Down The Rabbit Hole

Sep 26 2023 114 ep. 34 mins 123

Down The Rabbit Hole Podcast artwork

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE is a podcast for grown-ups who love children's books. Each week, our hosts Caroline Carpenter, Hannah Love, Charlie Morris and Sam Sedgman welcome special guests for wide-ranging chats about our new discoveries and perennial favourites, from picture books to young adult novels and everything in-between.

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Bears with Hannah Gold and Sophy Henn

Sep 26 2023 45 mins

Pack your marmalade sandwiches, because this week we're going on a bear hunt - and we're NOT scared. Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear, and Sophy Henn, writer and illustrator of Where Bear? join Sam on a quest through the rabbit hole's bookshelves to find the best bears in children's fiction. Along the way, we discover why bears are especially good animals to dr

Feminism in YA with Laura Bates and Holly Bourne

Sep 19 2023 39 mins

This week we're joined by two brilliant writers to discuss the role feminism has played in Young Adult novels. Laura Bates, creator of Everyday Sexism and the author of Men Who Hate Women now brings us Sisters of Sword and Shadow, an epic YA fantasy reimagining Arthurian legend with a fearless sisterhood of knights. And Holly Bourne, bestselling author of Am I Normal Yet? and T

Fantasy Trilogies with Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Katherine Rundell

Sep 12 2023 50 mins

Down the Rabbit Hole is back for a new season! And we begin with wild and untamed adventures, courtesy of two incredible authors and friends of the podcast: Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Katherine Rundell, who join us to talk about their brand new fantasy trilogies being released this autumn: In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen and Impossible Creatures. We ask - why is three the magic n

Killer Reads with Maureen Johnson and Ravena Guron

Dec 27 2022 31 mins

Charlie Morris and Caroline Carpenter are getting to the bottom of what makes a Killer Read in YA mysteries and thrillers. Joining us on the case are Maureen Johnson author of a brand new Stevie Bell mystery, Nina Liars, and debut YA author Ravena Guron, author of This Book Kills.From a reluctant detective in British Indian scholarship student Jess Choudhary to the crime-solving af

Reimagining London with Patrice Lawrence and SF Said

Dec 20 2022 50 mins

Grab your A to Z, mind the gap, and watch out for dragons guarding the city gates. On today's episode of Down the Rabbit Hole we're taking a trip to the edge of reality, and exploring stories that reimagine London by blending fantasy and history together. And in this sprawling city of myth and legend, who's to say where the boundary is? Helping Sam swim through the long-buried rive

Christmas Countdown with Special Guests

Dec 13 2022 61 mins

Caroline, Charlie, Hannah and Sam gather round the tree for our annual Christmas spectacular! An extra-special bumper episode packed with holiday treats and book recommendations, as well as three very special authors and illustrators who've popped down the chimney to share some particularly festive tales. Plus, we chat about some of our favourite books from 2022. Follow Mel Taylor-

Mid-season update!

Nov 29 2022 1 mins

Hi listeners! There's no new episode this week as we're taking a bit of a mid-season break. But stay tuned - in two weeks we'll be back with plenty more brilliant children's book chat to get you geared up for the festive season. -- Our music is Hustle by Kevin MacLeod from incompetech.com, licensed by Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Supervillains with Maz Evans and Louie Stowell

Nov 22 2022 48 mins

Grab your capes and start practising your evil cackles, because this week we're celebrating all things wicked with an episode about supervillains! Caroline is joined by Louie Stowell, author of the Loki series, and Maz Evans, author of the Vi Spy series, as we discuss our favourite baddies in children's literature and explore what makes them so terribly fun to read and write about.

Dragons with Caryl Lewis and David Owen

Nov 15 2022 43 mins

This week, we're getting our claws into a trend that's oh so hot right now - dragons! Join Caroline and Sam, along with special author guests Caryl Lewis and David Owen, on a flight through some of our favourite stories featuring these roar-some creatures as well as a deep dive into the mythology surrounding them, all while firing out more puns than you can shake a scaly tail at. P

Autumn with Katya Balen and M. G. Leonard

Nov 08 2022 46 mins

Grab your chunky knitwear and wellington boots, everyone! This week we're getting cozy and jumping into a big pile of leaves to celebrate the best of autumnal children's books. Joining us around the bonfire are Katya Balen, winner of the 2022 Carnegie Medal for October, October and M. G. Leonard, bestselling author of the prize-winning The Twitchers series. Listen as we explore why