We were thrilled to get the chance to sit down with Peter Donnelly, one of Ireland's foremost illustrators and picturebook makers, to discuss life, work, inspiration, and everything in between! Listen in for a chance to hear about how Peter was inspired by a mountain, and how NOT getting into art college was the best thing that ever happened to him. If you've ever wondered: how did Peter Donnelly come up with the brilliant idea to write a picturebook about the President of Ireland, then you've found your happy place. Come and join us as we winkle out Peter Donnelly's Storyshaped secrets!

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Peter's own:

The President's Glasses

The President's Cat

The President's Dog

The President's Surprise

The Dead Zoo

The Great Discovery

Up on the Mountain

Little Wolf

And the stories that shaped him include:

The Cat in the Hat, by Dr Seuss

The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by PJ Lynch

The work of PJ Lynch

Monty Python, British TV comedy

The Prince of Egypt, animated movie on which Peter worked

Anastasia, animated movie on which Peter worked

Tilly and Friends, by Polly Dunbar

This is Ireland, by Miroslav Sacek

The work of Mac Barnett

The work of Jon Klassen

The Fairy Isle, by Síne Quinn, illustrated by Dermot Flynn

Beanie the Bansheenie, by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by Steve McCarthy

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready to pull on your nonsense shoes and go dancing on the kooky side of the street as we chat to the brilliant Nathanael (Nate) Lessore, author of the hilarious Steady for This and King of Nothing for teen readers, and Solving Crimes is NOT My Superpower, for slightly younger readers. This conversation will answer all the questions you have about life, including the most important one: how DO you give CPR to a mosquito? I mean, you can't deny it's something we've all wondered about...

Find Nate online HERE

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Nate's own:

Steady for This

King of Nothing

Solving Crimes is NOT My Superpower, illustrated by Simran Diamond Singh

And the stories which have shaped him include:

Avocado Baby, by John Burningham

Burglar Bill, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Double Act, by Jacqueline Wilson

The Lottie Project, by Jacqueline Wilson

Tracey Beaker (TV series), original novels by Jacqueline Wilson

Vicky Angel, by Jacqueline Wilson

Scribble Boy, by Philip Ridley

Harry Potter, by JK Rowling

Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman

Knife Edge, by Malorie Blackman

The work of Flannery O'Connor

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

Glasgow Boys, by Margaret McDonald

TV Shows:

Scrubs

Friends

Boondocks

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Family Guy

Spiderman (comic books)

The work of Spike Milligan

Conn of the Dead, by Dave Rudden

The Door of No Return, by Kwame Alexander

Happy Head, by Josh Silver

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Storyshaped chat is a feast for the soul. We were delighted to get a chance to sit down with Kel Menton, debut author, and talk to them all about their brilliant first novel, A Fix of Light, and the stories that have shaped not only the book, but Kel themself. We went on a fantastic trip from local ghost-lore to titans of the fantasy genre all the way to the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda - because, of course you'd end up there! Come on and join us for a fantastic meander through a marvellously Storyshaped life.

Find Kel on their newsletter, Marginalia

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Kel's own:

A Fix of Light

And the stories which have shaped them include:

The Sleeping Giant, by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Cailín an Bhúrna/Colleen of the Barley, a local ghost story

The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Inkheart trilogy, by Cornelia Funke

Reckless, by Cornelia Funke

Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett

Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo

The work of John Green

The Ruby Redfort books, by Lauren Child

Beowulf, the Old English epic (HWAET!)

Judith and Holofernes, the Old English poem

The Poetic Edda

The Prose Edda, compiled by Snorri Sturluson

Summer Sons, by Lee Mandelo

All For the Game, by Nora Sakavic

Don't Let the Forest In, by CG Drews

The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu

The work of NK Jemisin

The work of Ursula le Guin

The work of RF Kuang

Sentimental Garbage podcast - The Phantom of the Opera with Rebecca Kuang

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were privileged today to speak to the authors of the brilliant essay anthology, Beyond the Secret Garden, which is a vital critique of the current state of children's literature and its inclusivity problem. Dr Chetty and Prof Sands-O'Connor have written for many years over at Books for Keeps around these vital issues, and today they bring us through the importance of decolonising the children's literature canon - while also giving us an insight into their own Storyshaped lives, and what stories led them to the work they do today.

You can purchase your copy of Beyond the Secret Garden here

Stories mentioned in this week's episode include:

The Good Immigrant, ed. Nikesh Shukla

Sesame Street

Roy of the Rovers football comic

The work of JD Salinger and Jack Kerouac

Dr Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting

The Wizard of Oz (movie version)

Mythologies, by Roland Barthes

Elmer, by David McKee

Tusk Tusk, by David McKee

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

The work of Charles Dickens

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

Sight and Sound magazine

The Buddha of Suburbia, by Hanif Kureishi

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens

Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe

Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward

Freud in Oz, by Kenneth Kidd

James, by Percival Everett

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We don't have *much* in common with the Terminator around here, it must be said, but one of the things we do share is this: we come back. So, here we are! This is a special LIVE episode, recorded in May 2025 at the brilliant International Literature Festival Dublin in front of an audience of Kieran Larwood fans (and, perhaps, one or two who were there to see us), and we had the most fun. We chatted fantasy, Tolkien, the powers of maps as ways into story, 90s music, and loads more.

Our very special thanks to the team at International Literature Festival Dublin for facilitating this dream come true for us - it has long been our ambition to record a live episode, and we were delighted to get the chance to do just that as part of this fantastic festival, which happens in Dublin in May every year. We hope the recording gives you a flavour of how much we enjoyed talking to Kieran and getting an insight into his very special Storyshaped life.

PLEASE NOTE: The audio didn't pick up the audience, so during question time, the questions we are responding to are as follows:

1. What children's book that you read as an adult do you wish you'd read as a child?
2. Will we find out more about the Ancients?

Books mentioned in this week's episode include:

The work of Enid Blyton

The work of JRR Tolkien

A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula le Guin

The Moomins, by Tove Jansson

The Hounds of the Morrigan, by Pat O'Shea

The World Between the Rain, by Susan Cahill

Fighting Fantasy book series, created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone

Stone of Farewell, by Tad Williams

The work of Robin Hobb

Mort, by Terry Pratchett

The work of Terry Pratchett, especially the Tiffany Aching series

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Lords and Ladies, by Terry Pratchett

Watership Down, by Richard Adams

Neuromancer, by William Gibson

Escape Room: Game Zero, by Christopher Edge

I Am Wolf, by Alastair Chisholm

The Bone Ships, by RJ Barker

October, October, by Katya Balen

The Storm and the Sea Hawk, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

I Am Raven, by Alastair Chisholm

A Fix of Light, by Kel Menton

On Midnight Beach, by Marie Louise Fitzpatrick

The work of Jamie Littler, esp. Frostheart

The music of Pearl Jam and Nirvana and Soundgarden

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In this special mini-sode of Storyshaped, I (Sinéad) sat down with Ruth Ennis (writer, book-expert, book reviewer, general Queen of Irish children's and YA literature and legend in her own lifetime) to discuss something close to both our hearts: the situation in Palestine.

Nobody will be unaware of the reality; the situation in Palestine, and in particular in Gaza, has been described as 'genocide' by bodies such as Médecins sans Frontieres, the United Nations, and Amnesty International. Innocent civilians have been mercilessly killed, day and night, for almost the past two years, and the onslaught has had a particularly horrific impact on Palestinian children.

As authors for children and young people, Ruth and I couldn't stand by and do nothing. So, we set up the Irish KidLit for Palestine Fundraiser, which runs between August 4th and 17th, 2025.

Our chosen charity is Medical Aid for Palestinians, who can be found HERE

And the link to the Irish KidLit for Palestine Fundraiser, where you can help us to raise money AND get yourself some snazzy kidlit-related goodies, is HERE

Our sincere thanks to the 30+ authors, illustrators, artists and creatives who made this Fundraiser possible by donating their work and their time. Míle buíochas!

Stay tuned for more Storyshaped in the autumn.

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So, if we sound a bit giddy on this week's episode, that's because we were! Head-whirlingly, we got to speak to Patrice Actual Lawrence, who is one of the most accomplished authors around. Patrice has written for all age groups, from picturebooks right up to YA (with equal aplomb), and her journey to creating this masterful body of work is an interesting one. Come with us as she takes us through her Storyshaped life.

