Even the Trunchbull

Episode 47 - Fat (Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek and Dim Sum Palace)

It's the long-awaited episode about fat kids in kidlit. We could go on forever about all the negative representation of fatness in children's literature, but it has taken us years to find two books that depict bigger kids in a way that met our standards.

First, we've got the fantastic Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek by Kwame Mbalia. This is an absolute doorstop of a book, and yet, so readable, so quick to read. We chat engaging narrators, playing with the tropes and breaking them when need be. This book is action packed and fun and has so much heart. All aboard!

Then we've got the beautiful Dim Sum Palace by X Fang. Do you have a little baby that's shaped like a dumpling? Then you need to read them this book. It's a gentle going to bed story, a celebration of eating and the pleasure of food, with a brilliant dream sequence. There's also a little diversion into our own childhood dreams.

If you want to see Matt touring Fixing, you can find out more about the tour here https://mattmillertheatre.com/

To support us on Patreon and access bonus content, go here

Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 46 - 80s Girl Power (The Paper Bag Princess and Alanna: The First Adventure)

Today we're looking at books written in the eighties and aiming to empower girls. First up, we have a listener request: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko. So good it was endorsed by the National Organisation for women! We've had a couple of ideas for fanfiction already.

Our chapter book is Alanna: The First Adventure by the inimitable Tamora Pierce. Lots of reading aloud from this brilliant book. We talk about the ways it's aged well (and the ways it hasn't so much). A proper sex and relationships education for a girl starting her period (plus magic contraception)? Learning hand to hand fighting from the king of the thieves? Yes please. We also spend some time bemoaning the cover art from the early 2000s edition.

Remember that's the end of the season, but we will be back in a month!

If you want to see Matt touring Fixing, you can find out more about the tour here https://mattmillertheatre.com/

To support us on Patreon and access bonus content, go here

Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 45 - The New Girl (Super Goat Girl and Jummy at the River School)

It's our annual back to school episode, and this year, we're reading books about being the new girl.

First, we're accompanying Super Goat Girl for her first day in Miss Damsel's classroom. Noodle Boy and Laser Lass aren't sure whether bleating loudly and chomping properly count as superpowers. Miss Damsel says it'll all work out though. And we find out what three ingredients mix together to form a black hole.

Then we're riding the bus with Jummy from Lagos to the River School. It's so exciting, she's passed the exams and now she's in! House rivalries, academic challenge, sports victories and midnight feasts await her. It's a really wonderful school if you can afford to go... 

You can read a sample of Jummy At The River School here

If you want to see Matt touring Fixing, you can find out more about the tour here https://mattmillertheatre.com/

To support us on Patreon and access bonus content, go here

Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 44 - Squawkwels (Freedom Fire and A First Book of Dinosaurs)

This week we're righting past wrongs and returning to a couple of authors we said we'd check back in with and never did. First up is Freedom Fire, from the Dactyl Hill Squad trilogy by Daniel Jose Older, which we started way back in 2020! Magdalys and the squad are flying South to rescue her brother Montez, and the stakes just keep getting higher. We loved this one very much, and we wish it was more readily available in the UK,

Then we're having a little poetry break with Simon Mole's A First Book of Dinosaurs. You might remember Simon from when we covered his debut picture book, and when he came on the show as a guest! We had a great time with these dino poems. Both books this week we just couldn't help reading aloud from.

You can find Simon Mole's poetry shows here

If you want to see Matt touring Fixing, you can find out more about the tour here https://mattmillertheatre.com/

To support us on Patreon and access bonus content, go here

Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 43 - The Writing On The Wall (Little Monster Did It and Illuminations)

This episode is all about scribbles on the wall, whether they be the work of a cheeky little monster, or a malicious scarling. The one person we're sure didn't do it is the child of the house!

First it's a nostalgia trip for Nina as we dive into one of her childhood favourites: Little Monster Did It by Helen Cooper. And for afters we have Illuminations, by T Kingfisher. Is this directly inspired by The Magicians of Caprona, by Diana Wynne Jones? Does it deal appropriately with the implications of creating magical life? And is art still art if it's useful? Tune in to find out the definitive answers to all of the above.

