Episode 21 - The Enchanted Castle, by E. Nesbit

Like your magic with a side of unintended consequences? Dive into four children's thrilling, frightening and nearly supervision-free summer as they discover The Enchanted Castle. As lifelong fans of sinister magical rings, E. Nesbit's classic is fully in our wheelhouse - although it's the absurd quantities of PRETEND FOOD that bring out our true devotion. It's time to swim with marble statues, chase an Ugly Wugly around London and demand your afternoon tea, at any cost (we see you, Jimmy). Great for invisible and non-invisible listeners alike!

This episode was inspired by a listener suggestion - thanks so much for emailing us about E. Nesbit, Dan! If you have a book you love that you'd be interested in hearing us cover, just shoot us an email at dragonbabiespodcast@gmail.com.

EPISODE MEDIA

Gore Vidal on the unpopularity of E. Nesbit's books in the U.S. - The Writing of E. Nesbit

List of Buns on Wikipedia

Some of our favorites of H.R. Millar's illustrations -

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Episode 20 - The Voyage of the Basset, by James C. Christensen

Time for something a little different! We're celebrating our 20th episode with a look at one of our favorite fantasy art books from childhood, the Voyage of the Basset. We didn't realize that it's much more art than story as kids, but we do now! Join us in discussing family-friendly versions of famous mythological baddies, looking at drawings of pretty ladies, and deciding whether it's cool for a manticore and a sphynx to enter into a romantic relationship. Credendo vides (or not! Skeptics welcome).

Selection of art from the book below - please forgive our inexpert scans!

Episode 19 - The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley

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 (although Aerin does look mighty nice next to that gold seal). 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.

EPISODE MEDIA

Dragon-Slayer vs. Dragon-Sayer: Reimagining the Female Fantasy Heroine (aka the paper that we rightfully ripped apart during our discussion on the book's feminism)

For our Pretend Foodies - Robin McKinley's answers to questions about malak and mik-bars

Episode 18 - The Storyteller's Daughter, by Cameron Dokey

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.

We're curious: have you ever read this or another of the Once Upon a Time books (not the show, but the early aughts YA series)? Let us know in the comments!

Episode 17 - The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula K. Le Guin

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 book's plot 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?

EPISODE MEDIA

• Recap of Margaret Atwood & Ursula K. Le Guin's discussion of science fiction and literary genre labels
• Ursula K. Le Guin's disappointment with the Studio Ghibli adaptation of the Earthsea series