Treat Your-shelf to these Summer Reads 📖 (Re-air)

Summary

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The Ten News – "Treat Your-shelf to these Summer Reads 📖 (Re-air)"

Podcast: The Ten News, News For Curious Kids
Date: July 24, 2025
Host: Small But Mighty Media

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Overview

This episode of The Ten News is all about summer reading recommendations for kids and families. Set in a playful library scene, the hosts dive into conversations about books that feature strong, unique heroes and fantastical worlds. The show highlights interviews with celebrated authors E. Lockhart (Whistle) and Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities series), exploring their writing inspiration, world-building, and the meaning of representation in stories. The tone is light-hearted and conversational, perfect for young listeners and their grownups.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Celebrating Summer Reading at the Library

• The episode opens in a library where characters humorously negotiate borrowing more than the allowed four books at a time, underscoring kids’ enthusiasm for summer reading.
  • Notable moment: Repeated, playful warnings from the library staff to keep voices down and not break the book limit rules.

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2. Book Spotlight: Whistle by E. Lockhart

[01:17 – 07:05] Interview with E. Lockhart

About Whistle:

• Whistle is a graphic novel about Willow Zimmerman, a Jewish teenage activist in Gotham City who gains dog-related superpowers.
• Willow’s story intertwines classic Gotham villains and centers around her sick mother, financial hardships, and community activism.

On Willow’s Superpowers:

• E. Lockhart [02:33]:
  “They are dog related superpowers... I invented this character who is a Great Dane... her name is Lebowitz... they have like a mind meld and they can talk to each other. Willow also develops super powered hearing and super powered smell, like a dog... she also develops a superpowered whistle that can call all the dogs in the area to come to her aid.”

Representation Matters:

• Willow is the first Jewish superhero in DC Comics.
• E. Lockhart [04:13]:
  “She’s very connected to the community centers and the synagogues and the delicatessens and the bagel stores, which have Jewish history. And so she’s a local superhero... she’s connected to her city, and I feel very connected to my city of New York City and to its Jewish history.”

Facing Moral Dilemmas:

• Willow must decide whether to stay involved with the “glamour” of Gotham’s underworld or follow her conscience.
• E. Lockhart [05:52]:
  “She has to make the choice to betray some of those people in order to become a hero and operate on the side of right... lots of kids have in their lives... nobody is always a perfect person… superhero stories are actually a really cool and fun way to get at some of those really important questions.”

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3. More Summer Reading: Skyfall Trilogy & Keeper of the Lost Cities

[07:12 – 16:51] Interview with Shannon Messenger

About the Keeper of the Lost Cities Series

• A best-selling fantasy adventure about Sophie, a girl who discovers she’s an elf with unique powers, and is swept into a hidden world.

Worldbuilding & Inspiration:

• Shannon Messenger [08:44]:
  “It really came from all different places... I knew that I wanted to write about elves, and I had from, you know, starting a short story that was actually with Fitz’s character… I was kind of just trying to, you know, unstuck that story by writing from one of the side characters. POVs. And out came Sophie into that story.”

Creating Memorable Characters:

• Messenger allows her characters to “run the show,” letting them surprise her and guiding plot choices based on what feels authentic.
• Shannon Messenger [10:36]:
  “My brain has a very vivid imagination, and so I tend to start to see the character kind of fully formed. The one question that I do always ask a character before I start writing them is, I ask, what is this character hiding from me?... once I know those things, that really tells me everything that I need to know about the character.”

Naming Characters:

• Shannon Messenger [12:45]:
  “I own an abundance of baby name books... The names have a meaning that says something to me about the characters. Some it’s very on the nose. Like, Keith means handsome... or like Sophie, it means wisdom. And I feel like that’s something that Sophie brings to the Lost Cities.”

Answering Fan Questions:

• On writing complex characters like Tam:
  • “It just really comes down to putting thought into what I know about him... He’s a study in contrasts.” [13:33]
• On relationships:
  • Messenger avoids spoilers and lets relationship dynamics develop organically: “I never plan relationship stuff... that’s all to do with feelings. And so, again, that's all something that I just kind of let unfold.” [14:34]
• Upcoming books:
  • Book 9 will be released in November; there will be a 10th and final book to follow a year later. [15:27]

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4. Fun, Memorable Moments

• Library Humor:
  The running joke of kids (and adults!) trying to sneak out extra books, and library staff threatening "timeout" for rule-breakers.

  • Library Staff [17:20]:
    “Do you need to timeout too, ma'am, so you can think about the rules and why we follow them?”

• Time Out Reading:
  Ryan, sent to timeout for being too excited, starts reading Keeper of the Lost Cities and is instantly hooked.

  • Ryan Willard [16:57]:
    “I started Keeper of The Lost Cities while in timeout and I love Sophie. I'm gonna pre order her next book.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:17] – Introduction to the featured book Whistle and interview with author E. Lockhart
• [02:33] – E. Lockhart explains Willow’s powers and the importance of her dog sidekick, Lebowitz
• [04:13] – The significance of Willow’s Jewish identity
• [05:52] – Conversation on moral complexities and superhero choices
• [07:12] – Book recommendations: Skyfall trilogy and Keeper of The Lost Cities
• [08:44] – Shannon Messenger discusses world-building for Keeper of the Lost Cities
• [10:36] – Messenger’s approach to character creation
• [12:45] – The story behind character names
• [13:33] – Writing Tam and dealing with relationships in the story
• [15:27] – Updates on future Keeper of the Lost Cities books
• [16:57] – Ryan’s reaction to reading Keeper of the Lost Cities in timeout
• [17:20 & 17:32] – Final comedic “timeout” and library limit banter

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Notable Quotes

• E. Lockhart [02:33]:
  “When I got the chance to invent a superhero, the first thing I thought was, I would like to have a dog sidekick that I could talk to if I was going to be a superhero.”

• E. Lockhart [04:13]:
  “She’s a local superhero... she’s connected to her city, and I feel very connected to my city of New York City and to its Jewish history.”

• E. Lockhart [05:52]:
  “Nobody is always a perfect person. Right. The question is just how do you make your decisions and can you live with them?”

• Shannon Messenger [10:36]:
  “Once I know that character’s secrets, I kind of get them. I kind of own them in a way... I try to really think of them as real people.”

• Library Staff [17:20]:
  “Do you need to timeout too, ma'am, so you can think about the rules and why we follow them?”

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Final Thoughts

This energetic and fun episode of The Ten News encourages kids to dive into reading adventures, championing books with diverse heroes, difficult choices, and fantastical worlds. Both E. Lockhart and Shannon Messenger shine light on the creative process and the importance of authentic, relatable characters. The playful tone, family-friendly humor, and insider author interviews make this an inspiring listen for curious young readers and their adults.

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Transcript

[Library Patron]

Oh, my gosh. I've hit the jackpot.

[Library Staff]

Shh.

[Library Patron]

Sorry, sorry. Excuse me. How many books am I allowed to check out?

[Library Staff]

4 at a time.

[Library Patron]

But what if I want to check out 12? Could you make an exception?

[Library Staff]

No.

No exceptions.

[Ryan Willard]

Yo, Cap, let's get our read on, baby.

[Naomi Kaplan]

Shh.

[Library Patron]

Ryan, respect the library. Keep your voice down.

[Ryan Willard]

My bad. I'm just so hyped. There's so many cool books here.

[Library Patron]

I know.

[Naomi Kaplan]

Me too.

[Library Patron]

What'd you find?

[Ryan Willard]

I found a cool graphic novel called Whistle by E. Lockhart. It's about a 16 year old girl in Gotham City who also happens to be the first Jewish superhero.

[Library Patron]

No way. I love Whistle.

[Naomi Kaplan]

You know we had E. Lockhart on.

[Library Patron]

The 10 news, right?

[Ryan Willard]

E. Lockhart was on the 10 news.

[Library Staff]

Sir, if you don't control yourself, I will put you in time out.

[Ryan Willard]

Sorry. Wait, did you time out in the library?

[Library Patron]

I told you, respect the library. And yes, E. Lockhart was on the show. Do you want to hear the interview?

[Ryan Willard]

Of course I do. I'm Ryan Willard. That's Tracey Leeds Kaplan. And this is a 10 news road trip remix.

[E. Lockhart]

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

[Interviewer]

We're so happy that you're here with us. We are so excited to learn about a new comic book. Tell us about it.

[E. Lockhart]

Whistle is about a teenager living in Gotham City. And if you don't know this already, Gotham City is where Batman lives. And along with Batman, all of the villains that Batman fights, including the Riddler and Poison Ivy and killer cr who show up in my book. Anyway, she lives in Gotham City. Her name is Willow Zimmerman and she is a Jewish teenage activist struggling working nights to help support her family. Her mom is really sick and they don't have any health insurance. And long story short, she gets superpowers and has to figure out whether she can do anything with these powers to save her neighborhood, which is under attack by various supervillains.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, how does she use her powers to protect Gotham City?

[E. Lockhart]

Well, they are dog related superpowers. And when I got the chance to invent a superhero, the first thing I thought was, I would like to have a dog sidekick that I could talk to if I was going to be a superhero. So I invented this character who is a Great Dane, a beautiful big black and white Great Dane, and her name is Lebowitz. And she becomes Willow's dog and the two of them get superpowers together. They have like a mind meld and they can talk to each other. And Willow also develops super powered hearing and super powered smell, like A dog, as well as a lot of dog impulses that are kind of funny. Like she has the urge to chase things and fetch and roll over and things like that every now and then. And she also develops a superpowered whistle that can call all the dogs in the area to come to her aid. So those are her powers. And together with Leibowitz, she becomes this superhero. Whistle.

[Interviewer]

I love it. That's the name of the book Whistle. Absolutely love that. And I love the sidekick. That's such a classic. A classic pairing in comic books. I love. I love that you're bringing that back.

[E. Lockhart]

It is classic. But Lebowitz is the first ever female superhero dog.

[Interviewer]

There you go. Love the firsts. Thank you for it. Is this why it was important to you that Willow be Jewish? And how does her being Jewish influence the story, if at all?

[E. Lockhart]

So my hero, Whissel, is living in a neighborhood that has a long Jewish history. And she cares about the institutions of that neighborhood, which are not all Jewish, because a whole bunch of different kinds of people live there. But she's very connected to the community centers and the synagogues and the delicatessens and the bagel stores, which have Jewish history. And so she's a local superhero. Right. And she's connected to her city, and I feel very connected to my city of New York City and to its Jewish history.

[Interviewer]

Willow did have to make a difficult choice. She had to make this tough choice between getting to be part of this world that she just got to be part of or choosing the right path. It was a real tough choice, but she made the choice to. To do the right thing. Would you make the same choice?

[E. Lockhart]

Well, one thing I was really interested in is what is it like to be a teenager in Gotham City? Right. Gotham City is full of really, really corrupt, terrible people doing terrible, but very interesting things. And so what happens to Willow is because she needs money and because she needs a job that is better than the all night job that doesn't pay that well that she's working currently, she gets a job working for the Gotham City underworld and gets pulled into kind of the wealth and glamour of.

[Library Staff]

Of.

[E. Lockhart]

Of that. That criminal element. And then when she really realizes what those people are up to and what they. What they do and what it means to be in that. In that world, she has to make the choice to betray some of those people in order to become a hero and operate on the side of right. And, you know, I was interested in the moral complications of, you know, trying to be a hero or having relationships with people who are maybe not great people. This is something lots of kids have in their lives. Right. One way or another. And you have to. You know, nobody is always a perfect person. Right. The question is just how do you make your decisions and can you live with them? And, you know, when do you compromise your principles and when do you not compromise your principles? And I think superhero stories are actually a really cool and fun way to get at some of those really important questions.

[Ryan Willard]

Okay. E. Lockhart is awesome. I'm definitely checking out whistle today. Any other good recommendations?

[Library Patron]

Have you ever read the Skyfall trilogy or the Keeper of the Lost Cities books?

[Ryan Willard]

No, I haven't. Are they any good?

[Library Patron]

Are you kidding me?

[Naomi Kaplan]

Sh.

[Library Patron]

Oops.

[Naomi Kaplan]

Sorry.

[Library Patron]

They're amazing. Shannon messenger is a best selling author and they're as cool as it gets. My daughter Naomi and I interviewed her on the show too.

[Ryan Willard]

How are you getting all these amazing authors?

[Library Staff]

Sir, you have been warned. It's timeout time.

[Library Patron]

Oh, come on, Ryan. I'm gonna send you the Shannon messenger interview to listen to in your time out. Okay.

[Naomi Kaplan]

Hi, Shannon. It's so great to have you with us here today on the 10News. We are big fans. I will say that we are even super fans. And we're really excited to talk to you.