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Patrice's own:

Orangeboy

Indigo Donut

Eight Pieces of Silva

Needle

Rose, Interrupted

Is That Your Mama? illustrated by Diane Ewen

Elemental Detectives

People Like Stars

And the stories which shaped her include:

Pig-Heart Boy, by Malorie Blackman

Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton (and Patrice's own New Class At Malory Towers)

Rainbow Magic, by 'Daisy Meadows'

The work of John Agard

The work of Grace Nicols

The work of Julia Donaldson

The work of Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen King

The work of Jenny Downham, especially Before I Die

The story of Jonathan Strong, an enslaved man in 18thC London

The Rivers of London (series), by Ben Aaronovitch

Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Dr Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting

The Railway Children, by E Nesbit

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Diddakoi, by Rumer Godden

Our Beautiful Darkness, by Onjaki, ill. Antonio Jorge Goncalves, trans. Lyn Miller-Lachman

A Guest in the House, by Emily Carroll

100 Tales from the Tokyo Ghost Cafe, by Julian Sedgwick and Chie Kutsuwada

Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - the book Sinéad was trying to recall!

Tsunami Girl, by Julian Sedgwick and Chie Kutsuwada

The Pigman, by Paul Zindel

Rumblefish, by SE Hinton

The Body, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Misery, Pet Sematary, all by Stephen King

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we were honoured to speak to an undisputable Queen of Children's Literature - Julie Sykes! Julie is the author of well over a hundred books, many of them co-written with the equally excellent Linda Chapman. Her bestselling series include the Netflix-adapted The Unicorn Academy, but throughout Julie's almost thirty year career she has written for the youngest children right up to teens. Come with us for a brilliant insight into Julie's life, career, work - and just how she keeps her creative flame lit, even after all these years.

Find Julie online at her website: www.juliesykes.co.uk

Find out more about International Literature Festival Dublin at www.ilfdublin.com

Tickets for the LIVE Storyshaped event are available here: LIVE STORYSHAPED PODCAST EVENT

Tickets for Susan's solo event are available here: DISCOVER THE MAGICAL WORLD BETWEEN THE RAIN

Tickets for Sinéad's solo event are available here: THE SUN, THE MOON, AND TWO STARS

Books mentioned in this week's episode include some of Julie's own:

The Unicorn Academy series (co-written with Linda Chapman; illustrated by Lucy Truman)

The Mermaid Academy series (co-written with Linda Chapman; illustrated by Lucy Truman)

The Woodland Magic series (illustrated by Katy Riddell)

The Perfect Puppies series

The Princess Ponies series

And the stories that shaped her include:

The work of Enid Blyton

Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome

The Punchbowl series, by Monica Edwards

The Romney Marsh series, by Monica Edwards

Carbonel: The King of the Cats, by Barbara Sleigh

Diary of an Accidental Witch, by Honor and Perdita Cargill

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner

The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien

Goodnight Mister Tom, by Michelle Magorian

The Great Elephant Chase, by Gillian Cross

The work of Dominique Valente

Greenwild: The World Behind the Door, by Pari Thompson

The Hedgewitch series, by Skye McKenna

The Wycherleys, by Annaliese Avery

The work of Harriet Muncaster

esp. Diary of Whisker Wildflower, by Harriet Muncaster

The work of Hilary McKay

esp. Rosa by Starlight, Saffy's Angel, and Indigo Star (all by Hilary McKay)

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had a totally magical walk through picturebook author Mariesa Dulak's Storyshaped life on the podcast today, which took us all the way from Barbados to Harrogate, and plenty of other places besides! From nursery rhymes to Stephen King, and William Blake to Barbara Throws a Wobbler, join us as we follow Mariesa through the fantastic collection of tales (both written and spoken) that have shaped her work and made her the person she is today. Let's go!

Find Mariesa online at her website: www.mariesadulak.com

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Mariesa's own:

There's a Tiger on the Train (ill. Rebecca Cobb)

The Silver Shadow (ill. Alea Marley)

And the stories which shaped her include:

Nursery rhymes and songs told and sung to her by her parents

The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm

One Thousand and One Nights/Arabian Nights, folktales from the Islamic Golden Age

The Flower Fairies, by Cicely Mary Barker

The work of Alison Uttley

Winnie the Pooh: Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace, by AA Milne and EH Shepard

The work of Dr Seuss

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

The Worst Witch, by Jill Murphy

The work of Enid Blyton

Fungus the Bogeyman, by Raymond Briggs

The Tinderbox (fairytale)

The work of Roald Dahl

The work of Stephen King

Blubber, by Judy Blume

Forever, by Judy Blume

The work of John Agard

The work of Benjamin Zephaniah

The work of Malorie Blackman

Little Soldier, by Bernard Ashley

Flower Block, by Lanisha Butterfield (illustrated by Hoang Giang)

Out of the Blue, by Robert Tregoning (illustrated by Stef Murphy)

Songs of Innocence and Experience, by William Blake

Tyger, by SF Said

Skellig, by David Almond

Not Now, Bernard, by David McKee

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

Barbara Throws a Wobbler, by Nadia Shireen

The work of Julia Donaldson

The work of Janet and Allan Ahlberg

The Cafe at the End of the Woods, by Mikey Please

The Full Stop that Got Away, by Laura Baker (illustrated by Nathan Reed)

Butter, by Asako Yuzuki

The Island of Brilliant podcast, hosted by Nadia Shireen and Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well - whew! Get ready for this week's episode, Storyshapers, because it's a whirlwind of mythology, folklore, history, archaeology and magic, all thanks to the enthralling Ellen Ryan. Ellen is a journalist and author, who likes to spend time visiting archaeological sites, researching the richness of Ireland's folklore, mythology, and history, and creating fantastic, inclusive, immersive, and lovingly constructed tales and retellings of some stories we might *think* we know... Come on a wander through the landscape of old Ireland with Ellen, and find out how she's Storyshaped.

Find Ellen online at her agent's website: https://belllomaxmoreton.co.uk/childrens-fiction/ellen-ryan

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Ellen's own:

Girls Who Slay Monsters (ill. Shona Shirley MacDonald)

Gods Don't Cry (ill. Conor Merriman)

And the stories that have shaped her include:

Under the Hawthorn Tree, by Marita Conlon-McKenna

The work of Siobhan Parkinson

Flight of the Doves, by Walter Macken

The Milly McCarthy series, by Leona Forde

The Hounds of the Morrigan, by Pat O'Shea

The work of Patricia Lynch

The Táin, ed. and modernised by Thomas Kinsella, illustrations by Louis le Brocquy

The Corpus of Electronic Texts (The UCC CELT Project)

The Book of the Elders, eds. Ann Dooley and Harry Rowe

The work of John Carey, medievalist and language scholar

esp. Magic, Metallurgy, and Imagination in Medieval Ireland, by John Carey

The work of Daniel Curley, archaeologist and guide at Rathcroghan Royal Site and Visitor Centre)

Ireland's Immortals, by Mark Williams

The work of Miranda Green

The Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend, ed. Miranda Green

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we had the JOY of chatting to the very funny, very talented, very lovely Catherine Wilkins (or you might know her as Catie, if you're a fan of her stand-up comedy). She brought us on a wondrous meander through her Storyshaped life, from the country of Disney to the tales of Mossycoat - and everything in between! Come with us as we wander through the stories that have shaped her life and work, and get ready for a dose of major 80s cartoon nostalgia. 'For the honour of Greyskull... I am She-Ra!'

Find Catherine online at her website: www.catherinewilkins.co.uk

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Catherine's own:

My Best Friend and Other Enemies

My Brilliant Life and Other Disasters

My School Musical and Other Punishments

My Great Success and Other Failures

When Good Geeks Go Bad

The Weird Friends Fan Club

You're Not the Boss of Me!

Café Chaos

And the stories which have shaped her include:

She-Ra (80s cartoon and the modern remake)

The movies of Disney

The Mysterious Cities of Gold (cartoon)

Ulysses 31 (cartoon)

The Twits, by Roald Dahl

Fantastic Mr Fox, by Roald Dahl

The Magic Finger, by Roald Dahl

The Demon Headmaster, by Gillian Cross

The Worst Witch (series), by Jill Murphy

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

The Harry Potter books, by JK Rowling

Catwitch, by Lisa Tuttle and Una Woodruff

Norse Mythology, particularly a book owned by Catherine's dad

Collected Fairy Tales, particularly an edition owned by Catherine's dad, which included the tale Mossycoat

And... The Rabbit That Jumped Too High, by Catherine Wilkins, aged 6! *heart-eye emojis*

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've only gone and snagged the fantastic, prolific, and very wonderful Helen Peters for the podcast - and it's her turn in the hotseat today! We were charmed to take a stroll through the Storyshaped life of an author described as 'one of our finest modern children's storytellers' by Waterstones (who, to be fair, know their stuff), and we learned all about how Helen's childhood was shaped as much by the farm she grew up on as it was by the stories she surrounded herself with. These stories not only shaped her, but they shaped her brilliant creative output, too. Come on - pull yer wellies on and let's get going.

