Episode 385 – The Berenstain Bears’ Graduation Day

This week, Willow joins me to talk about GRADUATION! Whose? Hers! And, the bears. But, they’re not REALLY graduating, are they? It’s “The Berenstain Bears’ Graduation Day!”

Episode 374 – The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith

What – and this isn’t a theoretical – if the Berenstain Bears met an atheist?

Episode 373 – The Berenstain Bears Blessed Are The Peacemakers

“Did he say ‘Blessed are the chee-‘” you know what? I’ll let the episode do the joke. It’s “The Berenstain Bears Blessed Are The Peacemakers!”

Episode 290 – The Berenstain Bears Phenom in the Family!

The Berenstain Bears Phenom in the Family: Berenstain, Stan, Berenstain,  Jan: 9780679889526: Amazon.com: Books

Hey everyone! Mitzi is here to talk about “The Berenstain Bears Phenom in the Family!” What’s a phenom? You’re a phenom! I mean, are you? Why is Papa such a jerk? What about Brother Bear’s feelings? Who knows?!

Episode 287 – The Berenstain Bears and the Great Ant Attack!

Amazon.com: The Berenstain Bears and the Great Ant Attack (9780679889502):  Berenstain, Stan, Berenstain, Jan: Books

Here it is. The Berenstain Bears and the Great Ant Attack!

Episode 286 – The Berenstain Bears Lost In Cyberspace!

The Berenstain Bears Lost in Cyberspace: Berenstain, Stan, Berenstain, Jan:  9780679889465: Amazon.com: Books

Brandi Brown is back on the show to take us through the frightening world of late ’90s internettery! That’s right, the cubs are on the Information Superhighway and are about to get “Lost In Cyberspace!”

Episode 253 – The Berenstain Bears’ Nature Rescue!

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Two and a half years ago, Mark Sweeney and I talked about “The Showdown at Chainsaw Gap!” Well, we’re back to talk about it again! Only now it’s call “Nature Rescue” and it’s missing, like, one line. Still a good talk tho!

Episode 223 – The Berenstain Bears Go Hollywood!

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I’ve been alone so long! This week, I bring back two things that this show desperately needed: the Big Chapter Books and A GUEST! Yes, I am joined by author and screenwriter Mark Wheaton, the author of “Emily Eternal” and the Luis Chavez Mysteries. He’s here to help me pick apart a book about… filmmaking? The Hollywood machine? Cecil B. DeMille? It’s a mess; but a FUN mess!

Episode 210 – The Berenstain Bears Say Please and Thank You (2011)!

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This week,  I’m taking a look at a book FILLED with BOOKS! It’s 2011’s “The Berenstain Bears Say Please and Thank You” and it’s NOT related to last week’s book at all! It’s a whole new thing entirely!

Episode 155 – The G-Rex Bones!

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This week, I’m joined by Erin Ayers – one half of the Over the Table Top podcast – to discuss a tale of fraud and dinosaurs. It’s “The Berenstain Bears and the G-Rex Bones!” How far will Ralph go to secure a million dollars? Pretty far! Will he sell out his own personal values and ruin the reputation of a fine upstanding bear like Actual Factual? Sure! Will any of this plot make a lick of sense? Nope!

Episode 152 – The Perfect Crime (Almost)!

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This week, Jamie Tyler, author of the “Cowabloga” Ninja Turtles blog, is BACK to talk about the most convoluted, frustrating, fascinating and satisfyingly unsatisfying Big Chapter Book I’ve read in a while: “The Berenstain Bears and the Perfect Crime (Almost)!” Yes, get that parenthetical in there; it’s important. Jamie and I work ourselves up to a fever pitch as nothing makes sense, adds up or resolves in any way resembling logical or even dramatically resonant. It’s amazing. And I love it.

Episode 151 – “Too Much Teasing” and “The Love Match!”

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Boy oh boy! Milton Chubb! Who is Milton Chubb, you ask? Only the strangest cub introduced in these here books. He’s introduced TWICE actually, in “Too Much Teasing” and in “The Love Match.” Two different formats that tell essentially the same story but in wildly different ways and for wildly different reasons.

To commemorate this event, I’ve brought John McCoy – host of the Sophomore Lit podcast and my co-host on Klickitcast: A Beverly Cleary Podcast – onto the show to try and suss out the point of these two books. Does the first one teach us anything about teasing? Why are Too-Tall and his gang so bad at it? Does Milton have parents, really? Do pigs have armpits? Who knows?! Not us!

