On The Children’s Book Podcast in July

Aug 21, 2025 | Podcasts

This year, the Highlights Foundation is partnering with The Children’s Book Podcast. As partner, we’ll be helping to bring some of our friends, faculty, scholarship recipients, and alumni onto the show.

In July, faculty members Jas Hammonds, Grace Lin and Meg Medina were on the show, along with Gordon Korman and Jvoti Rajan Copal. Here’s a quick look at the episodes:

Jas Hammonds

Photo of author Rob Costello
Jas Hammonds, author of Thirsty (Roaring Brook Press), joins Matthew to talk about coming to terms with dependence and their experience of everything being fine until it wasn’t.

More About Jas Hammonds

Jas Hammonds Bio
Jas Hammonds Website

Grace Lin

Photo of Kate DiCamillo

Grace Lin, author and illustrator of The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), joins Matthew to talk about a storyteller’s responsibility to use whatever the story asks for.

Meg Medina

Photo of Jason Reynolds

Meg Medina, author of Graciela in the Abyss (Candlewick), joins Matthew to talk about how every author reveals themselves through their work.

Gordon Korman

Photo of Pablo Cartaya
Gordon Korman, author of Snoop (Scholastic Press), joins Matthew to talk about exploring all-the-way stakes and taking inspiration from Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

Jyoti Rajan Gopal

Photo of Pablo Cartaya
Jyoti Rajan Gopal, author of Over in the Mangroves (Orchard Books), illustrated by Dikshaa Pawaskar, joins Matthew to talk about a place so magical and so important.