Books mentioned on this week's episode include Helen's own:

Friends and Traitors

Anna at War

Evie's Ghost

The Jasmine Green series

The Secret Henhouse Theatre trilogy

Find Helen at: helenpetersbooks.com

And the stories that shaped her include:

Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne, illustrations by E.H. Shepard

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

Tarka the Otter, by Henry Williamson

The picturebooks of Molly Brett

Brambly Hedge, by Jill Barklem

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge

Heidi, by Johanna Spyri

Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild

Curtains Up, by Noel Streatfeild

The Growing Summer, by Noel Streafeild

The Famous Five series, by Enid Blyton

The Secret Seven series, by Enid Blyton

The St Clare's series, by Enid Blyton

Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm, by Enid Blyton

The Railway Children, by E. Nesbit

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Casson Family series, by Hilary McKay

The Exiles, by Hilary McKay

Millions, by Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Framed, by Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Holes, by Louis Sachar

Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead

The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

Cue for Treason, by Geoffrey Trease

King of Shadows, by Susan Cooper

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we welcome Alastair Chisholm - yes, only the brilliant, prolific, award-winning, award-nominated picturebook and middle grade author - to the podcast, and we hope you'll join us for the journey! Alastair has written about starships lost in space, about characters who can see back through time, about huge mecha-animals powered by human will, and - best of all - about ninja frogs, and that's just to name some of the books in his incredible back catalogue. Come with us as he takes us through the stories that have shaped him, and which continue to shape his world and his work.

Books mentioned in this week's episode include some of Alastair's own:

The Dragon Storm series, illustrated by Eric Deschamps

The Consequence Girl

Orion Lost

Adam-2

I Am Wolf

I Am Raven

And the stories which have shaped him include:

The Silmarillion, by JRR Tolkien

The Grey King, by Susan Cooper

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner

Charmed Life, by Diana Wynne Jones

Homeward Bounders, by Diana Wynne Jones

Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

Archer's Goon, by Diana Wynne Jones

Asterix, by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (et al)

The Eagle comic, founded by Marcus Morris

2000 AD, created by Kelvin Gosnell, Pat Mills, John Wagner

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

The work of Nicholas Fisk

The work of Jan Mark

The work of Isaac Asimov

The work of Robert Heinlein

The Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry Harrison

The Best of Harry Harrison - short story anthology

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, by Stephen Donaldson

Zenith, by Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell

The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway (Alastair's edition has illustrations by CF Tunnicliffe and Raymond Sheppard)

The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham

The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham

The work of Sir Terry Pratchett

Legend, by David Gemmell

Master and Commander (series), by Patrick O'Brian

Sword of the Sun, by Sinéad O'Hart

The World Between the Rain, by Susan Cahill

Wren, by Lucy Hope

A Kind of Spark, by Elle McNicoll

Sticky Pines: The Bigwoof Conspiracy, by Dashe Roberts

Bird Boy, by Catherine Bruton

Dungeon Runners, by Kieran Larwood and Joe Todd Stanton

The work of Christopher Edge

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were beside ourselves with glee this week as we sat for a chat with the brilliant Celine Kiernan, an artist who has been influencing - and Storyshaping - our lives since way before she began writing her brilliant children's books. Celine's career began in the animation industry, where she was part of the team who brought the world such incredible tales as The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go To Heaven, An American Tail, and more - and we got the pleasure of chatting to her about that time in her life, as well as her own work, and the stories which have shaped her incredible literary and artistic output. This one was super-special. Come and join us, won't you? Somewhere out there...

