Tales from Childhood Bookworms

We are talking about a specific type of book this episode, though we only read one the many in the series. We are skipping pages and trying out multiple endings in the Choose Your Own Adventure genre through War With the Mutant Spider Ants by Edward Packard.  Note: No co-hosts or spiders were harmed in this episode.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This month we are enjoying a delicacy of a book, with How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell. Get ready for some strange food combinations and a lot of boyhood disagreements!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  

This episode we are going back to the wilderness in Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, and are joined by our friend (and more experienced camper) Dylan as we join our stranded teen in the Canadian wilderness.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode we are mixing it up! We take a look at some popular and more recent books to share with you. Some were recommended by kids themselves! Let us know if you’ve read any of our suggestions, and what some books your kids are enjoying.  Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We hope everyone had a happy holiday season! This episode is a bit delayed, we were both down with illness and then holidays. But we are ending (and beginning!) the year with one of Marie's favorite books, The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman. This is the oldest book we've read so far, and even if you think you know the story you probably have never read the original. Join us as we battle mice and possibly journey to Narnia!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Happy Thanksgiving to all! This month we are reading "The Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell, a fascinating story based on a real Native American woman who lived alone on an island in the mid 1800's. This book is also perfect for Native American Heritage month, exploring both island and indigenous life. We do have some trouble with math at the beginning of the episode that makes a few numbers confusing, so bear with us until our revelation hits at about the 20 min mark or so.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are back into the spooky season with another ghost book, though this one is more sweet than scary! This month's book is the first in the Black Cat Club series, "The Ghost Who Ate Chocolate", by Susan Saunders. It's a quick read, and features a ghost in a library which is always fun.  We also talked about ghosts and other books briefly, with Marie sharing her own ghost story!    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode was a bit delayed due to illness, but we still need the tissues! Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls is a childhood classic yet deeply moving. Whether you read it as a child, or have just now picked up the book (like our recovering book worm Marie), this episode we dive into the Ozarks with the sweetest dogs ever.   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are taking our Master Librarian cards and proving ourselves to the one and only Merlin in the last installment of our Summer Series! We are looking at the Merlin Mission series of the Magic Tree House, which are a bit longer for older readers but still full of historical events and scientific information. We (aka Karla) also answer some questions from previous quartets and new ones presented to us.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are diving into the next quartet of the Magic Tree House series, and on a mission to become Master Librarians! As adults we definitely had some questions for Morgan but as kids we were on board for every task. This series really exemplifies learning while reading, and this quartet especially feels like Mary Pope Osbourne found her stride with writing these books.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are back in the Magic Tree House for books 5-8, and this time we have to save Morgan! Joining us this week is Casey as we dive into the next four adventures. We have a few random factoids as well, which we will verify if they are correct at some point.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  

Happy summer to all! We are going on our first adventures with the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourne, and there are so many books involved! This series is a classic for 90s kids for a reason. We got a few facts wrong at the beginning, but that didn’t change our enjoyment of the books and the characters.  Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

3...2...1...and we are off! Join us as we read the scifi classic Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron. This story features a classic adventure of going to space, with a surprisingly quick turn around in all the action that happens. Don't forget the chicken though.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We jump into an old series (with a family legacy) with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. This is another book we both read and loved, though reading it as grown-ups does present a different perspective. But we would still love to have tea with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle in her upside down house!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  

We're taking up the mantle of crime solvers this week, and joining the boy detective to solve 10 cases in the first Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol! We both read these as kids, with very different expectations of how to read an interactive case book. Mild spoilers for some of the mysteries, but we'll call it a hint system in case you also get stuck on the ones we did!    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are finishing our discussion of Little Women, or Good Wives as it was originally published. Join us three years after the first half of the book as the March sisters face new challenges that are still surprisingly relatable!    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

For the holiday season we are going back to the 1800's with Louisa May Alcott's Little Women! We'll be reading the first part of the modern story, originally published as it's own volume. Despite this being the oldest book we've read, it still has a lot of value for modern readers, and is a thoroughly enjoyable read!    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We dive into a scifi-esque story about a couple of kids who develop superpowers! We read "6th Grade Mutants Meet the Slime" by Laura E. Williams. But the stakes aren't as high as modern superhero stories, making it a fun story with a good message about how good helping others is. Of course, now the question is which superpower is the best to have?      Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are joined by Casey as we read the Bailey School Kids series books one and two! These are really fun and silly monster books, which Marie also enjoyed as a child.    Follow us on Facebook at Tales From Childhood Bookworms for more book related discussion!    Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  

