WINNER - Best Children and Young Adults' Podcast 2024 (Independent Podcast Awards)

Welcome back to the Reading Cafe!

Kat McKenna is author of Look What You Made Me Do: A Love-Letter to the Fandom Era. As a massive long-term Swiftie, Kat evaluates the phenomenon of Taylor Swift's success and looks at the concept of fandom itself.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT:

- How Taylor makes her fans feel “seen”.

- Swiftmas and the Easter Eggs Taylor leaves throughout her songs, performances and videos.

- Why fans care so much about Taylor as a person, not just as a pop star.

...AND MUCH MORE!

This episode also features two members of The Tortured English Department, Miss Gallagher and Miss Quigley, who will be telling you about their most prized poets and treasured Taylor Swift songs.

To learn more about Kat McKenna, visit: https://www.katmckenna.com

You wouldn’t want to miss any episodes of The Reading Cafe, so be sure to subscribe. Please leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and… keep reading!

Welcome back to The Reading Cafe!

Kayvion Lewis is the author of Thieves' Gambit, winner of the 2024 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Older Readers. This thrilling and wildly imaginative crime novel is the first in a series which looks certain to become the next big YA hit. Excitingly, it is now on its way to the big screen, having been sold to Lionsgate who have brought Creed and Transformers director, Steven Caple Jr, onto the project.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How Kayvion makes sure twists are unpredictable
• What she would say to her characters if she met them in real life
• The turning point in her journey as a writer

Plus, Kayvion reads an EXCLUSIVE preview of her new book, Heist Royale, which arrives in November.

This episode also features Holy Cross History teacher, Lucy Kinnie, who will be revealing the historical crime that has arrested her attention above all others...

To learn more about Kayvion Lewis, visit: https://www.kayvionlewis.com/

You wouldn’t want to miss any episodes of The Reading Cafe, so be sure to subscribe! Please leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and… keep reading!

Welcome to The Reading Cafe - the podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading!

The inaugural Reading Cafe LIVE audience event featured an interview with Ann Marie Di Mambro, writer of the popular National 5 English set text, Tally’s Blood.

During this excellent interview, Ann Marie was in conversation with two of our outstanding S5 Reading Leaders, Elsa and Grace. Our audience of National 5 English pupils had the unique chance to hear the writer’s responses to questions about the characters, setting and themes of Tally’s Blood in preparation for the exam in May.

They also enjoyed live scenes from the play performed by National 5 Drama pupils, Caroline and Martha, and Higher Drama students, Maria and David. After each scene, Ann Marie provides answers to an 8-mark style commonality question, focused on theme/relationships.

This is an invaluable resource for all pupils who are studying Tally’s Blood for their National 5 English exam, so make sure you take lots of notes as you listen!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro/Welcome to The Reading Cafe

00:04:37 - Ann Marie Di Mambro bio/Interview part 1 (setting/Rosinella/relationships)

00:14:38 - Act 1, Scene 11 and 8-mark discussion: theme of love

00:19:15 - Interview part 2 (setting/character/theme of identity/conflict)

00:23:49 - Act 2, Scene 8 and 8-mark discussion: relationship between Massimo and Rosinella

00:28:52 - National 5 Q & A: 1) Rosinella’s childlessness 2) Key scene: Italian experience 3) Theme of loss

00:34:21 - Final questions: If you could change one thing.../favourite character

00:39:24 - Thanks and closing remarks

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