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Celine's own:

The Moorehawke Trilogy (The Poison Throne, The Crowded Shadows, The Rebel Prince)

Into the Grey

The Wild Magic Trilogy (Begone the Raggedy Witches, The Little Grey Girl, The Promise Witch)

Resonance

And the stories that shaped her include:

Twinkle, a periodical comic and annual

Little Grey Men, by BB

Down the Bright Stream, by BB

The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

The Borrowers, by Mary Norton

Judy magazine

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner

The Moon of Gomrath, by Alan Garner

The Mouse and his Child, by Russell Hoban

Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban

Water Babies, by Charles Kingsley

Something Wicked this Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury

The Doll House (later, Tottie) by Rumer Godden

Ned Kelly and the City of the Bees, by Thomas Kenneally

The work of Raymond Chandler

The work of John Steinbeck

The work of Charles Dickens

The work of Ernest Hemingway

The short stories of Moira McHugh

Brides of Rollrock Island, by Margo Lanagan

Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan

Savage Her Reply, by Deirdre Sullivan

Tangleweed and Brine, by Deirdre Sullivan

Piranesi, by Susannah Clarke

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susannah Clarke

The Small Hand: A Ghost Story, by Susan Hill

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is one we've been hoping for since the beginning of the podcast! Today, we have the chance to sit down with the inexpressibly brilliant AF (Ashley) Harrold, prolific poet and author, Big Red Button pusher (if you haven't seen his excellent videos about his walks along the Thames, meeting herons and suchlike, you're in for a treat), hilarious performer and public speaker, and overall general Good Egg. We had so much fun chatting stories, books, and creativity with one of the best in the business. Won't you join us? Come along, then!

Books mentioned in this week's episode include AF's own:

The Imaginary

Imagining the Imaginary

The Afterwards

The Song From Somewhere Else

The Worlds We Leave Behind

... and countless books of poetry!

And the stories which shaped him include:

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

Fox Eyes, by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams

Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd (link to the Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen essay)

The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien

Dunmousie Monsters, by Robin and Jocelyn Wild

Tin Tin, by Herge

The World of Myth and Legend, by Brenda Ralph Lewis, illustrated by Rob McCaig

The Adventures of Humbert, Simp and Harquin, by John Burningham

Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, by John Mitchell and Robert J Rickard

Gentleman Jim, by Raymond Briggs

Fungus the Bogeyman, by Raymond Briggs

Father Christmas, by Raymond Briggs

When the Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs

Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? by Barbara Firth and Martin Waddell

The work of Bernard O'Donoghue, including his translations of The Wanderer and The Seafarer

Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban

The Mouse and His Child, by Russell Hoban and David Small

A Bargain for Frances, by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban

Monsters, by Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake

M.O.L.E. by Russell Hoban and Jan Pienkowski

The Twenty-Elephant Restaurant, by Russell Hoban and Quentin Blake

Tom Tit Moves House, by Molly Brett

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, by Laurence Sterne

Awful End, by Philip Ardagh and David Roberts

I Like This Poem, by Kaye Webb and Antony Maitland

This Craft of Verse, by Jorge Luis Borges

About the House, by WH Auden

The Tale of Beren and Luthien - translated by AF Harrold!

The Silmarillion, by JRR Tolkien

The Collected Poems of Stevie Smith

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine you found a book that had the answers to LITERALLY EVERYTHING? A book that could help you 'cheat' your way out of all situations, no matter how puke-sastrous they are... Well, this is the reality facing Kamal, the main character in The Cheat Book, written by today's guest - the explosively energetic, fascinatingly interesting, and laugh-a-minute RAMZEE. RAMZEE joins us this week for a chat through his Storyshaped life, and it's a good one. Get rrrrrrrrready!

Special thanks to Battersea Library for making RAMZEE's appearance on the podcast possible.

Please note: this podcast episode makes very brief reference to suicidal ideation. Please listen with caution.

Help is available in the UK: Phone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org

In Ireland: Phone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.ie

Books mentioned on this week's episode include RAMZEE's own:

The Cheat Book (and sequels!)

