Our Book Bench | Kids and Adults, Reading Together

Lisa & David
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Kids & Family

Our Book Bench is a cozy, hopeful podcast where kids and adults read together — and gather on the bench to share the stories they love. Hosted by a mother-son duo, Lisa and David, this intergenerational book club invites families, grandparents, guardians, mentors, and young readers to slow down, connect, and rediscover the joy of reading in a screen-filled world. We read the kind of beloved middle-grade books that are made for sharing out loud — a section at a time. Each week we gather on the bench to talk through our favorite moments, the surprising twists, the big questions, and whatever made us laugh. Our goal is simple: to spark imagination and real conversation between young readers and the grown-ups who care about them. 🌿 On the bench right now: Season 3 — The Neverfear by Katherine Rundell, book three of the Impossible Creatures series. New to us? Every season opens with a recap, so you can jump in anywhere. New episodes release weekly on Sundays, with reflections, discussion prompts, and a listener question to answer. Read along at home, in the classroom, or anywhere you find a quiet corner — and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so every new episode finds you. A note for families: these are rich, beautiful books that don’t shy away from intense moments and difficult themes. We explore them together and keep the grim details light — and we trust each reading pair to decide what’s the right fit for them. 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. 2d ago

    A Puddle of Gold and a Race of Thieves

    “He doesn’t fear anything — so he can’t fear what other people think of him.” That’s David commenting on Nighthand — the fearless berserker who, in the middle of a life-or-death quest, stops to write Irian the most wonderfully honest love poems you’ve ever read (“My love is like a red, red rose… thorny, and attractive to bees and other pollinators”). This week on Our Book Bench we’re reading pages 180–221 of The Neverfear, book three of Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures series — and it may be our most intense section yet. In the orchard of the Hesperides, the kids finally outwit the ever-hungry snake… and then it all goes wrong: Anya is bitten, the golden tree catches fire, and Christopher has one second to choose between the apple they came for and his friend’s life. He chooses Anya — and they fail. What comes next is the heart of the episode. Back on the Neverfear, a devastated Christopher gets a lesson from Ratwin about how Nighthand rebuilds the ship stronger every time it’s broken — and how the same is true of people. (We wander into kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, along the way.) Then Anya remembers that Hercules picked three golden apples — so the hunt turns toward a lawless, high-stakes Race of Thieves and a wild, golden-antlered creature called a hind. David also catches something lovely: Christopher doesn’t get sick from the golden thread anymore — he’s learning to stay grounded. A note for families: this is a rich, beautiful series that doesn’t shy away from intense moments and difficult themes. We explore them together and keep the grim details light — and we trust each reading pair to decide whether this book, and this series, is the right fit for them. This week’s reading: pages 180–221 (“The Garden is a Trap” through “I Could Bite Them”). Next week’s reading: pages 222–271 (“A Snake for a Starting Line” through “Sculptures That Bite”). This week’s question for you: Nighthand writes love poems that are sweet and hilariously honest — “a red, red rose… (thorny, and attractive to bees).” Write us a two-line poem about something you love, honest parts included.  Email hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench — we read every one. Enjoying the season? Follow Our Book Bench on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so every new episode lands in your feed — it’s the easiest way to keep reading along with us, and it helps other families find the bench. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  2. Oct 18

