Episode 67 - The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke

Continue your quarantine reading adventures with a magical trip to Venice! The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke offers up plenty of capers, endless ice creams and a surprisingly complex look at class issues. Follow a group of runaway kids living in an abandoned theater as they outsmart and ultimately befriend a quirky detective - and seek out a mysterious stolen carousel with long-rumored magical powers. Just look at that last sentence - how can you resist?? We certainly can’t.

This episode was a listener request - thank you, Nina! If you’d like to make a request, leave a comment or email us at dragonbabiespodcast@gmail.com

Episode 66 - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

We revisit Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and conclude that we are currently down a much less fun rabbit hole. Grace and Madeleine attempt to draw a link from Lewis Carroll’s works to the existence of Hot Topic, unpack some of the book’s historical context to better inform its many controversies and consider what a treacle mountain might look like. While we may not have any groundbreaking insights to offer, we do have Adventure Time and Oblivion references!

This episode was a listener request - thank you, Angela! If you’d like to request a book for us to cover, get in touch at dragonbabiespodcast@gmail.com.

Note: This episode features brief discussion of some adult themes (drug use, the ongoing debate over Charles Lutwidge Dodgson’s sexual preferences).

EPISODE MEDIA

Season 2 Episode 9 of Adventure Time - “The Other Tarts” can be found on Hulu!

Greatest Audiobooks on Youtube

White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane:

Episode 65 - The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, by Patricia A. McKillip

We’ve found the perfect quarantine reread! A lyrical, masterful meditation on solitude, power and the glory of big cats and magical boars, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip is a delight. Grace and Madeleine discuss the appeal of going it alone in your crystal wizard dome vs. the more realistic outcome of heading to Sirle to get married. Whether you’re in total isolation or holed up with your foster son, riddle master boar and insatiable yearning for the Liralen, we think you’ll enjoy this one. Also, BLAMMOR.

Content warning: mentions of sexual assault.

EPISODE MEDIA

Audible cover

Current edition cover

Other episodes mentioned:

• Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

• The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin

Episode 64 - The Borrowers, by Mary Norton

Return to the warm embrace of a beloved childhood classic that’s surprisingly disturbing and sad! The Borrowers by Mary Norton is a weird, fun read for human beans of all ages. Madeleine and Grace explore the complex messages, tiny foodstuffs and flawed worldviews that make up Arrietty Clock’s life. Plus: was Parasite inspired by The Borrowers? Do you love shrimp salad? And a bonus Easter egg hunt interlude!

EPISODE MEDIA

The Fair Lawn Library Children’s Room Youtube channel

Other episodes mentioned:

• Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

• Redwall, by Brian Jacques

• The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett

Episode 63 - The Witches of Worm, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Has a kitten recently approached you and demanded that you perform increasingly dangerous pranks? Get everything you need to handle the situation (including a step by step exorcism!) with The Witches of Worm, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Grace and Madeleine explore Snyder’s subtle blurring of the line between fantasy and reality, indulge in a TV dinner reverie and even return to Madeleine’s Law Corner.

EPISODE MEDIA

Original cover:

Some of Alton Raible’s killer illustrations: