YouTuber Blippi Details His Friendship With Ms. Rachel

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Blippi Details His Super Fun Friendship With Fellow YouTuber Ms. Rachel

To hear Blippi tell it, he's always ready to have some fun with close pal Ms. Rachel

Because when it comes to his bond with the fellow children's entertainer, the educational YouTuber has some big feelings. "Ms. Rachel and I are really good friends," the star of Blippi's Adventures (played by Ben Mayer) told E! News in an exclusive interview. "She's awesome. She teaches so many great things to little kids that I also teach to, so she is an awesome resource." 

And, yes, sometimes they help children learn and thrive one song at a time together

"We sometimes collab," Blippi noted of teaming with the beloved New York City-based children's educator (real name: Rachel Accurso). And though their 2023 fire truck song was certainly, um, fire, they also simply enjoy blazing new trails together. Said Blippi, "She is so lovely and so sweet and she's just such a good person." 

Though, of course, she's not the only entertainer he gets along with like a house on fire. 

Frequent costar and and best friend Meekah (Cashae Monya) "is just so kind and she's so calm," Blippi shared. "I get really excited sometimes, as you can tell, and sometimes I can get a little ahead of myself, and she is a great person to say, 'Hey, maybe we should think about this for a second, and maybe we should learn from our mistakes.' And then we do and then we solve a problem, and we have so much fun." 

Plus, he raved, "She's a really great artist, so I've become a pretty decent artist because of her." 

Brett Farmer/Shutterstock

The pair are certain to, uh, draw quite the crowd when they perform on the children's stage at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books April 19. 

"We're going to be dancing to our new song, 'Go, Go, Go,'" Blippi shared. "And we're gonna read some stories and then we'll sign some books afterward."

And should Blippi find himself getting a bit carried away, well, he knows his bestie will be there to remind him to pause, pause, pause. 

"She is a wonderful person to to help regulate and to to teach me how to problem solve and to think critically about things, and to, you know, rein it in," he explained. "Sometimes if I get too excited, it's good to take a step back and be like, I can be excited, but maybe let's be a little patient. Let's work on some patience."

Still, it can be hard not to speed ahead when your job involves igniting kids' love of learning.

"It's about inspiring them to learn and grow and to not be afraid—to be curious and to explore the world in a way that interests them," he shared of the best aspect of his gig. Which is why he bookmarked the L.A. Times Festival of Book on his calendar. "Not only do I get excited about going to a new place and meeting a new person and talking to them that way, but they get to see that there's another whole universe out there that's between two covers of a book and that's just such a cool thing to do." 

And if you're looking for a new pageturner to flip over, definitely bookmark this tab. We're sharing all the new titles you should be adding to your TBR list. 

Mariner Books

Whidbey by T Kira Madden

Release: March 10

T Kira Madden's book starts with Birdie setting out for the remote island of Whidbey, off the coast of Seattle, running away from her past. Namely, one man in particular: Calvin Boyer, who abused her as a child. However, news soon surfaces that Calvin has been murdered. As the murder mystery unfolds, the story follows three perspectives: Birdie, Linzie—another survivor of Calvin’s abuse who detailed her experience in a best-seller—and his still-devoted mom Mary-Beth.

The debut novel from the author of memoir Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, Whidbey is purposefully an, at times, difficult read. However, she handles this difficulty with such care, making it an insightful, commanding read.

G.P. Putnam's Sons

Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer

Release: March 10
For most readers, Judy Blume has been there every step of the journey—from children’s classics like Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to her more mature reads like Wifey and Summer Sisters. But now, the iconic writer’s life itself is making way to TBR lists thanks to Mark Oppenheimer—and adding to the intrigue? An apparent falling out between the biographer and his subject over the course of the writing.

Viking

The Keeper by Tana French

Release: March 31
The Irish novelist has been a fan-favorite among thriller enthusiasts since In the Woods, and with good reason: they’re addictive and unpredictable. And years after ditching her Dublin-area settlings for the West of Ireland and the tales of Cal Hooper, Tana French is back with what purports to be her final outing for the retired American cop as he investigates the death of a young woman in his small town—and gets tangled in the long-simmering tensions that come to a boil as a result of this local tragedy.

Knopf

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Release: April 7
To her millions of followers, influencer Natalie Heller Mills projects a life of traditional family perfection: a doting husband, a brood of perfect homeschooled children and a farm that doubles as a chic Instagram backdrop. However, her pioneer life masquerade is no match for the real thing as she awakens in the early 19th century with no idea how she got there—or how to get back to her reality. The dual timeline novel, tracking her rise to social media notoriety and navigating life in 1805, is a wild, twisty ride through the world of tradwife influencing.

Doubleday

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

Release: April 7
When Patrick Radden Keefe published his 2024 New Yorker article about the death of British teen Zac Brettler—whose secret life posing as the son of a Russian oligarch ultimately ended in tragedy—it could have been easy to question what more there is to say. However, this is the author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain we’re talking about. So, unsurprisingly, Keefe more than delivers with gripping, unflinching examination at the seedy world of money and power Zac became enmeshed in—and his family’s quest for the truth in the years following his 2019 death.