    Bravery, Bad Apples, and the Bitter Truth

    “It’s kind of sad, her backstory — even though she’s evil, and she let it define her.” That’s David, reacting to the reveal we’ve been waiting for all season: who is Carla, and what is her history with Nighthand? This week on Our Book Bench, we’re reading pages 136–179 of The Neverfear, the third book in Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures series — and it may be our most adventurous section yet. Anya challenges the pirate Vigo Nex to a duel for the belt of Hippolyta (with Jacques boldly offering himself up as the stake), and when her blades burst into fire, she beats a berserker twice her size — then says the line that may define her whole journey: “What if I was born to be brave?” Meanwhile, a tiger watches the children through their own mirrors, Nighthand loses a battle with baby Teren and a diaper, Ratwin makes a quiet and costly sacrifice, and the kids reach the orchard of the Hesperides — a maze of magical apples guarded by a snake they trap with, of all things, Anya’s petticoat. We also sit with Carla’s heartbreak, and why a villain’s sad past doesn’t excuse her choices but does make her human — one of our favorite conversations yet. A note for families: this is a rich, beautiful series that doesn’t shy away from intense moments and difficult themes. We explore them together and keep the grim details light — and we trust each reading pair to decide whether this book, and this series, is the right fit for them. This week’s reading: pages 136–179 (“Fire Blades” through “Apples to Apples, Dust to Dust”). Next week’s reading: pages 180–221 (“The Garden is a Trap” through “I Could Bite Them”). This week’s question for you: The orchard is full of magical apples — one makes bubbles, one turns to stone, one tastes like your favorite thing ever. If you could invent a magical apple, what would it do?  Email hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench — we read every one. Enjoying the season? Follow Our Book Bench on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so every new episode lands in your feed — it’s the easiest way to keep reading along with us, and it helps other families find the bench. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  3. Oct 11

    A Visit from a Sphinx and a Party Gone Wrong

    This week, the quest begins — and bravery gets more complicated. Lisa and David dig into pages 94–135 of The Neverfear — the third book in Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures series. Christopher and Anya set out on the first of three impossible tasks to win Irian back, and it takes them through a giant's kitchen (where hiding in a bowl of custard nearly ends in disaster) to the kennel of a three-headed Cerberus. But the real turn is quieter: when Christopher reaches the suffering creature through his mysterious gift, it nearly costs him himself — and it takes all three of his friends to bring him back. That leads to the heart of this week's conversation: a different kind of bravery. Not just stepping up and doing the scary thing, but admitting you need help — and, as the sphinx Niravala warns Christopher, staying grounded in who you are and why you're doing this, or the gift will destroy you. We watch Christopher put that to the test at a pirate's party, choosing his real reason over showing off — and it's the first time his gift doesn't level him. And then the cliffhanger. David read ahead and warned Lisa it was "incredibly disappointing" — and he was right. But he also floated a theory worth chewing on: what if the ending wasn't an accident at all? You'll have to listen — and read — to see where he's coming from. A note for families: this is a rich, beautiful series that doesn't shy away from intense moments and difficult themes. This week includes real peril for a captured character. We explore it together and keep the grim details light — and we trust each reading pair to decide whether this book, and this series, is the right fit for them. 📖 This week's reading: pages 94–135 — "The Obvious Superiority of the Small Over the Unattractively Gargantuan" through "The Vial." 🗓️ Next week: pages 136–179 — "Fire Blades" through "Apples to Apples, Dust to Dust." 📚 Full reading schedule at ourbookbench.com. This week's question: Christopher ends up in a giant's bowl of custard and nearly gets eaten. If you had to sneak through a giant's kitchen, what food would you most want to hide in — and which would be a disaster?  Email hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench. We love hearing from you. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  4. Oct 4

    Golden Whiskers and a Kidnapping

    This week, the season takes its turn — and the kids are on their own. Lisa and David dig into pages 46–93 of The Neverfear by Katherine Rundell, and the world cracks open. We finally meet Teren, the new immortal Nighthand went searching for at the end of The Poisoned King — and he's a toddler, carrying the memories of every life before him, including Mal's from Impossible Creatures. (David points out a tender illustration of Teren and Christopher holding hands that's worth lingering on.) Christopher starts using his mysterious "golden thread" on purpose — and nearly pays for it. And then the story turns hard: Irian is kidnapped, and the children are handed three impossible tasks to win her back — in secret, or else. The heart of it is Anya. She fights off masked raiders with everything she has — teeth included — and afterward, when Christopher calls her brave, she says: "I was afraid. I was terrified." That's this whole season in a single line: being brave isn't the same as not being afraid. And there's a payoff for anyone who's been with us from the start — David opened Season 3 wondering how a book could be named after a ship that got destroyed. This week, we finally got the answer. (It's very Nighthand.) Plus a couple of David's signature cross-book catches — Harry Potter's three-headed dog, a little Percy Jackson — because noticing those connections is exactly why we read together. We also celebrated our first listener write-ins of the season this week — thank you, Kim and Laura! A note for families: this is a rich, beautiful series that doesn't shy away from intense moments and difficult themes. This week's reading includes a death and a kidnapping. We explore them together and keep the grim details light — and we trust each reading pair to decide whether this book, and this series, is the right fit for them. 📖 This week's reading: pages 46–93 — "Teren" through "The Island of Giants." 🗓️ Next week: pages 94–135 — "The Obvious Superiority of the Small Over the Unattractively Gargantuan" through "The Vial." 📚 Full reading schedule at ourbookbench.com. This week's question: The kids have to pluck a golden whisker from each of the three heads of a fearsome hound — and the villains call this the easiest of three tasks. What do you think the other two might be, and what are they all for?  Tell us your theories — email hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench. We love hearing from you. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  5. Sep 27

