, Brenna thinks he's blinded by nostalgia, particularly about the student/teacher romance. Plus: a charismatic David Arquette, Drew Barrymore's lisp, physical pratfalls, and - o…

Brenna and Joe return to the world of Wattpad to check out Beth Reekles' 2020 sequel, The Kissing Booth 2: Going The Distance, as well as its Netflix adaptation. The book is better written, but where is the conflict? There's nothing here! The film is much better thanks to a committed performance by Joey King (and her wig), as well as the addition o…

Brenna and Joe answer emails from Tea, Books & Chocolate (about Julie Murphy's adult fiction novel Merry Little Meet Cute) and Alex (looking for recommendations of YA featuring girls in STEM). Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram) > J…

Brenna and Joe close out a month of New Zealand programming with a look at Barry Crump's 1986 novel Wild Pork and Watercress, as well as Taika Waititi's long-in-development adaptation from 2016. We're talking about how prolific Crump is, Waititi's humour, and the depiction of Māori youth across several texts. Plus: montages, survivalism, tanks, and…

New Zealand month enters its third week as Brenna and Joe tackle Deborah Savage's 1989 book Flight of the Albatross. Despite being very readable, we're got some issues with the white saviour storyline and the use of Maori characters to further the protagonist's journey. Plus: Sarah's obsession with weight, bad mom Pauline, the German (!) film adapt…

New Zealand month continues as we tackle our first Māori text with Witi Ihimaera's 1987 novel and Niki Caro's 2002 film adaptation. The book is short but beautiful, particularly the unusual "framing" device from a whale's perspective that provides an underlying religious element. The film plays more like a standard coming-of-age tale made for a bro…

Listener Miriam writes in with her reflections on Margaret Mahy's The Catalogue of the Universe, its Dutch language title and book cover, and why it appealed to her as a slightly pretentious teen. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram)…

New Zealand month begins with a classic text: Margaret Mahy's The Catalogue of the Universe (1985). Brenna and Joe discuss the literary prose, the need (even in the 80s) to use romance to sell YA, and the divisive reader reactions to our dual protagonists. Plus: great families, a wild finale, and an overview of Mahy's prolific career...which weirdl…

Guest Alex Heeney trolls Brenna and Joe with an article from The Millions entitled "YA Isn't Just For Young Adults". Naturally we have thoughts, including how 2018 this argument is, Book Tok, Threads, and what we call "fighting with air." Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: …

Brenna and Joe venture to California to discuss Karen M. McManus' 2017 book One of Us is Lying and S01 of Erica Saleh's 2021 TV series. We're discussing the characters we latched onto in each version, as well as the changes made in the adaptation and how that would change the next book/season. Plus: thoughts on the "twist" and "villain" reveal, the…

Following recommendations from listeners Emma and Line, we're finally checking out C.S. Pacat's Dark Rise (2021). The magical fantasy text features a multiplicity of Chosen One protagonists, as well as tons of twists and turns. Could it have used a firmer hand in the editing and an abbreviated first part? Sure, but there's plenty to like here. Plus…

Using Twilight as a launchpad, listener Victoria prompts Brenna and Joe to consider the differences between good and toxic fandom, using examples from Star Wars, RuPaul's Drag Race and Formula 1 (that's right!) Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (Blue…

We're skewing extremely young with our latest pick: Emma Yarlett's 2014 picture book Orion and the Dark, and Sean Charmatz's 2024 animated adaptation. The book is fun and cute, perfect for young ones who have anxiety or fears. The film is from a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich and Adaptation) so it has A LOT going on, including …

You've never had a Wonka movie like this before! Well...unless you've seen writer/director Paul King's Paddington films, which have a lot of shared DNA, including a silly role for Hugh Grant (delightfully slumming it). We're not surprised at the incredible success of the film, which is anchored by Timothée Chalamet and a deep bench of character act…

Now that we're recording regularly again, Brenna and Joe are back with new Mailbag episodes. To kick off 2024, Tea, Books and Chocolates writes in to tell us about a mom & daughter book club experience reading Twilight. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacg…

It's Stephenie Meyer time as we, along with returning guest Jenny Nulf, tackle the second title in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Our main take-away? This is a deeply boring book and while Chris Weitz's film isn't more interesting, at least the actors, particularly Michael Sheen, bring some fun/camp to the proceedings. Plus: Bella's misread of Romeo …

The second half of our "17" double bill concludes with Kelly Fremon Craig's The Edge of Seventeen (2016) which finds Hailee Steinfeld playing a frustrating/unlikable social outcast. C/W: Attempted sexual assault Plus: Why it's important to read the film from Nadine's perspective, the film's cringe-y but authentic scenarios, Joe mispronouncing Kyra …

It's finally time for Brenna and Joe to discover Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz's award-winning 2012 novel and Aitch Alberto's 2022 film adaptation. We're *huge* fans of the book, which has 2(!) sets of great parents and a beautiful, heartwarming queer friendship/romance. The film is solid, but it's m…

Brenna wanted to remember Matthew Perry, so we're revisiting Burr Steers' 17 Again (2009) starring Perry and Zac Efron. While some of this hasn't aged well, this time travel/body swap has a lot of heart and Efron's comedic chops are solid. While Joe could do with less Thomas Lennon, the sweet romance between Efron and Leslie Mann generates a lot of…

Brenna and Joe kick off 2024 with Abigail Hing Wen's fantastic 2020 book Loveboat Taipei ...and Arvin Chen's extremely generic 2023 film adaptation, Love in Taipei. The book is rich, readable and filled with complicated characters which only makes the film, bland even by YA rom-com standards, even more of a disappointment. Plus: class critiques, ch…

Brenna and Joe squeeze in one final Mailbag for the year. At the request of listener Tea, Books and Chocolate, we're talking about the juiciest of YA scandals from recent years, including John Green leaving Tumblr, Maggie Stiefvater vs Halsey, Sarah Dessen's Twitter mob, Lauren M Davis vs Marvellous Michael Anson (unfolding *right* now) and Kathlee…

Brenna and Joe celebrate the holiday season with a look at the Stephanie Perkins-edited collection of seasonal stories. We chat about the stories we liked the best ("It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown", "Krampuslauf", "Midnights", "The Girl Who Broke The Dreamer" and "Welcome to Christmas, CA") with special lumps of coal for a few less successf…

Here's a short and sweet Mailbag from Tasmanian listener Emily, with a recommendation for a future read: Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram) > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky…