Episode 62 begins with Mauser’s animated review of Name the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.  The first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles delves into the murky autobiography of Kvothe, the legendary musician and adventurous student. However,  this is no straight-up autobiographical tale – hidden identities, multiple perspectives, and a story-within-a-story structure create some fantastic fantasy.

The summer of 1986. Eleanor meets Park on the school bus. He reads comics, and she reads them over his shoulder. There is a Walkman.  While not exactly reliving her own August 1986 when she was about Eleanor’s age, Hauser reflects on why  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is such a delightful and realistic read. Mauser says it will give you a cavity.

Speaking of cavities, McElroy serves up a debut novel by Kat Yeh, The Truth About Twinkie Pie.  Younger sister GiGi is being raised by older sister DiDi.  DiDi wins a million dollars in a cooking contest and transplants the sisters from South Carolina to Long Island so GiGi can get the best education.  Look out for the pimento cheese recipe and some blasts from the past ( “Cherries in the Snow” Revlon lipstick and Tayna Tucker’s “Delta Dawn” ).

Although the microphone quits on her, McElroy announces the newest recommended reading list by the Texas Library Association Children’s Round Table: The Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List.