On this episode, we discuss Esther Forbes's Newbery Medal-winning 1943 novel Johnny Tremain, the story of an apprentice silversmith in Boston who gets caught up in the events leading up to the American Revolution. Mentioned on this episode:Other books by Esther Forbes:Paul Revere and the World He Lived In (1942), winner of the 1943 Pulitzer Prize for History.The General's Lady (1938)Miss Marvel (1935)Also mentioned:The 1957 Disney movie adaptation of Johnny Tremain (trailer here)Gadsby's Tavern, in Alexandria, Virginia, which was built in 1770 and is now a museum and restaurant. Mary Grace went there with her sixth grade class. The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward, illustrator of Johnny Tremain, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1953. The American Antiquarian Society, of which Esther Forbes was the first woman memberRedcoat in Boston by Ann FinlaysonRecommended for fans of Johnny Tremain:Mary Grace: Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution by Gretchen Wolfe. (Deborah did an author interview on this book on her blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.) Mary Grace mentions that there are several picture books about Revolutionary War-era African American scientist Benjamin Banneker. These include Dear Benjamin Banneker by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney.Deborah: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1958) Other Rereading Our Childhood episodes mentioned:Rereading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson BurnettRereading The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George SpeareYou can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com and Mary Grace’s adventures in the 1920s on her blog, My Life 100 Years Ago.This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com
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34:45
Rereading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
On this episode, we reread Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved 1911 classic The Secret Garden, about Mary, a neglected girl who discovers a garden on her uncle's Yorkshire estate that has been locked up for ten years. We discuss the magic of secret places and Hodgson's surprising ties to the United States, including periods living in a Tennessee log cabin and in Washington, D.C.Mentioned on this episode:Other books by Burnett:A Little Princess(originally published as Sara Crewe) (1905)Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886)Through One Administration(1881), an adult novel about politics and society in Washington, D.C.Also mentioned:The serialization of The Secret Garden in American Magazine beginning in November 1910The 2020 film adaptation, with Colin Firth as Mary's uncle (trailer here)The 1987 Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation, also featuring Colin Firth, this time as grown-up Colin (trailer here)The 1949 film adaptation, starring Margaret O'Brien (trailer here)Deborah's recommendations for fans of The Secret Garden: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; Rebeccaby Daphne du Maurier; The Secret Garden retellings on Goodreads, including The Painted Gardenby Noel Streatfeild Mary Grace's recommendations for fans of The Secret Garden: Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. (There is a brief review of the book on the 1919 book list on her blog, My Life 100 Years Ago.)You can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com and Mary Grace’s adventures in the 1920s on her blog, My Life 100 Years Ago.This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com
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31:38
Rereading Little Town on the Prairie, with Judith Kalb
We were delighted to welcome our first guest, Judith Kalb, to talk about Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little Town on the Prairie (1941), the seventh book in the beloved Little House series. Judy is, in addition to being Deborah's sister, a literature scholar and a lifelong Laura Ingalls Wilder fan.Mentioned on this episode: Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, by Laura Ingalls WilderThe Complete Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web by E.B. WhiteThe Beautiful Snow: The Ingalls Family, the Railroads, and the Hard Winter of 1880-81 by Cindy WilsonPrairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline FraserConfessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison ArngrimA post on Little Town on the Prairie on the website American Indians in Children's Literature.Recommended for Little House fans:Judy: The rest of the series, especially These Happy Golden YearsMary Grace: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Two are Better Than One and Louly by Carol Ryrie BrinkDeborah: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. You can find Deborah at deborahkalb.com and Mary Grace at My Life 100 Years Ago. This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com
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50:29
Our Favorite Children's Books from 60 Years Ago
For our last episode of 2024, we talked about our favorite children's books of 60 years ago, which we defined as 1964-1966---a great era for children's books. Here are our favorites, but it's more fun if you listen to the episode first. We disqualified books that we've done episodes on. Mary Grace's top five:5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.4. The Strange Light by James Reeves3. Ismo by John Verney2. The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander1. The Long Secret by Louise FitzhughDeborah's top five:5. The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill. 4. Apples Every Day by Grace Richardson3. The Noonday Friends by Mary Stolz2. Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell and Lillian Hoban1. The Long Secret by Louise FitzhughHonorable Mentions:Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan CooperNightbirds on Nantucket by Joan AikenThe Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L'EngleHenry Reed's Babysitting Service by Keith RobertsonChitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang by Ian FlemingYou can find Deborah at her author website and Mary Grace at My Life 100 Years Ago.This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com
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25:33
Rereading The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
On this episode, we read Susan Cooper's 1973 novel The Dark is Rising, which was a Newbery Honor Book. It's the story of Will, a British boy who discovers on his eleventh birthday that he's the last of the Old Ones, destined to fight against the forces of the Dark. It takes place over the period from the winter solstice to the 12th day of Christmas, so it's a great December read. (If the whole "British boy/eleventh birthday" thing sounds familiar, Cooper is considered by many to have influenced J.K. Rowling.) Mentioned on this episode: Other books in the The Dark is Rising series:Over Sea, Under Stone (1965)Greenwitch (1974)The Grey King (1975)Silver on the Tree (1977)Also by Susan Cooper:Dawn of Fear (1970)Recommended for fans of The Dark is Rising: The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, and Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (Deborah); The Once and Future King by T.H. White and the Callendar family series, including Friday's Tunnel and February's Road, by John Verney. You can find Deborah’s author interviews on her blog, Books Q&A by Deborah Kalb, and Mary Grace’s adventures in the 1920s on her blog, My Life 100 Years Ago.This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.Podcast website at rereadingourchildhood.com
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