Dragon Babies

We’re continuing Bree’s fraught journey through the Legendborn world with Bloodmarked! Tracy Deonn’s followup to Legendborn takes Bree far from UNC and the Arthurian Order and into her ancestors’ other magical communities. There are so many hot magical boys and SO MUCH PLOT and by the end we need an aether shot at The Crossroads. We debate cambion morality, where we’d make edits and the dramatic c...

We’re spending the summer at Gone-Away Lake! Elizabeth Enright’s classic story of creating your own adventure is rich with wish-fulfillment fantasy. Enright brings cousins Portia, Julian and Foster to life as they tromp through swampland, evade the Gulper and befriend Min and Pin, kindly siblings living out of time. We discuss the decline of American aristocracy, summer’s sweet melancholy, and the...

We’re continuing Diana Wynne Jones’ beloved Chestomanci series with The Lives of Christopher Chant! We follow Christopher as he journeys through the Anywheres, chafes under the controlling adults in his life, and dedicates himself to cricket and cricket alone. A romp, a revelation, the best time we’ve had in quite a while - you owe it to yourself to revisit Throgmorten’s charms. This episode has l...

We're returning to Valdemar with Magic’s Promise, by Mercedes Lackey! In his second book, Vanyel is 12 years older but perhaps not wiser as he struggles to move past his lover Tylendel’s tragic death. While attempting to find some rest at his family’s home (and mostly just finding homophobia), Vanyel and his companion Yfandes are pulled into a mysterious royal murder in a neighboring kingdom. He i...

We’re completing the Old Kingdom trilogy and becoming Abhorsens in our own right. We discuss Lirael’s interiority, forgive Sam for his book 2 failings, start a cult dedicated to Mogget worship, and consider how this series helped inspire the current YA fantasy horror boom. We went to the ninth gate and returned, what did you do this weekend? And remember: nothing says fell necromancy like a l...

Sir Simon has us in his thrall! The Castle in the Attic remains a pure delight, bringing out the child searching for a magical miniature castle in us both. We discuss Sir Simon’s bizarre (yet winning) quirks, the joys of soft boy William, and the key ways that fictional parents disrupt fantasy narratives. Put a mouse to roast over your tiny fire - it’s time to defeat an evil wizard. MUSIC - Pippin...

We finally finish a series! Trickster’s Queen brings the many threads of political intrigue loose in the Copper Isles to a satisfying (if predictable) conclusion. We discuss the coziness of a perfect fantasy regime change and how overly rosy depictions of righted systemic injustices both help and harm the readers. Perfect spy blobs, spice intolerance, crow-man coming of age, and so, so many report...

Westmark has it all - political intrigue, long cons, a dashing leader of the revolution, and two months in a garret writing other people’s letters. We discuss Lloyd Alexander’s fast-paced opening to the Westmark trilogy and why it feels like classic fantasy in spite of its lack of true fantasy elements. Join us in breaking down Theo’s soft boy protagonist appeal, the power of an irrepressible urch...

We’re covering the first two books of Emily Rodda’s Deltora Quest series, The Forests of Silence and The Lake of Tears! Deltora brings out the best in us; we rave about the impeccable art, wild pacing and grotesque monsters as we travel the kingdom searching for hidden gems. Scholastic book fairs, reading positions we’ve aged out of, fights about Beyoncé - this episode has it all. Join us! MUSIC -...

Welcome to Middle Grade March! This episode, we’re following siblings Nizhoni and Mac Begay as they save their dad from monstrous coal exec Mr. Charles. They discover their similarities to the Hero Twins of Navajo legend and explore their burgeoning abilities through increasingly challenging trials. Grace and Madeleine discuss preferred middle school-age magical weapons, the power of a snarky litt...

A special lil episode on the enigmatic Grendel , by John Gardner! After covering The Snow-Walker’s Son and considering ancient Nordic literary monsters, Grace was compelled to revisit this darkly comedic retelling of Beowulf from his foe’s perspective. Joining her is Ranae Hanson , author, activist, and top-notch mother-in-law. Curl up in your watery cave and join us!

Celebrate Valentine’s with this fascinating, bizarre and indelible tale of love among young witches - we’re reading The Changeover, by Margaret Mahy! We meet Laura Chant and her young brother Jacko, who are living a mostly-peaceful life in the Christchurch suburbs punctuated by Laura’s “warnings,” psychic premonitions that never bode well. When an ancient demon disguised as a terrifying shopkeeper...

