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/

The Folk Keeper has a little bit of everything. Looking for a new take on Scottish & Irish mythology? Sealfolk abound. Interested in a coming of age story complicated by hidden heritage and gender swapping? Meet Corinna Stonewall. Developing your career as a poet or a rapper? The Last Word is all you need. No matter why you've come to The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley's sweeping prose and alternately prickly and winning heroine will leave you satisfied. As a special bonus, enjoy part 2 of our ongoing debate - Oceans: Friends or Foes? As well as some excessive giggling about cakes.

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/

Soothing, terrifying, and utterly glorious, A Wind in the Door made us feel all kinds of things. If you're looking for a detailed discussion of fictional bodies within mitochondria and whether boy geniuses are more annoying than valuable, well, you've come to the right place. We cover how this book helped form our understandings of life, death, and fewmets, and get more than a little metaphysical along the way. If you're struggling through these bleak winter months, the Murrays' hot chocolate (made over a bunsen burner) is sure to help.

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/

Discworld has been a part of Grace's life since a kind camp counselor took pity on her silent bookishness and sent her boxes of Terry Pratchett paperbacks from the U.K.. Madeleine has only recently fallen in love with Pratchett's hilarious, disarming fantasy, but we can already tell she's a lifer. If you love cats, filthy cities, misplaced realities, and above all, DEATH, you're in the right place. Mort is a perfect Discworld entry point for the uninitiated, and always a welcome revisit for those familiar with Ankh-Morpork, obnoxious wizards, and a bumbling teenager tasked with taking lives (at just the right moment).

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/

After an all-too-endless holiday break, we're back, we're reading, and we're loving on Ella Enchanted. Don't write this well-rounded world off as a children's book - we gained so much from rereading it and Grace had several key epiphanies related to (you guessed it) personal perceptions of food. Do you love love? Then you'll enjoy listening to us attempt to articulate what makes Ella and Char's romance so appealing and feel Ella's pain as her curse isolates her from her loved ones. Struggling to break a curse laid upon you by an overeager fairy? It's time to get some tips from the master of finding tiny ways to overthrow an oppressive force. Ella is here to help! Equal parts disturbing and delightful, this book has been a part of our lives longer than most, and we're excited to share it with you.

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/

Yes, it's our first repeat author - and who could it possibly be other than Tamora Pierce? We're discussing Emperor Mage, book 3 of Madeleine's favorite YA fantasy series, The Immortals. Protagonist Daine's wild magic and communication with animals (not to mention international intrigue and plenty of poison) lead us into discussions of animal rights, failing political systems in fantasy worlds, and how Grace once accidentally stabbed herself with an arrow. Fall in line with the Badger God and Graveyard Hag and rouse your own dinosaur skeleton army - Daine is here to solve all your problems!

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

We're getting a little serious this week with The Last Unicorn, but these are dark times, for humans and unicorns alike. Take this chance to pine for immortal beauty and mentally escape the mortal coil. We discuss fantasy and depression, reading books before you're ready, and whether we've ever believed in unicorns. Plus, a Shel Silverstein gem that Grace has linked to this book since childhood. Whether you're a person struggling through the muck or an eternal being with nothing to lose, there's something here for you.

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/

Dealing with Dragons not only shaped our dragon worldviews, it inspired Grace to write, Madeleine to envision her own fantasy worlds, and both of us to appreciate the scholar (and warrior) within. Revisit the Mountains of Morning and the Enchanted Forest, and wonder: why are wizards such jerks? What IS cherries jubilee? And how can I live in this world forever? Plus: early-aughts pre-adolescent phenomena like Neopets and The Very Secret Diaries. Defining mousse vs. ganache. Being a revolutionary in a fairy tale world. And more!

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/

We could talk about how great Diana Wynne Jones is for days - but can you listen for an hour?? We'll admit that this episode about Howl’s Moving Castle is particularly positive, except for the moments when we argue about Guy Fawkes awareness and muddle through some sibling tension, but we have only good things to say about this joyful take on traditional fairy tales. Also: just how different the book is from the MIyazaki adaptation, Calcifer in our daily lives, and realistic fantasy love stories.

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/