Episode 59 - Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

We’re traveling to Trewissick to embark on the best summer holiday of our young lives! Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper brings the battle between the forces of Arthurian good and evil to the sunny Cornwall coastline. We dive headlong into our own summer reminiscences, recalling childhood conspiracy plots and wishing we’d had some real-life Withers rogues to battle along the way. Plus, some particularly robust Pretend Food and discussion of fantasy on the fringes of a good ol’ mystery adventure. Parting words of wisdom: if you’re going to need to search a seaside cave for a grail, bring along a small child to do the dirty work for you.

This episode was a listener request - thank you, Dan, Jenny and Aileen! If you’d like to request a book for us to cover, leave a comment or email us at dragonbabiespodcast@gmail.com.

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The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

The Dear America series and The Royal Diaries

The Witness

3 rum babas for your enjoyment:

Episode 58 - Into the Land of the Unicorns, by Bruce Coville

Madeleine and Grace travel to Luster and encounter plenty of childhood memories along the way! Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville kicks off the Unicorn Chronicles, introducing us to friends like Lightfoot, the Dimblethum, Thomas the Tinker and the inimitable Squijum. While discussing the warm embrace of Coville’s unicorn world, we reminisce about our bizarre childhood writing and harken back to Madeleine’s opus, “The Adventures of Stupid Turtle.”

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The partially censored “Tasia N. Book”

Other Dragon Babies episodes we mentioned that you may enjoy:

• The Black Cauldron, by Lloyd Alexander

• The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle

• ….all our Tamora Pierce episodes, too many to list but you can find them wherever you listen to podcasts!

Here There Be Unicorns, by Jane Yolen

Magic Man aka Thomas the Tinker

Episode 57 - The Queen of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner

The Queen of Attolia has it all - back and forth kidnapping, multi-kingdom wars, spies, queasy love stories, and that scamp Eugenides continuing to fool us all. We’re continuing our exploration of the The Queen’s Thief series by Meghan Whalen Turner, and while we have a few issues with a romance that begins with amputation, we’re dazzled by Turner’s tricky plot filled with winking secrets. Listen in and experience Madeleine railing against the gods, Grace wondering at fantasy nihilism, and both sisters engaging in some illness-fueled squabbling. It’s the Dragon Babies way!

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Other episodes mentioned during this episode:

• The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner

• Crown Duel, by Sherwood Smith

Nemesis comics from Hark! A Vagrant, by Kate Beaton

Alternate cover:

Episode 56 - Many Waters, by Madeleine L'Engle

We’ve arrived at our most scandalous episode to date, and it all starts with the saucy paperback cover featuring a shirtless Sandy and Dennys under a soft-eyed angel. Yes, we’re diving into Many Waters, by Madeleine L’Engle, and we’re rushing to get out of dodge before the flood while also wondering whether the Oasis deserves all this apocalyptic punishment in the first place! Madeleine and Grace take uncharacteristically opposing stances on this one, and debate the merits of a YA retelling of a biblical doozy. Tiny mammoths abound and things get sandy. You’re welcome to try to approach a unicorn, but first we’ll need to know - do you have your driver’s license? Whether you’re a fan of the Deux Ex Manticore or not, we think there’s plenty to explore in this trippy journey back in time.

NOTE - While still technically clean, this episode features discussion of sexual content present in the book and may not be suitable for young listeners.

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A few great Many Waters critiques:

Biblical Fantasy: Many Waters, by Mari Ness

Virtual Unicorns: Religion and Science in Many Waters, by Laura Gibbs

And a very funny piece by the always brilliant Daniel Mallory Ortberg

Episode 55 - Beauty, by Robin McKinley

We revisited Beauty, by Robin McKinley, and were left asking the same question this centuries-old fairy tale always inspires: is this relationship… okay? You can probably guess our answer, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out our journey into McKinley’s gorgeous, gothic fantasy story. We follow Beauty as she learns to love herself (inside and out) and appreciate a more melancholy, thoughtful Beast. Join us!

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Lindsay Ellis’ video essay on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Crimson Peak (2015)