Our Book Bench | Kids and Adults, Reading Together

Lisa & David
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Our Book Bench is a cozy, hopeful podcast where youth and grown-ups read together and share stories.  Hosted by Lisa and David, this intergenerational book club invites families, grandparents, guardians, mentors, and young readers to slow down, connect, and rediscover the joy of books in a screen-filled world. Each week, we read a section of a book and gather on the bench to share favorite moments, surprising twists, and big questions. Our goal is simple: to spark imagination and meaningful conversations between young readers and the adults who care about them. Season 1 is now complete! We began our journey with The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell, the sequel to Impossible Creatures. Whether you’ve read the first book or are joining new, our early episodes include a recap so everyone can jump right in. New seasons follow a book club format, with weekly Sunday episodes featuring reflections, discussion prompts, and listener participation. Families can read along at home, in classrooms, or anywhere they find a quiet corner. Our Book Bench is about more than reading — it’s about joy, connection, and choosing creativity over chaos. Grab a book, find your spot, and join us on the bench. Because stories are better when we share them.

  1. 1d ago

    Season 3 Kickoff: We're Reading The Neverfear (feat. David's Recap of Books 1 & 2)

    Season 3 is here! This season, Lisa and David are reading The Neverfear, the brand-new third book in Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures series. Before we start the book, David, who reread the series to get ready, walks us through the story so far. He recaps the first two books: how an ordinary kid named Christopher gets pulled into the Archipelago in Impossible Creatures, and how the runaway princess Anya joins the story in The Poisoned King. Expect phoenixes, a dragon that fits on your thumb, and one question David can't stop thinking about: how is a whole book named after a ship he's pretty sure got destroyed? We're also introducing the question we'll come back to all season long: being brave isn't the same as not being afraid. We'll be watching for the moments when a character is scared… and does the hard thing anyway. 📖 This week's reading: pages 1–45 (American hardback edition) — from The Birth of a Unicorn through Carla Venasque. 🗓️ Full reading schedule: ourbookbench.com This week's question: Who are you reading with this season — a kid, a grown-up, a friend? Email hello@ourbookbench.com or comment on Instagram @ourbookbench. We read every one. Grab your copy of The Neverfear, or check it out from your library, and read along with us. New here? Welcome — pull up a spot at the bench. -- Quick note if you're new: we read these a little out of order — we did The Poisoned King in Season 1 and Impossible Creatures in Season 2. For today's recap, though, we're walking through the story the way it was written, first book first, so it all lines up before we start The Neverfear. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  2. Season 3 Trailer

    Season 3 Teaser: The Neverfear

    Season 3 is (almost) here — and we could not wait to tell you what's next. This fall, Lisa and David are heading back to the Archipelago for The Neverfear, the brand-new third book in Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures series. And David has one very important question going in: last season, he was pretty sure the Neverfear got destroyed… so how does a whole book end up named after it? Time to find out. Here's your one job this week: grab a copy of The Neverfear and get ready to read it with us. We kick off Season 3 on September 20th — whether you've been with us since book one or you're brand new, pull up a spot at the bench. Full reading schedule coming soon at ourbookbench.com. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  3. Jul 1

    The Book, The Movie, and What Comes Next

    We did something fun for our final Bridge to Terabithia episode — we finished the book, then watched the movie together. In this mini season finale, Lisa and David talk about what the film got right, why (as always) they think the book is better, and how you get through a story this tender all the way to the end.  They also look back on the whole summer mini season — the good, the honest, and the surprisingly hard parts of reading together when the routine falls apart — and share a first look at what's coming this fall, as Our Book Bench turns one. Did you read Bridge to Terabithia with us, or watch the movie? We'd love to hear what you thought. Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  4. Jun 22

    The Best Day, The Worst Day, and What Jess Chooses Next

    The World Can Be Beautiful and Devastating at the Same Time Chapter ten is called "The Perfect Day" — and it really is. Then chapter eleven begins. In this episode, Lisa and David sit with the chapters that make this book unforgettable: the joy right before everything changes, the grief that comes in waves, and what Jess Aarons does with it at the very end. David leads the hardest part of the conversation, and they come back to a question from Episode 1 that means something different now. This week's question: When have you chosen to do something beautiful — or kind, or generous — even when something hard had just happened? We'll be coming back to your answers in our final episode.  Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench. Full reading schedule at ourbookbench.com. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  5. Jun 15

    Giants & Grace: What Makes Jess a Remarkable Friend

    In chapters five through eight, Jess Aarons keeps doing something quietly remarkable — he changes his mind. About Janice Avery, the bully who hurt someone he loves. About Leslie's unconventional dad. About what it costs to help someone who hasn't earned it. In this episode, Lisa and David talk about what makes Jess more thoughtful than the people around him realize, what the right Christmas gift says about a friendship, and why Terabithia doesn't work the same when you're there alone. Plus, our first listener write-in of the mini season, from Kim in Nebraska. This week's question: Has anyone ever given you a gift that said "I see who you really are"?  We'd love to hear from you. Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench. Full reading schedule at ourbookbench.com. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  6. Jun 8

    A New Season: Meeting Jess, Leslie, and Terabithia

    We're kicking off our summer mini season with Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, and these first four chapters are all about discovery. We meet Jess Aarons, a boy who gets up before dawn to run because he's decided he'll be the fastest kid in school, and who keeps his love of drawing quietly to himself. Then a new girl named Leslie moves in next door and changes everything.  We talk about who Jess is before anyone really sees him, why he makes the deliberate choice to let Leslie in, and how the two of them build a secret kingdom in the woods called Terabithia. (There's even a Narnia connection that meant a lot to us.) This week's question: What's your first impression of Jess? Is he someone you'd want to be friends with, and why?  Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench. New episodes every week — find the full reading schedule at ourbookbench.com. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  7. May 17

    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 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  8. Mar 29

    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 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

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Our Book Bench is a cozy, hopeful podcast where youth and grown-ups read together and share stories.  Hosted by Lisa and David, this intergenerational book club invites families, grandparents, guardians, mentors, and young readers to slow down, connect, and rediscover the joy of books in a screen-filled world. Each week, we read a section of a book and gather on the bench to share favorite moments, surprising twists, and big questions. Our goal is simple: to spark imagination and meaningful conversations between young readers and the adults who care about them. Season 1 is now complete! We began our journey with The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell, the sequel to Impossible Creatures. Whether you’ve read the first book or are joining new, our early episodes include a recap so everyone can jump right in. New seasons follow a book club format, with weekly Sunday episodes featuring reflections, discussion prompts, and listener participation. Families can read along at home, in classrooms, or anywhere they find a quiet corner. Our Book Bench is about more than reading — it’s about joy, connection, and choosing creativity over chaos. Grab a book, find your spot, and join us on the bench. Because stories are better when we share them.

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