And the stories which shaped him include:

Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adjustment Bureau, by Philip K. Dick

Red Shift, by Alan Garner

Everything Everywhere All at Once (dir. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, released 2022)

Hark! A Vagrant, by Kate Beaton

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, by Kate Beaton

High Plains Drifter (dir. Clint Eastwood, released 1973)

The work of Dapo Adeola

Planet Omar, by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Nasaya Mafaridik

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, by Shepherd Mead

The Boy at the Back of the Class, by Onjali Rauf

The work of Melinda Gebbie (comic artist)

The work of Rod Serling

The S-Man, by Mark Caine

The Prince, by Niccolo Macchiavelli

The work of Babette Cole

Tin Tin, by Hergé

Asterix, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, et al

Under My Thumb: Songs that Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them, ed. Rhian E Jones and Eli Davies

Sandman Mystery Theatre, by Matt Wagner and Stephen T. Seagle, art by Guy Davis, John Watkiss, RG Taylor, Vince Locke, Warren Pleece, Matthew Dow Smith

The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman, art by various artists incl. Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler, by Gene Kemp

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume

Superfudge, by Judy Blume

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, by Judy Blume

The stories of Ramona Quimby, by Beverly Cleary

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

Matilda, by Roald Dahl

The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner

Elidor, by Alan Garner

The work of the movie director Roger Corbin

JAWS (dir. Steven Spielberg, released 1975)

The work of Diana Wynne Jones

Black Hearts in Battersea, by Joan Aiken

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken

Blade Runner (dir. Ridley Scott, released 1982)

The Godfather I and II (dir. Francis Ford Coppola, released 1972, 1974)

Jurassic Park (dir. Steven Spielberg, released 1993)

The work of George Lucas, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg

The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were lucky to get this chance to have a chat on the fly with the super-busy Jennifer Claessen - she was between school visits on the day we spoke to her! Huge thanks to her for making the time to sit down with us. In this week's episode, we take a high-energy whizz through a brilliantly Storyshaped life, so strap in and get ready. This one was fun!

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Jenny's own:

The October Witches

The November Witches

The December Witches

The January Witches (novella)

Netta Becker and the Timeline Crime

And the stories which have shaped her include:

Scribble Boy, by Philip Radley

The work of Tamora Pierce

The Redwall books, by Brian Jacques

Red Thread, by Jorge Luis Borges

The legend of King Arthur, particularly The Sword in the Stone

Myth and legend in general!

This episode of Storyshaped, with Louie Stowell

The work of Sophocles

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and the stage show version

The Tiger Who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr

The work of Eva Ibbotson

Brambly Hedge, by Jill Barklem

Angelina Ballerina, by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig

Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman

Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood

Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer

The Morse books by Colin Dexter

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett

Skullduggery Pleasant, by Derek Landy

Peter Pan, by JM Barrie

Daughter of the Sea, by Berlie Doherty

The Sea Maiden's Odyssey, by Berlie Doherty and Tamsin Rosewell

Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones

The work of Benjamin Zephaniah, particularly his version of Tam Lin

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it's our treat to talk to the prolific Peter Bunzl, whose books are packed with imagination, heart, and a whirling sense of adventure. We chatted Death, the Brontes, and snogging Lord Bertilak, among loads of other bookishly brilliant stuff. Come and join us on our Storyshaped ramble through Peter's writing life.

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Peter's own:

Cogheart

Moonlocket

Skycircus

Shadowsea

The Clockwork Queen

Featherlight

Dragon Racers

Magicborn

Glassborn

And the stories which have shaped him include:

His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman

Brightstorm, by Vashti Hardy

The Mortal Engines series, by Philip Reeve

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken

The work of Charles Dickens

Bangers and Mash (an early school reader)

The work of Roald Dahl

Watership Down, by Richard Adams

Plague Dogs, by Richard Adams

The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in all its formats (and Miss Hann, the school teacher who cast Peter as the Green Knight)

The Beano

Carl Bark's Donald Duck

Asterix, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, et al

The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien - particularly the audiobook edition

The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams

The work of Terry Pratchett

Gormenghast, by Mervyn Peake

The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K Le Guin

A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare

Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

The Tempest, by William Shakespeare

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones

Peter the Wild Boy - a historical figure

Peter Pan, by JM Barrie

Glass Town by Isabel Greenberg

The Magicians Trilogy, by Lev Grossman

The Magic Toyshop, by Angela Carter

Icarus, by Kay Ancrum

Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban

Turtle Diary, by Russell Hoban

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're sitting down (on a gorgeously tropical beach, no less) with debut YA author Sharada Keats. Sharada's book These Stolen Lives is a gripping, powerfully resonant story of colonisation, resistance, and whacking power across the head with truth - as well as humour, drama, family and found family, and a swoonsome romance. We had a hugely fun and illuminating chat with Sharada about her life, her career, her creative work (and where her writing is going next), and - if you're ready - you can settle back and listen to it all, right now. Sweet!

