The Ribbon Book Club

Dear Diary,  Our esteemed royal commentator, Amanda Matta (aka Matta_of_Fact ), is back for another fascinating conversation! This time, we're discussing Cleopatra and her portrayal as a young girl.  How does an author do justice to a historical figure who has often been reduced to a trope? Not to mention a trope that is not always kid-friendly. We chat about walking this literary tight-rope, as w...

Dear Diary,  This week, we are finishing our recap of Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile! Will Cleopatra gain the respect of the Romans? Will she see her beloved home and friends again? Will she get a Disney Channel-worthy montage of her summer by the sea? Get the answers to these questions and more when you tune in! Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen    Join our Discord ! RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBo...

Dear Diary,  Calling all ancient Egypt girlies! This week, we are recapping the first half of Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile. First published in 1999, Kristiana Gregory explores what the Egyptian queen was like as a precocious 12-year-old.  Turns out, the court of the Ptolemaic Pharaohs was full of schemes and deadly plots! Tune in to see if Cleopatra can navigate through the court intrigue a...

Dear Diary, This week, we got to speak with a very exciting guest, Amanda Matta ! Known on social media as Matta_of_Fact , Amanda has made a niche for herself as TikTok's number 1 royal commentator. Amanda shared with us her extensive knowledge of Tudor history: the court life, art, and family drama.  If you want to hear more of Amanda's takes on royal history, check out her podcast, Off With Thei...

Dear Diary,  This week, we are recapping the second half of Red Rose of the House of Tudor: Elizabeth I, and it is JAM PACKED! We've got intrigue, marriage plots, and confirmation that Kat's fear of poison is justified! All this drama has our princess wondering if she'd rather trade the money and privilege for the "simple" life of a peasant. Tune in to hear all about it!  Yours Truly,  Cate and Je...

Dearest Diary!  In the classic way of youthful diaries, we will start with an apology for being away so long! The fall really got away from us, but we are back with a new book and a NEW SERIES.  Join us as we recap the first half of the first Royal Diaries book (a sister series of the Dear America books), all about Elizabeth I. We meet the future queen as a precocious eleven-year-old, desperate fo...

Dear Diary,  Much like a real diary, sometimes we forget to update you in a while! So this week we're taking a step back to where we were this past spring: the Alamo. We had a great conversation with Kolby Lanham from the Alamo Museum . Kolby shared some fascinating stories from the Alamo and gave us the inside scoop on exciting things coming to the Alamo Museum. Thank you to Kolby for joining us!...

Dear Diary,  It's time to finish our recap of A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, and whoooooo boy, what a doozy. What could possibly go wrong when you send a bunch of under-prepared Texians against the Mexican army? Turns out, a lot of death and destruction. This book carries on the proud tradition of seeing how much misery this series can inflict on its main characters. And...

Dear Diary, This week, we are heading to the southwest to learn about the Alamo! Our guide is Sherry Garland, and her 1998 book, A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence.  Lucinda and her family of Mama, Papa, and her creatively named brothers live in the small frontier town of Gonzales near the Guadalupe River. Trouble is brewing between the president of Mexico, Santa Anna, and the...

Dear Diary,  This week, we had the privilege of talking to Paul Lee , who has been studying the history of Titanic for nearly 40 years! Every year, he publishes social media posts in real time , along with the historical events of the fateful voyage of the RMS Titanic. Tune in to hear our discussion on some of the lesser-known stories of Titanic and about remembering the humanity of all those affe...

Dear Diary,  We're here with part 2 of our recap of A Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, and it's a DOOZY. Flirting and snobbery abound before the fateful striking of the iceberg. But what becomes of our cast of characters? Will Margaret and Mrs. Carstairs bond over their shared trauma? Will Robert make it to safety? And will we make it through an episode without crying...

Dear Diary, We made it to one of our most anticipated books of this series: Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady! It was written by Ellen Emerson White and published in 1998. Boy, were the late 1990s a fantastic time to hyperfocus on the Titanic. In this story, we meet Margaret, a precocious orphan from Whitechapel. Margaret's life is about to be turned upside down when she...