Episode 147 – Go Platinum!

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This week, I’m joined by the delightful Drew Stewart to rock out to “The Berenstain Bears Go Platinum!” It’s the gripping tale of Stan and Jan Berenstain really wanting to stick it to the music of today!

Episode 146 – The Big Date

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This week, I’m joined by Emily Bennett of Best Acquaintances to talk about the insidious nature of young jealousy! Like, seriously, it’s a pretty solid book that deals with a pretty serious topic for adolescent kids. I know!

Episode 140 – The Berenstain Bears and Queenie’s Crazy Crush!

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Helen LaStar, one of the hosts of Falling In Love Montage, joins me this week to peel back the layers of “The Berenstain Bears and Queenie’s Crazy Crush!” What happens when a young girl cub falls in love with a grown man and plots to trick him into coming over to her house when her parents are – you know what? I’m going to just leave that right where I found it. Just . . . just walk away from that one.

Episode 139 – The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride!

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Gena Radcliffe – one half of the Kill By Kill Podcast duo – joins me to talk about the decidedly NON-SCARY “The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted Hayride!” There’s no haunting but there IS a hayride although it is very short and they don’t go into a lot of details about it. Still . . . there it is.

Also, you can find Gena’s writing on a ton of different subjects here and I strongly suggest that you do!

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Episode 138 – The Berenstain Bears and the Ghost of the Auto Graveyard!

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This week, Meghan Griffin is BACK and this time we’re not talking dress codes or drama, we’re talking . . . classic cars. I mean, I guess Bear Country has cars. And, some of them are really old. So . . . classic cars.

You can find Meghan at any of her three podcasts: Judging Book Covers, Fabelulous Retellings and A Handbook for Handbook for Mortals.

Episode 137 – The Bermuda Triangle!

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This week, I’m joined by Kacie Galyon to talk about one of the most surprisingly enjoyable books I’ve read so far in the Big Chapter Book series, ‘The Berenstain Bears and the Bermuda Triangle.” Kacie and I are taken somewhat aback by the mature handling of themes in this book, the twists in the plot and the revelation about Too-Tall’s age! Also, Bermuda . . . is that a good first name?

Episode 128 – At the Teen Rock Cafe!

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It’s ME again! I’m back at my desk and I’m chatting about things like MALLS and STONE-WASHED JEANS and BEARY MANILOW and NOT MURDER THIS TIME.

Episode 120 – The Berenstain Bears and the Showdown at Chainsaw Gap!

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Mr. Mark Sweeney RETURNS! And this time he’s got OPINIONS about BIRDS and CHAINSAWS!

Episode 119 – Media Madness!

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Jon Biegen and Nick Wood slide on over from Stranger Still to talk about children successfully managing a television station. That’s . . . that’s really all that happens in this book, so – so, lesson learned, I guess.

Episode 115 – The Berenstain Bears and the School Scandal Sheet!

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Ollie, my teen and co-host of It’s Del Toro Time! – A Guillermo del Toro Podcast, joins me this week to talk “The Berenstain Bears and the School Scandal Sheet!” In which we discuss the terrible things the cubs accuse a teacher of and also divide the cubs into their Hogwarts Houses. IT’s kind of a discussion that goes all over the place. Also, we talk about the importance of owning up to your terrible terrible mistakes how if you’re a cub, you face no consequences for those terrible terrible mistakes.

Episode 112 – At Camp Crush!

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This week, I am joined by Michael M. Rader of We’ll Get It Right Next Year to talk about “The Berenstain Bears at Camp Crush!” This book gets WAY OFF TRACK and doesn’t really involve crushes and barely involves camping. It does involve the most loathsome of Bear Country characters, however, Mervyn Grizzmeyer. Ish.

Episode 111 – The Berenstain Bears and the Dress Code!

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Meghan Griffin of Judging Book Covers and Fableulous Retellings joins me to talk dress codes, law enforcement and a Berenstain Bears book that gets way more political than we were anticipating!

Episode 106 – The Berenstain Bears and the Wheelchair Commando!

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Today, I am joined by writer, musician, educator and Ninja Turtles Blogger Jamie Tyler to talk about wheelchairs, ableism and the way we approach people living with disabilities. Also, should you call a person in a wheelchair “Wheels?” Come on, people.

Episode 102 – The Berenstain Bears and the Nerdy Nephew!

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What is a nerd? What makes a nerd a “good nerd?” What makes a nerd a “bad nerd?” What makes a nerd an “insufferable jerk?” Let’s explore!