Books mentioned this week include Sharada's own:

The Poetical Institute's Particular Powers of Vegetables and Fruit

These Stolen Lives

This Shattered Promise (forthcoming)

And the books that shaped her include:

Arabella and Mortimer, by Joan Aiken

The work of Enid Blyton

The work of Roald Dahl

The work of Dick King-Smith

The work of Diana Wynne Jones, in particular Archer's Goon

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O'Brien

The Chronicles of Narnia, by CS Lewis

The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper

Blitzcat, by Robert Westall

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine l'Engle

The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien

The Halfmen of O, by Maurice Gee

I Like This Poem, published by Puffin

The Rattlebag, by Seamus Heaney

The Crone, by James Herbert Brennan

Dune, by Frank Herbert

The work of Iain M. Banks

The work of Andre Norton

The work of Orson Scott Card

The work of Jane Yolen

The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams

The work of John Steinbeck

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

The work of Jane Austen

Anne of Green Gables, by LM Montgomery

Shitty First Draft, by Anne Lamott

Talks by Malorie Blackman and Patrice Lawrence

Towards Asmara, by Thomas Kenneally

The work of Langston Hughes

The work of Wole Soyinka

The work of Rabinadrath Tagore

The work of Maya Angelou

The work of John Agard

The work of Imtiaz Dharker

The work of Tracy Chapman

The work of Ted Hughes

The work of Seamus Heaney

The work of Michael Rosen

The work of Spike Milligan

The work of Roger McGough

The work of Wislawa Szymborska

The work of Andrei Voznesensky

The work of Miroslav Holub

The work of CP Cavafy

Sword of the Sun, by Sinéad O'Hart

The World Between the Rain, by Susan Cahill

People Like Stars, by Patrice Lawrence

Tidemagic, by Claire Harlow

Mission: Microraptor, by Philip Kavvadias

The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We had the immense privilege of speaking with prolific author Ian Eagleton this week on Storyshaped, and it was a heartfelt, moving, and very fun conversation about finding your own voice, fighting against prejudice, and (not) fitting in. Described as 'an inspiration' by Mariah Carey, no less, Ian is not only an author, but also Creative Director of The Reading Realm, which aims to be a resource centre for anyone who loves children's books; a former teacher; a learning resources provider, as well as a husband and a dad. Join us for a gorgeous trip down the winding road of Ian's Storyshaped life.

Books mentioned on this week's episode include Ian's own:

Nen and the Lonely Fisherman (ill. James Mayhew)

The Woodcutter and the Snow Prince (ill. Davide Ortu)

Violet's Tempest (ill. Clara Anganuzzi)

Rory's Room of Rectangles (ill. Jessica Knight)

Millie's Big Decision (ill. Max Rambaldi)

Glitter Boy

The Boy Who Cried Ghost

And the stories which shaped him include:

The Goosebumps series, by RL Stine

The Alfie and Annie Rose books, by Shirley Hughes

Roger's Red Hat, Jennifer's Yellow Hat, Billy's Blue Hat (Reading scheme school readers)

The Little Mermaid, in all its forms, from the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen to the recent Disney live-action remake of its own animated classic

Super Gran, by Forrest Wilson

The work of Simon James Green

Hideous Beauty, by William Hussey

The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman

A Fairly Honourable Defeat, by Irish Murdoch

Pirate Mums, by Jodie Lancet-Grant and Lydia Corrie

My Daddies!, by Gareth Peter and Garry Parsons

Grandad's Camper, by Harry Woodgate

The work of John Grisham

This Place Has No Atmosphere, by Paula Danziger

The work of Paula Danziger

The work of Judy Blume

Dodos Are Not Extinct!, by Paddy Donnelly

And... the Life, Work, and Art of the one and only Mariah Carey.

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie. You might also like to check out www.kennys.ie for free shipping within the Republic of Ireland!

In the UK, check out our storefront on: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/Storyshaped. Disclaimer: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.