We had the *most* fun this week sitting down with one of the Queens of Children's Historical Fiction (that's her official title, right), Ally Sherrick! We chat all things writing and story, including how much research Ally's rich, immersive novels take; where her love of history came from; what historical period she hasn't written about (yet), and what might be coming next from her talented pen. This episode was a wonder. Ally is a generous, inspirational, fascinating and truly wonderful podcast guest, and we hope you'll enjoy listening to our chat as much as we enjoyed recording it. Now! Let's get Storyshaped.

Find Ally online at her website

Books mentioned in this week's episode include Ally's own (all published by Chicken House):

Black Powder

The Buried Crown

The Queen's Fool

Vita and the Gladiators

And the stories that shaped her include:

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

My Naughty Little Sister, by Dorothy Edwards and Shirley Hughes

Charlie and Fred - stories made up by Ally's (wonderful) dad!

Just-So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling, especially The Elephant's Child

The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes

Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken

Black Hearts in Battersea, by Joan Aiken

Nightbirds on Nantucket, by Joan Aiken

A Small Pinch of Weather, by Joan Aiken

A Necklace of Raindrops, by Joan Aiken

A Traveller in Time, by Alison Uttley

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe, by Penelope Lively

Carrie's War, by Nina Bawden

The Wake, by Paul Kingsnorth

The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff

Our podcast bookshop in Ireland is Halfway Up the Stairs: www.halfwayupthestairs.ie

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.

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