Berkley

The Name Game by Beth O’Leary

Release: April 7
Charlie Jones arrives at her new job managing in farm shop in a remote island only to meet Charlie Jones, who has turned up for his new job at the farm shop. Beyond their shared name, they’re each desperate for a fresh start far away from home. However, unable to work out which of the Charlie Joneses is actually meant to be running the shop, the owners have a proposition: they both take on the job for a few months and at the end, whoever is the best fit gets the job. But as they set out to prove they’re the one meant to last, they may find they have more in common than a name.

Ballantine Books

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

Release: April 7
Prepare to dive into your favorite books—quite literally. Rainy March is, as the title suggests, a book witch with the ability to journey into the worlds of beloved books to fix malicious changes. There’s just one rule: Book Witches can visit but never linger too long in a book. But after her grandfather—and a precious book—go missing, must risk it all by travelling through countless classic novels with the fictional detective Duke of Chicago to help find him. And in the process, she not only has to confront the unearthed family secrets but confront her feelings for the Duke.

Penguin Random House

American Fantasy by Emma Straub

Release: April 7
Prepare to set sail on a thoughtful examination of fandom in Emma Straub’s latest, which follows 50-year-old divorcée Annie on a cruise centered around the boy band of her youth, Boy Talk. Without ever looking down on upon Stan culture, the book is an honest portrayal of aging, celebrity and the culture that shaped our youth.

Although, what truly makes Straub’s book work so well—aside from its 360-degree examination of the cruise through the lens of Annie, Boy bander Keith and cruise employee Sarah—is that it doesn’t matter what boy band stole hearts as the reader came of age, as she captures that magical feeling in a timeless way.

William Morrow

Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell

Release: April 14
Imagine your ex has turned your life together into fodder for his semi-autobiographical graphic novel—which has become a massive sensation and parlayed him into internet fame. At least, that’s what Cherry is going through as she picks up the pieces of the dream life they were supposed to share. As she takes steps forward, she runs into someone from her past, Russ, who may just be the key to moving on from the heartbreak.

Atria Books

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

Release: April 21
Sure fall is considered spooky season but there’s always room for a spring scare. And in The Caretaker, the We Used to Live Here author introduces readers to Macy, who desperate for a job agrees to a three-day stint as the caretaker of a property in the Pacific Northwest, despite the ominous signs that something is afoot. Indeed, it soon becomes clear that something is very, very wrong. 

Flatiron Books

Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez

Release: April 21
Take a step back just a few years into 2007 Brooklyn, where Alicia Canales is back home in Fort Greene and looking ahead into the next chapter of her life. During this time, she becomes ensnared in the world of her mysterious artist neighbor, who throws legendary parties. Set amid a changing neighborhood landscape at a precarious time to be coming of age—after all, the financial crisis looms just ahead—Xochitl Gonzalez delivers yet another can’t-miss story.

Grove Press

John of John by Douglas Stuart

Release: May 5
After barely scraping by in Edinburgh, John-Calum returns home to his insular, deeply religious community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, of which his father John is a revered member and his Glasgow-born grandmother Ella is forever an outsider. Beyond trying to avoid cracking under the scrutiny that comes with being home—especially as a still-closeted queer person—Cal’s relationship with John is a complicated web of love, resentment and frustration, which occasionally turns violent.

However, at the root of this fractus dynamic is the similarities neither is willing to acknowledge. It’s a really moving, unflinching story about fathers and sons, legacy and homophobia in ‘90s Scotland—continuing to cement Douglas Stuart as a must-read.

Berkley

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

Release: May 5
The day before her wedding, Frankie wakes up to a note from her fiancé calling off the wedding. With the honeymoon already paid for, she decides to decamp the lush rainforests of Tofino, a quiet inlet on the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She doesn’t go alone, however, as her childhood best friend George reluctantly tags along. And after years of distance growing between them, the week serves as an opportunity to rebuild their fading friendship—or let it blossom into something more. 

Cardinal

Prestige Drama by Séamas O'Reilly

Release: May 5
American actress Monica Logue arrives in Derry to immerse herself in the community before filming on her new show about The Troubles commences—only to go missing. Naturally, the TV star’s disappearance is talk of the town, and everyone has an opinion or theory about where she is. And that’s where the heart of the story lies, as each chapter follows a different person untangling their relationship with the show and the events it is depicting, with the beleaguered screenwriter’s attempts to complete his scripts serving as a throughline.

It’s a heart-wrenching and at times deeply funny examination of The Troubles’ lasting imprint in the North of Ireland—and the complicated experience of seeing a painful moment in time become commodified for public consumption. 

Forever

Score by Kennedy Ryan

Release: May 19
Five years after the first installment in her Hollywood Renaissance series, the beloved romance writer is back with a follow-up, this time centered around screenwriter Verity who must reunite with the composer behind her biggest heartbreak to collaborate on a Harlem Renaissance biopic that may make or break both of their careers. With stakes higher than ever, they set out to create a story and score that captures hearts—and possible Oscar glory. Although, in order to move forward Verity and Monk may just have to come to terms with their past.

Bold Type

My Bad by Hugh Ryan

Release: May 26
Years after breaking out with When Brooklyn Was Queer, the historian candidly details his own journey as a queer person in the ‘90s and early 2000s. Weaving through his own experiences with AOL chatrooms and navigating the nightclub scene as a broke student, Hugh Ryan examines the Queer experience in run up to Y2K and the internet boom. It’s compelling, unfiltered and takes a thoughtful approach to detailing the complicated time in a person’s coming of age.

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