We are picking up a lighter read that asks the question: What would happen if a dachshund puppy rewrote Harry Potter? Marie's pick tackles just that question, we we dive into the third book written by "Howie". This is a fun and quick read, with plenty of silliness and a surprising amount of literary advice.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We met up one more time to discuss our summer reading, and answered a few questions about the books. This episode was originally live-streamed to Karla's facebook page, and is now available in audio!  Did we answer all your questions about Narnia? Let us know, and thanks for going on this journey with us!    Follow us on Facebook at Tales From Childhood Bookworms for more book related discussion!    Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"Narnia is no more." We've reached the final book in C. S. Lewis' world of Narnia, which has several twists in it as we follow the last king of Narnia and learn the fate of the beloved characters from books past.    Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  

We're hopping back to the before times, with an introduction to a familiar face and a few new ones! We discussed a few broad questions as well about the world of Narnia before digging into the book, including the use of magic and a multiverse.    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We dive into book five of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy! This book takes place during the events of the first book, so we are time hopping back a bit as well as visiting a neigh-boring country. We didn't expect to have so much to cover with this one, but there were several interesting details we dug into!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We get a new cast of characters for the next book in Narnia with book 4, The Silver Chair. We went loner than planned for this book, despite it being one of Karla's least favorites. But as Scrubb and Pole learn, the journey is part of the adventure! 

We are onto the next book in our Summer Series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader! In book three of the Chronicles of Narnia, we set sail with the crew to explore some pretty fun islands (mostly). And discover the true hero of the story is Reepicheep, at least according to Karla!    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome to the first book of our 2024 Summer Series! We are going back into Narnia with the second published book by C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian. Karla is excited to introduce her favorite character, and Marie has some questions but a few answers as well.    Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It's official! This summer we will be reading the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia! We read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe back in December. But since Marie hasn't read them, we figured this would be a great series to do a full discussion over. Be sure to check out our facebook page for a printable list to read along at home!

We were excited to have found a series both of us read (though Karla clearly remembers it better). This episode we are looking back at the Boxcar Children books 1-3 since they form a short trilogy. But there are a lot more in the series if you find yourself nostalgic! Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode we are taking a nature walk through The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett! This is one of Marie's favorites, and we enjoyed all the beautiful descriptions of the garden as we read it. Be warned, by the end you will want to join us in a garden of your own!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We continue our discussion of Pippi Longstocking this week, and do try to stay on track. Though the rambling conversation does follow the book theme at least!    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This week we read our first guest's pick, Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. Karla's daughter Jayla joins us as we decide if Pippi would be our best friend, or if we would sympathize with her teachers. You will realize we went all over this episode (which is fitting for the book actually), so we had to split the discussion into two parts. But please join us for a very fun picnic anyway!   Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are starting the year off with the first book of Marie's forgotten childhood favorites, "Mandy and the Secret Tunnel" by Lois Gladys Leppard. This Christian book series starts off a bit grim, but quickly shifts into a fun mystery series inspired by the author's own family.    Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We are back for the second part of our discussion of the first (or second) book in the Chronicles of Narnia! The second half of the book has a lot more to cover, and did raise a few literary questions for Marie as you will soon hear. But we loved it all the same. (This may also lead to more discussion of the series. But that will be another episode!)   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Travel with us through the wardrobe in the classic story by C. S. Lewis! This is one of Karla's favorites, and somehow Marie's first time reading the book. We had so much to cover and talk about. Enjoy part one of our discussion, and we'll see you again in part two!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Karla brings her very well loved copy of this week's read to the Thanksgiving table, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. Definitely a classic, and a book commonly read in schools. Join us as we see what chaos Wilber and his friends can cause this episode!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We weren't big readers for scary stories, but we loved mysteries! Marie's pick this month has a mystery about a ghost, so it's a great introduction to a spookier genre!   Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Marie's book this episode is Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. The classic tale of Cinderella gets a new spin with a relatable protagonist and still all the romance of a fairy tale!  Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | //www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by //www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) //creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

We pick up our discussion of Karla's favorite books, Anne of Green Gables. This is a much longer book than most we could pick, and there is so much to talk about still!    Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Join us for part one of our discussion of Karla's favorite book, "Anne of Green Gables" by L. M. Montgomery. This is a much longer book than we anticipated, and in the first part of our talk we cover a lot of chapters that work well for younger readers.  Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

This episode Marie brought one of her favorite books in, "101 Ways to Bug Your Parents" by Lee Wardlaw. Despite the title, the book is a very good coming of age book with a whole cast of characters to enjoy.  Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

In our first episode, we read one of Karla's favorites, "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume. This book is a time capsule of a different decade, but is still enjoyable today!  Music: Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Welcome Dear Readers, to Tales from Childhood Bookworms! In this intro episode meet your hosts as we talk a bit about why we started this podcast and what our hopes are for it. It involves reading, as we are sure you guessed!   Follow us on Facebook at Tales From Childhood Bookworms for more book related discussion!    Fly Faster Chicken by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/