We’re getting into our frigid sailboat and exploring The Snow-Walker’s Son, by Catherine Fisher! Jessa and Thorkil are banished to a forgotten hall in the far North when their fathers attempt to overthrow the current jarl, a pretender to the throne. The false jarl happens to be married to Gudrun, a terrifying ice sorceress who previously sent her own son to the same dark fate. Her son Kari is said...

We’re overwhelmed with holiday spirit and we’re releasing this Babetreon episode on the main feed! *Please note that unlike our main feed, this episode is explicit. The sibling squabbling is at an all-time high as Grace tries to force Madeleine to enjoy a Christmas film. Happy Hogswatch!

We’re continuing to explore the Lost Years with The Seven Songs of Merlin, by T.A. Barron! Our wee Merlin advances to his Emo Protagonist era as he shirks the main quest in favor of finding/saving his mama. Grace and Madeleine discuss the plot’s video game structure, the joys of a melancholy bard (Bumblewy forever), and why we’re more sympathetic to Merlin’s weight of responsibility as adults. Plu...

Strum your cwidder and make the mountains walk 🎵 We’re reading Cart and Cwidder by Diana Wynne Jones! Murderers, spies, magical instruments, and vengeance driven by the love of a horse - would you expect anything less from DWJ? This opener to the Dalemark Quartet introduces Moril, Brid and their family of wandering troubadours. In a nation plagued by civil war, the songs of old can serve as battl...

Be an ageless entity, do crimes - we’re discussing The Boggart, by Susan Cooper! This wonderfully weird book has it all and is the perfect playful Halloween read for all ages. Cooper pulls off the ultimate middle grade fantasy bait and switch - leading readers to think we’re in for a spooky Scottish castle stay and then immediately heading to Toronto (the Boggart accidentally in tow). Grace and Ma...

We’re attending A College of Magics, by Caroline Stevermer! An episode almost as long as college itself, we’re resplendent with big feelings about this subtle, gorgeously written book. Faris Nallaneen comes into herself and her power through the people and ideas she encounters at Greenlaw College, a magic school where you’re not actually allowed to do magic. Set at the turn of the 20th century, th...

Brush up on your Cat as we enter the world of Lionboy, by Zizou Corder. Mother and daughter author team (Louisa Young and Isabel Adomakoh Young) craft a Romp in which we travel into a dystopian future. Steampunky advances (and limitations) in technology, a mysterious parental kidnapping, and the ability to talk to cats have led protagonist Charlie Ashanti onto a magnificent circus ship heading fro...

Oops, we’ve been swapped out with changelings - time to discuss The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw! We take to the moor to consider the many virtues of Irish bagpipes and revel in the atmospheric melancholy of Saaski’s tale. This deceptively complex book contrasts humanity’s darkness alongside the Folk’s lively, fleeting nihilism. Where does a girl who fits into neither world belong? We may not find...

It’s Merlin time! We head to Fincayra with a ragtag crew including a boy who without a past, a girl raised by trees, a tiny giant who loves honey and a bird you’ll want to keep around. The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron is a soothing, nature-focused journey through a deep wood that adds a new perspective to the many Merlin myths. The experience of rereading and discussing us left us in the be...

We’re continuing on in Joan Aiken’s alternate history, wolf-ridden England with Black Hearts in Battersea! If your spirits need a boost (and whose don’t), irresistible Cockney urchin Dido Twite is here to entrance and delight. We absolutely adored this book and wish it had come into our lives sooner. Puzzle over Grace’s mental picture of mince pies and join Madeleine’s affable league of helpful ar...

We’re exploring the Arthurian legend through a southern Black lens with Legendborn, by Tracy Deonn! Join 16-year-old protagonist Bree as she enters an early college program at UNC Chapel Hill and discovers more than one type of magic is waiting. She learns about her dead mother’s secrets, her own latent abilities, and the pull of various Hot Boys (both golden and broody). This was our first time e...

We continue Megan Whalen Turner’s impeccable Queen’s Thief series with A Conspiracy of Kings! We discuss the appeal of sweet Sophos as a protagonist, the portrayal of slavery within fantasy series, and whether the gods are Just Jerks (copyright Madeleine). This is a long one, but in between the sister squabbling, points are made! The main point being that we could talk about MWT’s work for the res...

It’s back to Discworld with Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett! We join the titular trio of Nanny Ogg, Granny Weatherwax, and Magrat Garlick as they meddle their way across space and time (within reasonably witchy limits, of course). Review your Shakespeare, work up your best lil ghosty sounds and make sure you’re in good standing with the Fool’s Guild - then join us. MUSIC - Pippin the Hunchback an...