Welcome to That’s Terrible! — the fun, fascinating podcast where terrible things turn into amazing learning adventures for kids!
Hosted by 10-year-old Amelia and her mom Erika, That’s Terrible! explores some of the world’s most shocking disasters, mysterious events and unbelievable mishaps in a kid-friendly format. Each episode features expert guests who help us understand the stories behind the headlines and the history that shaped our world. Perfect for curious kids, families, classrooms, road trips, and anyone who loves weird history and real-life mysteries!
What you’ll find on That’s Terrible!:
• Expert interviews that explain history and science
• Educational storytelling for curious kids
• Book recommendations for further learning
Subscribe and join Erika and Amelia as we ask: What terrible thing should we learn about next?
Episodes
Aug 24, 2026
Aug 24, 2026
27 min
This episode is chock full of book recommendations, so scroll all the way through the show notes for links!
Amelia and Erika (and a surprise third cohost, some girl named Nora) are joined by New York Times bestselling author Alan Gratz, whose stories put fictional kids in the middle of terrible true events. He talks about how he chooses his terrible topics, his favorite themes to write about and why kids love learning about war and disasters.
Be sure to check out Alan's new novella, Flight, available for preorder now.
Some of our favorite Alan Gratz historical fiction:
Two Degrees. A story about climate change and Nora's favorite
Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II. (This one has spy stuff!)
War Games: A Novel of 1936 Berlin
Heroes. Did you know there were kids at Pearl Harbor? We didn't.
Ground Zero: A Novel of 9/11. Another of Nora's favorites
Some of Alan's favorite books!
Save the People! by Stacy McAnulty
History Smashers series by Kate Messner
The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf
Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom by Allan Wolf
The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story by Allan Wolf
If you want to learn more about the Little League Baseball World Series, visit our favorite bookstore in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for a local perspective!
Questions? Ideas for an upcoming episode? Email us at thepodcastgrotto@gmail.com.
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