'Tis the season for some great scripted shows. If you've got tweens or teens looking for new fiction podcasts for kids, this list is for you! Note: all shows listed in the section below are tagged 13+ in the Storitopia app due to more mature content and language. Yesterday I listened to the first three episodes of Handsome Molly, a teen adventure story set on the West Coast of North America. This podcast was created for a YA audience (13+) and is based on the novel Restoring Harmony, by Joelle Anthony. It was adapted by The Chop Theatre and re-worked for audio by JAR Audio. The series, set in a not-too-distant future, depicts a world where government and infrastructure are collapsing, a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands, and crime syndicates run the cities (any of this sound familiar? 😬). 14-year-old Molly Masamoto leaves her isolated island to bring medical help to her family and community. In the 8-episode journey, she must learn how to survive and who to trust, while trying to repair her broken family ties. Jen Moss is JAR Audio's Chief Creative Officer and says, "It’s an exciting adventure story, with a bit of romance in there too. There aren’t enough great fiction podcasts for young teens – especially ones with strong female leads. So this was an opportunity to showcase a story we love and bring it to life for this audience with the power of audio,” Glisten+, a new kids podcast studio, launched its first two shows this week.
The first, Can’t Relax, is a YA horror show about a sinister relaxation app 😳! On the weekend before the ACTs, Anya and her friends download a new mobile relaxation app, unaware that it is planting subliminal messages into their brains. When people start dying, Anya is desperate to figure out what happened and how to stop herself from becoming a killer.
The second, League of Wonder follows Kip, a Yorkshire terrier, into adventure when his girl, Dorothy Gale, and a magical slipper go missing. Desperate to find her, Kip teams up a group of animal heroes that include the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, the Toad from Wind and the Willows, the Cricket from Pinocchio and the Darling’s protective St. Bernard, Lulu, from Peter Pan. Together, they will uncover a plot that threatens London and the mysterious figure who is scheming to wreak vengeance on all of mankind.
Glisten+ founders Sheila Stepanek and Adam Jay Epstein have plans to release eight more shows in the coming months, all created for a wide range of young audiences. We will share an awesome behind the scenes of their work prior to their next launch!
Gen Z Media launched Mina & Lucy’s Guide to Slaying Dracula just in time to get kids excited about Halloween! 👻 🎃 👻
The show, aimed at a 9+ audience, is an adventure story following best friends Mina and Lucy who love monsters and Halloween! There are some strange things happening in their small town and the girls find themselves, along with Mina's Grandpa, Dr. Van Helsing, coming face to face with Dracula!
Season 2 of Shadow Realm launches on September 26th.
This dynamic show is a coming-of-age tale of Arya, a San Francisco teenager whose once vibrant-mother is now confined to a hospital ward, in the wake of an accident. Despite being tormented by anything to do with his ethnicity, Arya clings to an old, battered copy of the Ramayana, India’s ancient epic story of Rama’s battle against demons. One night, Arya finds out he has magical powers after he falls through a fault in the earth and into the lands of Vedic mythology. In the second season, he learns his journey is far from over.