Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

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 (Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky)Have a mail bag question? Email us at hkhspod@gmail.com  Theme music: Rewind Kid "Rhythm Revolution"

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 garbage children and systemic barriers.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"

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 haired teen love interest; a dildo nightmare sequence; and why does counting (or the lack thereof) amuse Brenna so much?!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"

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: it's also way better than the show!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"

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 entertainmentWanna 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"

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 CGI, male body image issues, and a plethora of berets!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"

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 CroucherWanna 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"

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, and a school is exploded in the process.It's pretty tropey!Reference: Suzanne Mozes. "James Frey’s Fiction Factory" New York MagazineMusic: Rewind Kid - "Rhythm Revolution"