Episode 51.5: It All Comes Back to the Animorphs

Mailbag 4!

In this episode:

  • Jenny, Ted, and Gray discuss comments and questions from listeners

  • Middle grade authors on Twitter

  • Trans Tobias

  • Esplin’s Gender

  • Australia

  • Stuff Ted Laughed At

  • The Council rules against war crimes

  • Taxxonomy

  • Animal insights, starring antechinus

  • Science corner, starring a new jingle and helpless stupid giggling

  • Ted-slowly-driving-Gray-crazy corner

  • Andalite language

  • Disability

  • Reflections, including book recs and character arcs

  • Ending feels

  • Speculation/head canons, including the Helmacrons and related puns

  • Cassie’s choice

  • Pokemon trainers 

  • Book rankings

Media recommendations from the Council:

  • Buffy

  • Avatar: The Last Airbender

  • Worm, the online series

  • Book recs:

    • Heists

      • Six of Crows Duology (Leigh Bardugo)

      • The Gilded Wolves (Roshani Chokshi)

      • Gentleman Bastard trilogy (Scott Lynch)

      • The Thief (Megan Turner)

    • Found Family

      • Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Becky Chambers)

      • Howl’s Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones)

      • Not Your Sidekick (C.B. Lee)

      • Akata Witch (Nnedi Okorafor)

      • Counting By 7s (Holly Goldberg Sloan)

      • Lumberjanes (Noelle Stevenson)

    • War is Hell

      • Lots of non fiction and war-centric fiction

    • Juxtaposition of having a normal life and having to save the world

      • Blade so Black (L.L. McKinney)

      • Sunshine (Robin McKinley)

    • Shapeshifters

      • Wild Magic (Tamora Pierce)

      • The Cloud Roads (Martha Wells)

    • ETA: How sapient species share the universe (H/T guest host Jeremy for pointing this out)

      • Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin)

      • Ender’s Game series (Orson Scott Card)

      • Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Becky Chambers)