[Library Staff]

Well, I'm so excited to be here. This is so much fun, especially since we don't get to go out in person as much. It's so nice to get to meet with readers and fans and, you know, have a nice morning together.

[Naomi Kaplan]

Wonderful. And I'm joined today by my daughter, Naomi Kaplan, who's going to help me out with some of our questions and questions that we were sent in from our tenors. We have a good audience that loves your work, and I think where we want to start off is hearing from you. How did you come up with the world for Keeper of the Lost Cities? What inspired you to create this epic adventure?

[Library Staff]

You know, I mean, it. It really came from all different places. It was not one of those instances of just, you know, I sort of woke up and went, I know this entire story in this entire world. It kind of happened very gradually. I knew that I wanted to write about elves, and I had from, you know, starting a short story that was actually with Fitz's character. Oh, right. I knew that started out as a short story. Yeah. I had. I had created fits for a different book that I was working on and created the el just very loosely for a different book that I was working on. And I got stuck. And so I was kind of just trying to, you know, unstuck that story by writing from one of the side characters. POVs. And out came Sophie into that story. I don't really know why. She just sort of popped in somehow. I decided that that story was going to be about Fitz meeting a girl and realizing that she was like him and she was an elf and him having to tell her that. And in proof that maybe short stories aren't always my best form, you know, the dramatic ending of that story was just him basically saying, hey, so you're an elf. And her being, like, cool.

[E. Lockhart]

Yeah.

[Hazel]

Like, the short story ended when she found out that she was an elf. And then.

[Library Staff]

Yeah, not the greatest ending. You. I mean, I know I'm known for my cliffhangers, but I feel like that's an even worse cliffhanger than, like, what I do in the series. It just. It wasn't satisfying at all. And it. But it got me to realize that that's what the story was. I just kept thinking, so what is going to happen to this girl now? Now that she knows she's an elf? What does she have to leave? Does she have to go live in the lost cities? And why was she hidden away? And that's when I realized there's a story there, and I need to kind of figure those questions out.

[Naomi Kaplan]

So can you tell us how. How do you put your characters together?

[Library Staff]

You know, that is the one part of my writing process that is kind of a mystery even to me, which is a bummer, because it's the question I get asked the most often, because my readers always want to know, how did you come up with these characters? And they kind of form themselves. They really do. My brain has a very vivid imagination, and so I tend to start to see the character kind of fully formed. The one question that I do always ask a character before I start writing them is, I ask, what is this character hiding from me? Because I feel like we all have secrets. And once I know that character's secrets, I kind of get them. I kind of own them in a way. And it doesn't always mean bad secrets. I mean, the secrets can be a crush, or they can be, you know, a secret dream that they want to have that they haven't shared. Or it can be things that they're afraid of or things that they're embarrassed of or anything like that. Usually it's a mix, but I feel like once I know those things, that really tells me everything that I need to know about the character, and the rest is just kind of discovery. As I write, I try to really think of them as real people. And I try to really, when I'm writing the scene, sit down and think, okay, so given what I know about this character and given what I know about the situation that they're in, what would they do? It makes my life as an author a lot harder because sometimes the answer to that question is like, well, but that doesn't go along with what I need them to do. So what am I going to do now? You know? But it means that I have to follow some curveballs. But I think that ends up making the story feel more authentic because I really am kind of letting the characters run the show. And I know that my mom is always like, you know, they're not real, right? And I'm like, I know, but I have to treat them like they're real in order to write them in a way that makes them feel real on the page. And so. So yes, they're not real, but they're also real all at the same time.

[Naomi Kaplan]

We are going to jump to some of the tenors questions from our tenors.

[Hazel]

This is a question from Hazel.

[Library Staff]

Hi, Hazel.

[Hazel]

How did you get the idea for the characters names.

[Library Staff]

For a person who only recently had a child? I own an abundance of baby name books. That was one thing that is kind of a character building exercise for me. I do like the. The names to have a meaning that says something to me about the characters. Some it's very on the nose. Like, Keith means handsome. So you know that that name is very spot on. Some are a little bit more, you know, an impression of a character. Or like Sofie, it means wisdom. And I feel like that's something that Sofie brings to the Lost Cities, that she has this very unique worldview because she was raised with humans, always feeling like an outsider, but was still believed that she was one of them.

[Hazel]

This question is from Nia. How did you write Tam so perfectly?