Dear Diary,  For our historical note, we had the privilege of speaking with Barbara "Bluejay" Michalski, the Chief and Keeper of Culture of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. Chief Bluejay shared with us some of the stories and projects she works on to carry on the traditions of her people.  Tune in to hear her thoughts on settler/Indigenous relations in the 1700s and how this history can be expla...

Dear Diary,  We made another friend! Julia Carpenter is a journalist, writer, and creator from New York who loves women's history just like us! She has a great Substack called A Woman To Know where she uncovers some great stories about women in history. Also, she's been rereading the Dear America books and talking about them on her TikTok account, @juliaccarpenter .  Tune in to hear our conversati...

Dear Diary,  Wow! What an emotional journey we've been on with this book! Join us as we recap the second half of Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catherine Carey Logan written by Mary Pope Osborne.  In the story's second half, Caty continues going through the stages of grief and seems to accept her new place in the Lenape tribe. We learn more about her adopted family and the mysterious...

Dear Diary,  It's a new book, and we (mostly Jen) were so worried about this one! Mary Pope Osborne takes on a huge challenge with her book, Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan. Our main character, Catharine (Caty), is a Quaker living with her family on the frontier of Pennsylvania in 1763. Tensions with local Native American tribes are high after a series of broken t...

Dear Diary,  It's guest-pert day! This week, we have not one, but TWO guests to talk to us about the real history of life in the tenements of the Lower East Side. Read on to get to know our guests a little better!  Kathryn Lloyd is the Vice President of Programs and Interpretation at the Tenement Museum, where she oversees museum programming and educator training to explore social issues through p...

Dear Diary,  This week, we're finishing our recap of Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl. What an action-packed second half! This book has everything: family drama, tragic deaths, labor issues, entrepreneurship, and Yiddish theater! Join us as we dig deeper into Zippy's first year in America.  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @Ribb...

Dear Diary, Fall is here, and we're back in the podcast saddle! This week we're starting our discussion on Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl. The book was written by Kathryn Laskey (her second of the series) and was published in 1998.  Zipporah (Zippy), her Mama, and two sisters have just arrived at Ellis Island after fleeing Russian pogroms. Whil...

Dear Diary, This week we are wrapping up our discussion on West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Theresa Angelino Viscardi! And boy, there is so much to discuss.  We pick up where we left off, with the Viscardis and Co. who have exchanged a steam train for a wagon train and are making their way across the Dakotas. Disease and death plague the travellers and families are forced to make tough decis...

Dear Diary,  New story time! Today we are starting our recap of West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Theresa Angelino Viscardi. This story takes place in 1883 and follows Theresa and her family as they travel west to the Idaho Territory. The book was written by Jim Murphey (his first Dear America book) and published in 1998.  The first half of this book mostly takes place on a train, but to avoi...

Dear Diary,  We made another new friend! Added to our collection of National Parks Service Ranger guests is Ranger Sam Mischke from the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort, South Carolina.  Sam told us the fascinating history of Beaufort's role as a hub for the Union Army and freed African Americans beginning in 1861. We talk about different ideas about how best to bring the co...

Dear Diary,  Today we accomplished a true feat by charging through the rest of Patsy's story! Join us as we power through to find out what happens to Patsy and the rest of the freed folk of Davis plantation.  Will they ever get a teacher? Will Patsy choose her new name?  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music...

Dear Diary,  This week we are cracking open a new book! I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl was written by Joyce Hansen and published in 1997. It was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 1998, which recognizes "outstanding books for young adults and children by African Americans that reflect the African American experience." In this book, we meet Patsy, a 12-y...

Dear Diary,  We have a special extra treat for you! We are here with a further historical note about the Irish Famine with author, Susan Campbell Bartoletti ! Bartoletti is an author and speaker who does not shy away from tough topics in history. We had her on the show to talk about writing history and historical fiction for young readers. We also had a lot of questions for Susan about her book, B...