    Baby Unicorns, Manticores, and Big Behemoths

    Season 3 is fully underway — this week we're deep into the opening pages of The Neverfear, the brand-new third book in Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures series. Lisa and David dig into pages 1–45, and there's a lot packed in: Christopher summoned by a unicorn and the mysterious "golden thread" that connects him to a newborn foal — and later, to a rampaging behemoth everyone else is running from. Along the way: an animal sanctuary in the palace at Glimt, Nighthand working up the courage to propose to Irian, and a darker story gathering underneath it all — a village burned, a tiger that steps out of a mirror, and two unsettling newcomers, Astor Morax and Carla Venasque. David also spots a connection we didn't see coming: the snake bracelets binding Morax's followers reminded him of the Dark Mark in Harry Potter — lining right up with a note his mom had already written in her margins. Threaded through it all is the question we're carrying all season: being brave isn't the same as not being afraid. From Christopher walking toward a dangerous creature to Nighthand — a berserker who isn't supposed to love, because to love is to fear losing someone — choosing to love Irian anyway. A note for families: this section includes some genuinely dark moments — a village attacked and burned, a man being attacked by a tiger. We flag it up front so you can decide what's right for your reader, and we talk about what happens without lingering on the worst of it. 📖 This week's reading: pages 1–45 (American hardback) — "The Birth of A Unicorn" through "Carla Venasque." 🗓️ Next week: pages 46–93, "Teren" through "The Island of Giants." 📬 Full reading schedule at ourbookbench.com. This week's question: Nighthand serves meat-flavored ice cream and drinks that "grow hair on your chest." If you threw a Midsummer Feast, what one wild dish would be on the menu?  Email hello@ourbookbench.com or find us on Instagram @ourbookbench — we love hearing from you. 📚 Join the adventure at ourbookbench.com 💌 Email us at hello@ourbookbench.com 📷 Follow along on Instagram: @ourbookbench

  6. Sep 20

    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

  7. 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

  8. 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

See All (37)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

About

Our Book Bench is a cozy, hopeful podcast where kids and adults read together — and gather on the bench to share the stories they love. Hosted by a mother-son duo, Lisa and David, this intergenerational book club invites families, grandparents, guardians, mentors, and young readers to slow down, connect, and rediscover the joy of reading in a screen-filled world. We read the kind of beloved middle-grade books that are made for sharing out loud — a section at a time. Each week we gather on the bench to talk through our favorite moments, the surprising twists, the big questions, and whatever made us laugh. Our goal is simple: to spark imagination and real conversation between young readers and the grown-ups who care about them. 🌿 On the bench right now: Season 3 — The Neverfear by Katherine Rundell, book three of the Impossible Creatures series. New to us? Every season opens with a recap, so you can jump in anywhere. New episodes release weekly on Sundays, with reflections, discussion prompts, and a listener question to answer. Read along at home, in the classroom, or anywhere you find a quiet corner — and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen, so every new episode finds you. A note for families: these are rich, beautiful books that don’t shy away from intense moments and difficult themes. We explore them together and keep the grim details light — and we trust each reading pair to decide what’s the right fit for them. 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.

Information