It's time to hop in your tiny car and head to the kingdom of Wisdom - we're revisiting The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster! Grace breaks down the ways in which her opinion of the book have (and have not) changed since her childhood obsession, and Madeleine discovers Juster's grammatical & mathematical whimsy for the first time. We discuss the ways in which you can use the book as a mindfulness exercise, as well as a tool for teaching kids about colonialism. Plus, a hearty helping of appreciation for Jules Feiffer’s incredible illustrations.

EPISODE MEDIA

Norton Juster on All Things Considered

Adventure Time - One Million Years Dungeon

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We’re visiting Lucille and its angels and monsters - we read Pet, by Akwaeke Emezi! Protagonist Jam, her best friend Redemption and a mysterious creature dubbed Pet seek out evil that lingers even in a supposed utopia. We revel in this nuanced, genre-defying coming of age story and explore the questions it brings up about human nature, restorative justice and children’s access to the unseen. Grace also admits to an entrenched Goodreads beef and Madeleine has some thoughts about ice cream. Listen in!

Crow and Chestnut, signing out.

CW: Broad discussion of child abuse.

EPISODE MEDIA

Interview with Akwaeke Emezi in Teen Vogue

Life is Strange on Steam (Don’t let our hesitation to recommend it make you think we didn’t dress as Chloe and Max for Halloween 6 years ago)

Our episode on The Witches of Worm, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

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We discussed Tehanu, by Ursula K. Le Guin and nearly broke ourselves in the process! A book so emotion-inducing that we had to take a recovery break before recording, Tehanu takes us across Gont in the capable arms of Tenar. She ponders her identity as she cares for abandoned child Therru and deals with a deeply depressed, stripped-of-his-magic Ged. We dive into women’s anger, women’s work and women’s magic - which is neither wicked nor weak, contrary to the Earthsea aphorism. One of Le Guin’s most controversial and polarizing works, Tehanu is a powerful look at the value of domesticity and the ways we shape our own lives. Join us!

Thanks to all the listeners who requested that we continue on through Earthsea!

CW: Broad discussion of child abuse & assault.

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We’re disappearing into the wood with Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren! We soak up all the unbridled nature-borne joy, spring yells and siblingship pacts our cold winter hearts desperately needed. Ronia, Birk and their respective robber clans have never been so welcome! Join us in this blessed escape to a forest of rumphops, grey dwarves, wild horses, strawberries and confident-beyond-their-years kids - we savored every page and we’re certain you will, too.

We’re on a metafiction binge! Inkheart by Cornelia Funke has characters, readers and writers galore - and they can’t seem to stop getting mixed up in one another’s worlds. We unpack the dark and often violent situations 12-year-old protagonist Meggie finds herself in, and ponder who is the ultimate Saddest Character. This is what happens when fairy tales and real life collide - a whole lot more sociopathy than you’d expect! Cozy up with your smelly marten and listen in.

Note - Grace’s voice becomes allergy-ridden halfway through because we recorded over a couple days - enjoy?

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We venture into the metafictional world of The Great Good Thing, by Roderick Townley! A story within a story, this book takes us through four generations of a family as the women write, read and retell the tale of Princess Sylvie and her daring deeds. We discuss our anxieties about characters waiting for us to read about them, wonder how the Invisible Fish feels about its role in the kingdom and even touch on one of Madeleine’s awkward high school dates at Red Lobster. Crack open the Dragon Babies book and join us (just don’t get jam on the pages)!

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We're continuing our journey through Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series! The King of Attolia continues to deceive both the reader and protagonist as Eugenides plays his best hapless fool and his guard Costis puzzles through the ensuing mess. Political intrigue abounds as we sprint from one end of the palace to the other, trying to keep the hunting dogs in their compound, thwarting assassination attempts and desperately grabbing for a crust of bread where we can get it. What is this, a metaphor for 2020?? Join us! And if you haven't heard our episodes on The Thief and The Queen of Attolia, be sure to check those out.

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We’re SO thrilled to share our discussion of Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi! We revel in the unique trio of coming of age stories showing how Zélie, Amari and Inan branch off into their young adult selves. Madeleine and Grace laugh, cry and get into a very strange discussion about the “shampoo effect” - with a book this magnificent guiding the episode, we’re fully out of control.

This book was requested by many listeners - thank you! If you’d like to make an episode request, leave a comment or email us at [email protected].

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In which we have a wonderful time returning to the first Chrestomanci book and remembering how it all began - with a very confused little boy, his parasitic sister and her parallel universe counterpoint. Diana Wynne Jones’ characteristically complex child protagonists are in fine form as we follow Cat, Gwendolen and Janet along on intentional and unintentional capers and world-hopping. Madeleine and Grace reflect on the stressors of childhood and the all-consuming effort to stay out of trouble, made even more complicated by a mysterious half-burned matchbook and grim specters hanging around the castle. Put on your silk dressing robe and join us!

More Chrestomanci books have been requested by many listeners - thank you! If you'd like to make a request, email us at [email protected].

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We have a grand time journeying through Elizabeth Goudge’s fantasy-tinged coming of age tale (and eating every single meal along the way). Madeleine and Grace unpack the strange feminist(ish) messages and Goudge’s ultimately progressive, fascinating approach to subverting capitalism in the name of God. Grace loses herself in endless mountains of food (including a yet-unseen butter well) and Madeleine has plenty of animals to keep her company, from a cat who can write to an ethically dubious (but very pretty) dog. We really enjoyed producing this one, hope you enjoy the listen!

This episode was a listener request - thank you, Clarissa and Hannah! If you'd like to request a book for coverage, email us at [email protected].

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/