Books Are Back
Kids & Family Podcasts
Ursula reads books that her mother remembers as childhood favourites, and then they discuss whether they stand the test of time.
Location:
United Kingdom
Genres:
Kids & Family Podcasts
Description:
Ursula reads books that her mother remembers as childhood favourites, and then they discuss whether they stand the test of time.
Twitter:
@Booksareback1
Language:
English
Email:
catherinemaccoll@aol.com
Episodes
The Phantom Tolbooth
8/5/2021
Norton Juster's Phantom Tolbooth is the gateway to a fantastical land filled with strange characters who provide the young hero with food for thought as he tries to rescue the Princesses Rhyme and Reason.
Duration:00:27:41
The Family From One End Street
7/22/2021
Eve Garnett's classic stories about The Family from One End Street broke new ground when they were published in 1937. In this episode you can listen to us discuss the strong contrast with modern parenting and hear Catherine's horror as Ursula fantasises about stowing away on a cargo ship.
Duration:00:31:35
Murder Most Unladylike
7/8/2021
Ursula and Catherine reverse their usual roles for a discussion of Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens, a stone cold classic in the modern children's murder mystery genre.
Duration:00:32:33
A Necklace of Raindrops
6/24/2021
Joan Aiken's stories remind Ursula and Catherine of fairy tales, and they also look closely at Jan Pienkowski's incredible illustrations.
Duration:00:23:27
The Secret of the Old Clock
5/27/2021
We compare a Nancy Drew book to modern detective stories and solve the mystery of the identity of Carolyn Keene.
Duration:00:24:34
The Spy's Guidebook
5/13/2021
Disguises! Secret messages! Tracking the enemy! Ursula, Catherine and their special guest learnt all these and more from this Usborne favourite.
Duration:00:27:51
The Sword in the Stone
4/29/2021
T H White's retelling of the Arthurian Legends began here, in the book from which Catherine learnt more about falconry than she ever knew she knew.
Duration:00:36:08
Auntie Robbo
4/15/2021
Ann Scott-Moncrieff's novel was originally rejected as "too Scottish and too irresponsible." Neither Catherine nor Ursula let this put them off.
Duration:00:32:02
The Magician's Nephew
4/1/2021
The first book in C S Lewis's Narnia Chronicles was a better read for Ursula than it was for Catherine. We discuss why, and also whether it is in fact the first book in the series.
Duration:00:25:38
How to Eat Fried Worms
3/18/2021
Ursula and Catherine enjoyed different aspects of Thomas Rockwell's story, which is about exactly what it says on the cover. This episode features discussion on censorship and also gastronomy, obviously.
Duration:00:23:31
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
3/4/2021
Ursula and Catherine discuss sci-fi classic Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien, bemoaning the fact that their copy seems to have the ugliest cover of any edition so far published.
Duration:00:20:49
The Ultimate Alphabet
2/18/2021
In episode eight Catherine and Ursula discuss art, anamorphic projection and also The Ultimate Alphabet by Mike Wilks. Check @BooksAreBack1 on Twitter or @booksarebackpod on Instagram for some pictures to help make sense of this astonishing book
Duration:00:25:20
The Swish of the Curtain
2/4/2021
Catherine rakes her recollection for details of a beautiful blue dress while Ursula fills her in on every detail but that one of Pamela Brown's classic about a theatre company founded by seven children.
Duration:00:28:23
My Friend Mr Leakey
1/21/2021
In this episode, Catherine discovers that author J.B.S. Haldane was "astonishingly interesting", but can Ursula say the same about his only creation for children, the magician Mr Leakey?
Duration:00:23:22
Little House in the Big Woods
1/6/2021
Join Ursula and Catherine as they tackle the episodic style of Laura Ingalls Wilder's classic tales of her childhood, beginning in the Little House in the Big Woods.
Duration:00:31:33
A Child's Christmas in Wales
12/23/2020
Normal service is interrupted when Catherine and Ursula feel the need to get into the festive spirit, hurriedly reading Dylan Thomas's classic in time for Christmas.
Duration:00:25:16
Help! I am a Prisoner in a Toothpaste Factory.
12/16/2020
Ursula and Catherine are not the only members of the family to have read Help! I am a Prisoner in a Toothpaste Factory by John Antrobus. So this episode features a special guest appearance.
Duration:00:18:44
Ordinary Jack
12/6/2020
Ursula and Catherine don't both find the humour in Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell. But can mother make daughter laugh by throwing in a couple of modest character voices when reading aloud?
Duration:00:24:02
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
12/6/2020
In their first episode, Ursula and Catherine discuss Hugh Lofting's novel, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. Ursula read it last week. Catherine read it last century. Luckily, they've both seen the film.
Duration:00:23:12