If you’ve been missing SSR’s signature approach to the literary throwbacks of your teen and tween years, the wait is over! Episode 277 marks our official return to the pod’s usual format—and this time, it’s all about Gail Carson Levine’s The Two Princesses of Bamarre. Published in 2001, the book is a story of bravery and sisterhood, and it creates space for conversations about so many of our favorite tropes from kid lit of the early aughts. Alli and her guest also explore the connection between fairy retellings (like Gail Carson Levine’s work, including Ella Enchanted) and the wildly popular romantasy trend of 2024 (think Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses).

Chelsey Feder of @chelseyreads, Novel Pairings, and The Eclectic Reader is back for a record-breaking FOURTH appearance!