Episodes

  • 153 – What’s YOUR Favorite Scary Story?

    153 – What’s YOUR Favorite Scary Story?
    Oct 31 2024
    I loved Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a kid. Alvin Schwartz’ retellings and Stephen Gammell’s bonechilling drawings kept me hypnotized. The excitement and fun of a good scary story has kept these books popular for generations. What’s YOUR favorite Scary Story?
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    4 mins
  • 152 – Another Celebrity Children’s Book

    152 – Another Celebrity Children’s Book
    Oct 25 2024
    ANOTHER celebrity has decided to dabble in writing for children. Whooptie-doo. In more exciting news, co-host Chloë has checked out not just one Max Crumbly book from the library to read during the school break but also THREE volumes of the Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell. Opinion: Another Celebrity Children’s Book I spotted a … Continue reading "152 – Another Celebrity Children’s Book"
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    15 mins
  • 151 – Why Can’t University Students Read?

    151 – Why Can’t University Students Read?
    Oct 21 2024
    A recent article in The Atlantic caught my attention. “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books” by Rose Horowitch shares stories from professors at elite schools who have found that over the last 20 years (the time period in which kids got smartphones . . . hmmm . . .) students’ attention spans have … Continue reading "151 – Why Can’t University Students Read?"
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    15 mins
  • 150th Episode Mailbag!!!

    150th Episode Mailbag!!!
    Oct 10 2024
    We’ve reached 150 Episodes!! We can hardly believe it and are celebrating by answering questions from YOU. Find out what kind of hate mail we’ve been getting, what happens to poor Chloë when Mom starts geeking out about the Silmarillion, which Taylor Swift songs are our favorites, and a lot more! The format of the … Continue reading "150th Episode Mailbag!!!"
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    27 mins
  • 149 – The Voice of Rohan

    149 – The Voice of Rohan
    Oct 4 2024
    Howard Shore carefully brought the text of The Lord of the Rings to life in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, choosing instruments and melodies that the people of Middle-Earth could have created for themselves. No theme shows this better than the one that speaks for the people of Rohan, from the clever selection of a Hardanger … Continue reading "149 – The Voice of Rohan"
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    27 mins
  • 148 – The Voice of The Shire

    148 – The Voice of The Shire
    Sep 17 2024
    Just two episodes to go before our 150th Episode celebration! This time you’ll hear: – A tribute to James Earl Jones, who had a bigger impact on children’s literacy than you might realize! – What we are reading now. Chloë is enjoying The Misadventures of Max Crumbly and T.Q. is cracking open a comic book … Continue reading "148 – The Voice of The Shire"
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    20 mins
  • 147 – Tolkien About Music

    147 – Tolkien About Music
    Sep 4 2024
    This is the first episode in a series about how Howard Shore’s film score for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy drew directly on the text of the book, supporting the story at all times. There’s also a bit of show business to attend to, including some great conversations I’ve been having with listeners, … Continue reading "147 – Tolkien About Music"
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    13 mins
  • 146 – Snow Much Drama

    146 – Snow Much Drama
    Aug 26 2024
    The drama around Snow White, the troubled remake of Disney’s 1937 masterpiece, is unfortunate because it really was unnecessary! Just a little bit of familiarity with the folktale published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 could have spared the filmmakers (and some outspoken actors) a lot of time and trouble. Also in this episode, you … Continue reading "146 – Snow Much Drama"
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    16 mins