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].

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/

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].

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Perks of dragon travel: moonlit views, in-flight wild mushroom snacks, and a map drawn by an enterprising rat. Cons: a bloodthirsty alchemical monster tracking your every move from below. We’re revisiting Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke! This fast-paced action-adventure novel takes us across Europe and Asia in search of the Rim of Heaven, and the cowardly dragons lurking within. Madeleine and Grace discuss the unique characteristics of Funke’s dragons and reminisce over mushroom memories. *Please note - We are aware that we called Firedrake “Firebeard” for the first ten minutes of the episode and we are ashamed.

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

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Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is a glorious magical coming of age story. We follow along as Sunny grapples with cultural clashes between her American and Nigerian identities, and her outsider status as a Free Agent within the Leopard People. Madeleine and Grace expound on their love for magical education novels, discuss the perfection of knowledge as currency, and appreciate Okorafor’s anti-capitalist themes. Enter Leopard Knocks and join us!

This book was a listener recommendation - thank you, Nina! We’re working on broadening our podcast and would love to hear any recommendations you may have for YA fantasy novels by Black authors - 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/