E184: DORK DIARIES: TALES FROM A NOT SO FABULOUS LIFE by Rachel Rene Russell & Nikki Russell

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Kidlit Love: Conversations with Picture Book, Middle Grade and YA Authors

Stephanie Affinito: Bookologist, Restorative Reading and Writing Coach

189 episodes

1 day ago

This podcast celebrates all things children's literature for the adult reading to their inner child AND connecting the young readers in their lives with books. Each week, I host bookish conversations with children's literature authors to learn about their backstory, their journey to writing, their books and their hopes for readers. This podcast is for you if you love reading children's literature, are an educator or librarian looking for books to share with students or are a caregiver finding new titles to share with loved ones.

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E184: DORK DIARIES: TALES FROM A NOT SO FABULOUS LIFE by Rachel Rene Russell & Nikki Russell

Kidlit Love: Conversations with Picture Book, Middle Grade and YA Authors

40 minutes 53 seconds

1 week ago

E184: DORK DIARIES: TALES FROM A NOT SO FABULOUS LIFE by Rachel Rene Russell & Nikki Russell

On this episode of the KidLit Love podcast, I’m talking with Rachel Rene Russell and Nikki Russell, the mother-daughter, author-illustrator team behind the newest full-color release in their DORK DIARIES series: TALES FROM A NOT SO FABULOUS LIFE.

This series follows Nikki Maxwell as she chronicles her life through text and art: her move to a new school, her battles with Queen Bee Makenzie and her zany adventures with her two BFF’s.

Come listen as we talk about the origin story of the series and the evolution it’s taken over 18 books and counting. We’ll also dive into how Rachel and Nikki work together and the process of bringing the book to life in color that includes hundreds and hundreds of color layers. This is a delightful conversation that could have kept going for hours. =)

You’ll find the show notes for the episode with links to all of the books and resources mentioned right here: https://www.alitlife.com/2025/11/10/dork-diaries-tales-from-a-not-so-fabulous-life-by-rachel-rene-russell-nikki-russell

Join me inside my Facebook community for bookish people! There, we talk about all things books and reading and writing and notebooking, too! You'll get updates for this podcast, along with my other Get Lit(erate). podcast and build your literate community for adult and children's literature: https://www.facebook.com/groups/getliterate

If you’d like to support the podcast, consider purchasing some KidLit Love merchandise from my Zazzle store: https://www.zazzle.com/store/alitlife

All earnings are funneled right back into the podcast expenses and maintenance fees. Thanks for your support!

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