Dragon Babies

Grace and Madeleine continue on in their quest to become the preeminent Diana Wynne Jones podcast by diving into the warped, nihilistic worlds within The Homeward Bounders. We discuss why this may be Diana Wynne Jones' best book, Helen's unparalleled Look, and the joys of Jamie's first person narration. Whether you've found Home again or you're still out searching for the next Bound, hopeless or s...

Ready to leave the House behind and head off on an endless journey with an obnoxious prince? Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee gives us access to the thoughts of relatable, tenacious Claidi through her journal entries. She travels across the not-so-horrible-after-all Waste while ruminating on young love, the pointlessness of human rituals and her true identity. Madeleine and Grace get into just why Claidi...

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 pa...

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 harke...

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...

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...

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, thought...

This is a special Halloween mini episode about our favorite animated miniseries, Over the Garden Wall! We explore the children’s fantasy literature and fairy tales that influenced the series, as well as our own nostalgic twinges inspired by the Unknown. Thanks so much for the special episode idea, Amy! If you have a request of your own, get in touch at dragonbabiespodcast@gmail.com. We discuss a T...

Are you searching for the Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood? Are you a knight who may or may not also be a fox? Do you get tired of all the grain growing in your hair? We’ve got the perfect episode to ease your troubles and end the ceaseless winter. Meredith Ann Pierce’s dreamy coming-of-age fairy tale has something for the Hannah in all of us. Listeners will also enjoy learning the unorthod...

We're headed back to Damar with The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley! Grace and Madeleine investigate the treatment of colonialism in a fantasy world, and wish they had their very own giant cats to keep them company during naps and battles alike. Join us in investigating the connections between Aerin and Harry, talking about when anger is a positive force, and wishing for more Luthe. Also: please beg...

Madeleine and Grace have officially been Chosen and are heading to the Collegium! Hop on your companion and join us in discussing Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey. We revel in the warmth of the community and beauty of small moments, and admire Lackey’s courage in writing a loving story about a bunch of absolute sweeties (with just a few mid-book bullies). We also unpack the book’s compellin...

Grace finally finished her lil mini episode on Briar’s Book, by Tamora Pierce! This is a follow-up to our full length episode covering Daja’s Book , and we hope you enjoy. MUSIC - Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) - Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It’s tough to write a summary for our episode on The Darkangel, by Meredith Ann Pierce - what can possibly beat the New York Times’ 1982 review titled “VAMPIRE ON THE MOON” ? We reveled in this dreamy, swooning sci-fi fantasy fairy tale. Listen in to learn how the titular vampyre triggered Madeleine and Grace’s teen manga-loving sensibilities and contemplate why magical bags of everlasting food do...

We’re celebrating our 50th episode with a very special trip to Middle-earth! Grace and Madeleine (and visiting pal Jordan!) revisit their very first fantasy novel, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. We indulge in our own creative Gollum interpretations, pick our favorite songs, and generally have a great time adventuring to the Lonely Mountain as retconned female characters. Join our unexpected party!...

Hold on to your memories - it’s time to enter the complex, trippy fantasy of Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones! Grace and Madeleine found the painful, realistic tale of admirable hero-in-training Polly to be all the more effective as adults. We discuss how the story supports girls who say no, and the connection between Polly’s cursed memories and her loss of childhood. Enjoy a debate on uncomf...

Welcome to Grace's Reading Corner! This podcast-within-a-podcast is a place where Grace will discuss Dragon Babies-adjacent books she's been reading. This mini episode takes a critical look at Ogre Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, a prequel to Ella Enchanted! We'll be back with our next full-length episode soon & hope you enjoy this in the meantime. MUSIC - Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod...

Things are looking apocalyptic around here, which makes it the perfect opportunity to cover Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman! We’re celebrating the release of the Amazon Prime adaptation by revisiting Crowley, Aziraphale, Agnes, Anathema and all our other impeccably named favorites as they do their best to stave off the end times. Madeleine and Grace discuss their own apocalypse anxi...

We’re leaving Tortall and journeying to Emelan! Grace and Madeleine continue to explore the Tamora Pierce ouvre with Daja’s Book, number three in the Circle of Magic Quartet. Discussion ranges from the unique appeal of a slower-paced series to reasons why it’s so uncomfortable eating in front of strangers. Dive into Trader culture, narcissist mages and the deep bonds that form between young outcas...

It’s time to revisit Austar IV’s brutal society and beautiful dragons! Madeleine and Grace discuss just how their perceptions of Dragon’s Blood have changed as adults - and why this is a great reread. Slavery and dragon battling may not make this the most YA-friendly material but maybe the pits are more like Pokémon than dog fighting?… Also: disgruntled audiobook listeners. Upsetting pretend food....

It’s finally time for the Dragon Babies to travel to Narnia ! We follow Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb through a shrub, over a cliff and into a serious adventure, aided by a wonderfully melancholy Marsh-wiggle and many muffed attempts at following instructions. Grace and Madeleine label Aslan the grumpy babysitter of Narnia and give Lewis’ non-Turkish delight pretend food its day in the sun. Listene...

We’re heading to the House to dive into Mister Monday , book one of The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix! Reading Mister Monday for this episode was our introduction to the series, and though we think we need to explore additional books before we’re able to get a true feel for the series, we thoroughly enjoyed this wild ride. Our discussion ranges far and wide, with extended reflections on Arthur’...

This is a miniature episode in which we rewatch the film adaptation of The Princess Bride with our brother, Patrick! Check out our book episode for an in-depth discussion of William Goldman's source material.

We’re rereading The Princess Bride , by William Goldman! We tackle all the sweeping satire, unique literary devices and ultimately heartwarming friendships that make Florin such a weird, fun place to return to. This book showcases plenty of passions - but is it ultimately an earnest story? Grace does her best to convince Madeleine of its subtly heartfelt approach, and Madeleine identifies Fezzig a...

Whether you’re one of the Mud Men or the People, there’s a whole lot to unpack with our rereading of Artemis Fowl , by Eoin Colfer. We were both big fans of this book when young, and haven’t revisited it for quite a while - and we (and our world) are very different now! We engage in an extended comparison of the LEP & Terry Pratchett’s Thud! , break down why a female-fronted action story was s...

An epistolary novel set during the Regency with an established magical society, you say? And it has a CHOCOLATE POT on the cover?? It will come as a surprise to none of our listeners that we are big fans of Sorcery and Cecelia, by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer . Join in as we discuss the joys of fictional letters, learn about gaslamp fantasy and revel in all the grumpy romance. Are you...