Evil dragons. An impossible love. Our favorite fully realized horse. Whatever malak is. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley is much more than just the 1985 Newberry Medal winner. Rereading this one shook us to our cores and inspired an impassioned discussion about how female characters complicate the hero's journey, sneaky flashbacks and time jumps, debilitating dragon-inflicted wounds, and mik-bar cravings. Settle down inside your gray castle on the Lake of Dreams and steel yourself - Feelings ahead.

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sleep deprivation, stories-within-stories-within-stories and questionable romance come together to make up this engaging, Shahrazad-centric retelling of One Thousand and One Nights. The titular character is a teenager tasked with telling her new husband a story so good he'll spare her life just to make it past a cliffhanger (we're just grumpy that we don't get to hear much of that story ourselves). We fill in the blanks with a discussion of the novel's sometimes questionable approach to girl power and plenty of reminiscing about the role of storytelling in our lives.

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We couldn't be more delighted to travel to Earthsea and explore human nature & super goth spirits with Arha/Tenar/The Eaten One, a teenage girl forced into a cult who spends all her free time exploring a haunted labyrinth. And getting into scrapes along the way! Join us in marveling over Ursula K. Le Guin's gorgeous writing and the glorious weirdness of this plot's structure. Plus, a discussion of whether Le Guin's works are more appropriate for children or adults - or every single living human under the sun. You can probably guess where we land, but why not check it out?

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Creating this episode was an unexpected nightmare. Grace is 100% positive that the ghost of Asmodeus is now haunting her and Madeleine thinks that Cluny might be just a lil bit aggravated by her dismissal of him as a selfish grump. No matter what, the truth about the mysterious history of human life in the Redwall universe is now out there for all Dragon Babies to discover. If you're a fan of Pretend Food, know that this book is basically a founding father (aka a founding Badass Lady) in our obsession with fantasy victuals. And if you've been waiting for some pseudoscience related to badgers, this is definitely going to be your jam.

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This is a MINI EPISODE / companion episode in which we talk about what we felt while rewatching the 1985 Disney classic (?) The Black Cauldron. Note - we had some sound issues with this one and we're sorry :-(

This one's a doozy! Together, an overheated Madeleine and Grace explore the destructive glorification of war, powerful coming-of-age tales for teens, an endlessly relatable cast of characters, and whether Gurgi is more of a dog-man or a bear-man. Ya know, everything you've ever wondered when reading The Black Cauldron. Plus, an extended discussion of the myriad ways Disney messed up the 1985 film adaptation. Don't be a Gwystyl - join us!

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

June has become official Witch Month here on Dragon Babies as we follow up Wee Free Men with the stunningly postmodern, cruelly hilarious Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones! In a world where children are so awful that they put your school's bullies to shame, there's entirely too much magic floating around for witchcraft to be punishable by death. But witch orphans abound, and they're putting their newfound powers to good use by pranking the stuffing out of each other. Join us as we discuss the appeal of alternate fantasy realities and how (not) to talk to new people. Grace's Education Corner has entirely too much information about Guy Fawkes, and Madeleine's Law Corner is never happening again.

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Ach, noo yer talkin’ oour language! Welcome to our second Terry Pratchett episode, featuring the indomitable Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegle! Join us as we discuss the first of Pratchett's YA novels and the terrifying, nightmare-ridden Fairyland that you never expected. We've got a lively conversation about whether baby brothers are inherently evil, entirely too much commentary on cheese, and even Grace's Gollum impression. Grab your frying pan and learn how to save the day - as 9-year-old Tiffany knows, it's all about riding the tide of your own selfish fury! Disclaimer: we do not know how to pronounce Nac Mac Feegle.

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It’s time to get Grimm with an extended visit to the most famous fairy tale prison - and a new take on the witch that locked the damsel in a tower. Zel honors its source material and never shies away from the more upsetting components of Rapunzel, but adds complexity and humanity with telling psychological portraits of Zel, Mother, and the obsessed nobleman who gets tangled up in their demonic pact. Tempers are high and the sibling squabbling is strong - will we make it out alive, or be banished to the desert? Only one way to find out. PLUS: Sesame Street’s take on Rapunzel; are you really aligning yourself with Satan if you’re not sure hell exists; what the heck does Rapunzel actually taste like??

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback and Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

THE BABIES ARE BACK. After a painful break from podcasting, we're diving back in with So You Want to Be a Wizard: a technical marvel chock full of magic, friendship and leaving bullies in your supernatural dust. How can a white hole be so darn charming? Is there a more creative "wrong" version of our world than the Starsnuffer's personal utopia? And just how confusing is it to try to navigate fictional New York? Also featuring a Smaug-style sewer dragon and 2 kids accomplishing way 2 much for their age. Press play and don't forget your wizard's manual. We're also catching the tail end of #trypod. Recommendations: Madeleine - Sooo Many White Guys / Grace - Imaginary Worlds. Please note - while Dragon Babies is not explicit, these recommendations are.

MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/