If you want to see Matt touring Fixing, you can find out more about the tour here https://mattmillertheatre.com/

To support us on Patreon and access bonus content, go here

Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 42 - Tower Blocks (Boy in the Tower and The Concrete Garden)

Welcome back! We're kicking back off with a real cracking double act: Boy In The Tower, by Polly Ho-Yen, and The Concrete Garden, by Bob Graham.

 

This episode is all about confinement, loneliness, isolation, but it's also about community, togetherness and taking care of each other. Polly Ho-Yen's Ade is living in a high rise in London as the world crumbles around him (literally!). The children in Bob Graham's book are sheltering in place during lockdown, but still manage to turn their concrete basketball pitch into something communal and beautiful.

 

If you want to see Matt touring Fixing, you can find out more about the tour here https://mattmillertheatre.com/

 

Nina's Moomin podcast, The Podgoblin's Hat, is here 

 

To support us on Patreon and access bonus content, go here

Another way to support us is to shop our picks on our bookshop here

 

The poet we discussed is Rowan McCabe, whose project you can find out about here

 

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

We're back!

Announcing series 7 of Even The Trunchbull! We're so excited to be back reading and chatting with you, so watch this space :-).

 

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 41 - Money (Cash and Those Shoes) with special guest Lisette Auton

This month, our (belated - sorry!) show is all about MONEY. It's a bit of a different one. Our chapter book is non-fiction, and it's called Cash: How to earn it, save it, spend it, grow it, give it, by Rashmi Sirdeshpande. This book was chosen by our very special guest, the wonderful author Lisette Auton. The theme took us on a more freewheeling discussion than usual, about our own educations around money growing up, things we saved our pocket money for, and what Lisette did to make a little extra with her cassette player as a kid! We also had a chat about creative method and writing, and learning how to learn.

 

You can find Lisette's website here and make sure to check out our episode about her debut, The Secret of Haven Point.

Lisette also recommends #WriteMentor, who she does some mentoring for.

Our picture book is Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and Noah Z Jones. This story is a perfect encapsulation of some of the themes covered in the chapter book. It's about wanting something very very much, not being able to afford it, coping with the feelings that arise and finding solidarity for others. It's a really, really great story about Jeremy, who wants Those Shoes he sees advertised on every billboard. The art by Noah Z Jones is stunning.

 

Reminder that we will be taking a break for a few months! In the meantime, Nina's other podcast, the Podgoblin's Hat, has a whole season out ready for your listening pleasure.

 

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 40 - Wishes (Knock Three Times and Wishes)

This month we're reading Knock Three Times, by Cressida Cowell, and Wishes, by Muon Thi Van and Victo Ngai.

Knock Three Times is the third book of a four part series, but anytime is a good time to jump on board thanks to Cressida Cowell's chatty and unnamed narrator. We praise David Tennant's performance of the audiobook very highly, but you'll want the paper book too, so you can look at the pictures. It's a silly adventure story, it's also surprisingly poignant about the difficult relationship between children and their parents.

 

Wishes is a fabulously sparse illustrated poem about migration. Inspired by the author's own experience as a little girl in the 1980s, it's also a much broader, more universal story. We both just loved this one. The illustrations are stunning. No notes.

 

The play Matt mentions is The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

And we talked more about Pook's Hill, or the Learning Place for Spectacularly Gifted Wizards, on our schools special back in September. And if you want to hear more audiobook chat, we recommended specific books and narrators at the end of series 5.

 

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com

Episode 39 - Titans, togas and thunderbolt gods! (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Echo Echo)

It's finally here, it's our Greek myth episode! We kick it all off with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, a titan of early 2000s kids' fantasy that we were a smidge too old for at the time that it came out. We referred to it too when we did our School Stories special if you want to hear more about that kind of stuff. We also compare it to City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda which we talked about on an episode of Fantasy Book Swap with Ali Baker.

 

Then, we get to read a few poems from Echo Echo by Marilyn Singer and Josee Masse and hear Matt do the speediest backpedalling to date on the podcast!

 

What A Wonderful Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com