[Library Staff]

Oh, well, thank you. You know, again, it just really comes down to putting thought into what I know about him, you know, and I knew a lot about his backstory, you know, everything. All the conflict with his parents, all of his time with Lyn on their own, their time in Exilium. You know what it's like to be a shade in a world that kind of values light above everything else. And your ability controls darkness. Just really kind of putting thought into all of those things. And he kind of came together as this slightly surly but also very funny and super emo kind of guy who speaks his mind and, you know, but is also kind of Quiet. And, you know, he's a study in contrasts.

[Naomi Kaplan]

He's a very cool character. And then Nia had a follow up question about his sister.

[Hazel]

Oh, right. Does Lynn ever get a significant partner?

[Library Staff]

Well, sadly, I'm not allowed to give spoilers. I would get in very big trouble. So we tried tenors.

[Naomi Kaplan]

We tried.

[Library Staff]

Yeah. I can't answer that question without getting myself in a tremendous amount of trouble. So all I can say is, I guess lucky find out as the story unfolds. I will also say I never plan relationship stuff, anything, even the Sophie stuff. I let that unfold by asking myself what the characters would do because I feel like I control the plot as far as, like what the villains are going to do, how many times they're almost going to die. All of that, that's all me throwing stuff at them. But then how they feel about it, that's on the characters. And so something like a relationship, that's all to do with feelings. And so again, that's all something that I just kind of let unfold.

[Naomi Kaplan]

So this came in from quite a few tenors. So looking for an update of what you can share for the next book?

[Library Staff]

Ah, okay. So book nine, because of the whole, you know, I had a baby.

[Naomi Kaplan]

Oh, just that.

[Library Staff]

Yeah. Book nine has been a little delayed. I actually found out I was pregnant the day I finished Unlocked.

[Naomi Kaplan]

Wow.

[Library Staff]

I took a test and found out. Oh, man. And I realized, I remember being like, it's fine. I've got nine months. I'll totally be able to write those entire nine months. So that's coming out November and we should be able to start sharing things like title and cover and things like that a little bit earlier than we normally do. I think usually those things drop around like April or maybe. So stay tuned to my social media for anything else on that front. But it does have a title and I actually have seen the COVID and it's amazing and everyone is going to go nuts. There's lots of excitement ahead. And I can also say that book nine is not the end. It has been announced that there will be a book 10 and book 10 is going to be the end. So right now, book 10 is slated to come out the following November. So November of 2023, hopefully I'm able to stick to that deadline schedule. We'll just kind of see how cooperative my child is. So, yeah, stay tuned on that.

[Naomi Kaplan]

All right. Well, this was great, Shannon. It was so wonderful to have you here today. And we look forward to news about book nine.

[Library Staff]

Yeah.

[E. Lockhart]

All right.

[Ryan Willard]

I started Keeper of The Lost Cities while in timeout and I love Sophie. I'm gonna pre order her next book. Are you ready to check out Cap?

[Library Patron]

Yeah, just one sec. Excuse me. What if I have nine books? Can I check out nine?

[Library Staff]

Ma', Am, how many times do I have to tell you it's a four book limit.

[Library Patron]

Got it. But what if I put one back and wanted to check eight books out? Can you bend the rules a little?

[Library Staff]

Do you need to time out too, ma'? Am, so you can think about the rules and why we follow them?

[Library Patron]

Fine, I'll just take seven and I'll bring one back tomorrow.

[Library Staff]

It's time out for you too, ma'.

Am.

Please come with me.

[Library Patron]

Ryan, I gotta go. Can you please close out the show?

[Ryan Willard]

I'm on it. But first, here's a quick note for the grown ups Steve Kubine and Nan McNamara's podcast From Beneath the Hollywood Sign I pulls out a box and gives McCallister a ring, saying, here's something to remember me by. Daryl Zanuck Hit the Mary Astor has.

[E. Lockhart]

Been keeping a diary.

[Naomi Kaplan]

This torrid affair with Georges Kaufman is chronicled on a daily basis, talking about.

[Ryan Willard]

The actors and actresses who won an Oscar on their very first film. Get your fix of old Hollywood on the podcast from beneath the Hollywood Sign. This has been a 10 news road trip remix. Technically, we're off for the summer, but look out for our Road Trip remixes and re airing of some of our favorite episodes episodes all summer long. I'm Ryan Willard and thanks for listening to the ten News. Hope you're having a great summer and staying cool, kind and informed.