Our Book Bench | Kids and Adults, Reading Together

Summer Mini Season: Bridge to Terabithia Teaser

We're back! And this time with something a little different for the summer. This is a short teaser episode to announce our Summer Mini Season, and David has a book he's been wanting to get to. He picked it himself, he's read it once before, and he has thoughts on why we should all pick it up this summer. For now we'll just say: it's the kind of book that opens the type of conversations this show exists for. Pick up a copy of Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson at your local library or independent bookstore. More details — including when we start and how to read along — coming very soon. If you're new to Our Book Bench, welcome. We're a mom and son who read books together and talk about them — and we'd love for you to pull up a spot at the bench. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com [hello@ourbookbench.com] 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

Looking Back & Saying Yes

Season 2 is complete, and before we head into what's next, Lisa and David take a moment to look back at the season and what it meant to them. In this final episode, they reflect on the moments that stayed with them, the theme of loyalty that ran through Impossible Creatures from beginning to end, and what their first-ever in-person library event revealed about what Our Book Bench is becoming. They also share some exciting news about the next book in Katherine Rundell's series. This one is a little shorter and a little quieter than a typical episode — and it ends with the same question that opened the season: would you say yes? 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com [hello@ourbookbench.com] 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

The Light at the End of the Maze

We made it. In this episode of Our Book Bench, Lisa and David reach the final chapters of Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell — pages 297 through 334, from The Gray Mist through What She Said. Christopher is alone in the maze. The darkness is physical and emotional — jealousy, misery, dread, the cold gray mist pressing in. He doesn't know if it will work. He goes anyway. And then, when all seems lost, Mal arrives. We talk about Christopher's journey through the darkness and what kept him going, the villain Francesco Sforza and his chilling belief that freedom only belongs to those willing to take it by force, the breathtaking moment Mal unfurls her flying jacket and carries him into the Somnulum, and the beautiful, creature-filled procession that follows. We also come back to a prediction David made last week — was he right? And we close with the final words of the book, and the question they leave us with. This week's listener question: When the previous Immortal faced this moment, he said no. Mal said yes. Is there something in your life you've said yes to — or want to say yes to — even though it felt hard or scary? We'd love to hear about it. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com [hello@ourbookbench.com] 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

Mal, The Maze, and Major Bravery

What does it look like when someone chooses to be brave — not because they have to, but because they love someone enough to? In this episode of Our Book Bench, Lisa and David discuss pages 244–296 of Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Chapters: The Island of Murderers through The Maze). This is the section we've been building toward all season. Mal faces the banished centaur, makes an impossible choice, and takes the antidote — giving up her identity as Mal to fully become the Immortal. And Christopher? He's there for every single moment of it. He faces down a manticore. He carries Mal when she can't walk. He memorizes the maze alongside her. And then — even knowing that no one who has ever entered the maze has come back — he walks in anyway. Together, we explore: * What it costs Mal to say yes — and what she loses when she does * Why Christopher's loyalty is one of the most quietly powerful things in this book * The humor Katherine Rundell weaves into even the darkest moments (the manticore's thoughts on adrenaline are not to be missed) * What true friendship looks like when it stops being easy This episode asks a big question: Is there someone or something in your life you'd walk into a maze for? 📖 Reading this week: Pages 244–296 (The Island of Murderers – The Maze)  📚 Next week: Pages 297–334 (The Gray Mist – What She Said) — the final stretch. 💬 Join the conversation: Is there someone — or something — in your life you'd do something that brave for? Tell us who, and why. Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com [hello@ourbookbench.com] or share your thoughts on Instagram. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com [hello@ourbookbench.com] 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

Loss, Loyalty, and an Impossible Quest

In this episode of Our Book Bench, Lisa and David discuss pages 196–243 of Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, where the journey to save the Archipelago takes a few dangerous turns. The crew faces heartbreaking loss, unexpected allies, and new dangers that make their mission feel almost impossible. From the attack that costs them Gelifen the griffin to the shocking poisoning of Nighthand, the stakes are higher than ever. But even in the darkest moments, we see powerful examples of loyalty, courage, and the choices that define who we are. Together, Lisa and David explore a big question that continues throughout the story: What makes something worth fighting for — even when the cost is high? 📚 Reading this week: Pages 196–243 (Leaving – The Heat of Living Gold) 📖 Next week: Pages 244–296 (The Island of Murderers – The Maze) 💬 Join the conversation: If you were on this quest, what would make you want to keep going?  Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com [hello@ourbookbench.com] or share your thoughts on Instagram. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com [hello@ourbookbench.com] 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench