Dragon Babies

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...

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. 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 m...

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 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 plot's structure. Plus, a discussi...

Creating this episode was an unexpected nightmare. Grace is 100% positive that the ghost of Asmodeus is now haunting her and Madeleine thinks that Cluny might be just a lil bit aggravated by her dismissal of him as a selfish grump. No matter what, the truth about the mysterious history of human life in the Redwall universe is now out there for all Dragon Babies to discover. If you're a fan of Pret...

This is a MINI EPISODE / companion episode in which we talk about what we felt while rewatching the 1985 Disney classic (?) The Black Cauldron . Note - we had some sound issues with this one and we're sorry :-(

This one's a doozy! Together, an overheated Madeleine and Grace explore the destructive glorification of war, powerful coming-of-age tales for teens, an endlessly relatable cast of characters, and whether Gurgi is more of a dog-man or a bear-man. Ya know, everything you've ever wondered when reading The Black Cauldron . Plus, an extended discussion of the myriad ways Disney messed up the 1985 film...

June has become official Witch Month here on Dragon Babies as we follow up Wee Free Men with the stunningly postmodern, cruelly hilarious Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones! In a world where children are so awful that they put your school's bullies to shame, there's entirely too much magic floating around for witchcraft to be punishable by death. But witch orphans abound, and they're putting their ne...

Ach, noo yer talkin’ oour language! Welcome to our second Terry Pratchett episode, featuring the indomitable Tiffany Aching and the Nac Mac Feegle! Join us as we discuss the first of Pratchett's YA novels and the terrifying, nightmare-ridden Fairyland that you never expected. We've got a lively conversation about whether baby brothers are inherently evil, entirely too much commentary on cheese, an...

It’s time to get Grimm with an extended visit to the most famous fairy tale prison - and a new take on the witch that locked the damsel in a tower. Zel honors its source material and never shies away from the more upsetting components of Rapunzel, but adds complexity and humanity with telling psychological portraits of Zel, Mother, and the obsessed nobleman who gets tangled up in their demonic pac...

THE BABIES ARE BACK. After a painful break from podcasting, we're diving back in with So You Want to Be a Wizard : a technical marvel chock full of magic, friendship and leaving bullies in your supernatural dust. How can a white hole be so darn charming? Is there a more creative "wrong" version of our world than the Starsnuffer's personal utopia? And just how confusing is it to try to navigate fic...

The Folk Keeper has a little bit of everything. Looking for a new take on Scottish & Irish mythology? Sealfolk abound. Interested in a coming of age story complicated by hidden heritage and gender swapping? Meet Corinna Stonewall. Developing your career as a poet or a rapper? The Last Word is all you need. No matter why you've come to The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley's sweeping prose and al...

Soothing, terrifying, and utterly glorious, A Wind in the Door made us feel all kinds of things. If you're looking for a detailed discussion of fictional bodies within mitochondria and whether boy geniuses are more annoying than valuable, well, you've come to the right place. We cover how this book helped form our understandings of life, death, and fewmets, and get more than a little metaphysical...

Discworld has been a part of Grace's life since a kind camp counselor took pity on her silent bookishness and sent her boxes of Terry Pratchett paperbacks from the U.K.. Madeleine has only recently fallen in love with Pratchett's hilarious, disarming fantasy, but we can already tell she's a lifer. If you love cats, filthy cities, misplaced realities, and above all, DEATH, you're in the right place...

After an all-too-endless holiday break, we're back, we're reading, and we're loving on Ella Enchanted . Don't write this well-rounded world off as a children's book - we gained so much from rereading it and Grace had several key epiphanies related to (you guessed it) personal perceptions of food. Do you love love? Then you'll enjoy listening to us attempt to articulate what makes Ella and Char's r...

Yes, it's our first repeat author - and who could it possibly be other than Tamora Pierce? We're discussing Emperor Mage , book 3 of Madeleine's favorite YA fantasy series, The Immortals. Protagonist Daine's wild magic and communication with animals (not to mention international intrigue and plenty of poison) lead us into discussions of animal rights, failing political systems in fantasy worlds, a...

We're getting a little serious this week with The Last Unicorn , but these are dark times, for humans and unicorns alike. Take this chance to pine for immortal beauty and mentally escape the mortal coil. We discuss fantasy and depression, reading books before you're ready, and whether we've ever believed in unicorns. Plus, a Shel Silverstein gem that Grace has linked to this book since childhood....

Dealing with Dragons not only shaped our dragon worldviews, it inspired Grace to write, Madeleine to envision her own fantasy worlds, and both of us to appreciate the scholar (and warrior) within. Revisit the Mountains of Morning and the Enchanted Forest, and wonder: why are wizards such jerks? What IS cherries jubilee? And how can I live in this world forever? Plus: early-aughts pre-adolescent ph...

We could talk about how great Diana Wynne Jones is for days - but can you listen for an hour?? We'll admit that this episode about Howl’s Moving Castle is particularly positive, except for the moments when we argue about Guy Fawkes awareness and muddle through some sibling tension, but we have only good things to say about this joyful take on traditional fairy tales. Also: just how different the b...

It’s time to discuss Alanna: The First Adventure ! Kicking off the splendor and majesty of Tamora Pierce's Tortall books with the one that started it all for us. Talkin bout gender roles, the naming of things, and the eerie coincidence of two episodes in a row featuring an evil Roger. Cut Rogers out of your life today. MUSIC: Pippin the Hunchback by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under C...

Our inaugural episode, featuring a giddy lovefest in which we revert to our teenage selves and gush over Sabriel , by Garth Nix. An extended discussion of the nature of death, matriarchy and unexpected gender roles, and why Madeleine is deathly afraid of the ocean. PLUS - do you remember book fairs?? We do! Get your daily dose of 90's nostalgia and rotting undead armies all in one. MUSIC: Land of...

Hello! My name is Grace Harnois and young adult fantasy basically created my personality. I spent a lot of time reading as a lil kid but now I've lost touch with the books that once mattered the most. My sister, Madeleine, and I will be revisiting these to pay homage to their incredible authors and all they've done for us. Listen to this mini introduction to learn more about why we care. MUSIC: Pi...