Have you ever been bleu balled by a children's book? Because Changes for Kaya was NOT what we expected! We're okay, and we still love our girl, but...we were promised more. As we wrap up the original American Girl, we are forced to rant in equal measure about Kaya's inability to NOT be Magpie, and our hatred of how the US Government treated native people. It's an episode that contains multitudes! Check out this week's poll to help us decide what we're covering in January! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Two Women Left Wanting. 3:47 - Chapter One: Smoke on the Wind 25:13 - Chapter Two: The Rogue Stallion's Herd 44:05 - Chapter Three: Trapped by Fire 53:26 - Chapter Four: Gifts 1:05:53 - Looking Back: We Really Hate Organized Religion (today) 1:26:40 - Closing Thoughts: Goodbye, Kaya!

It's summertime, the salmon is frying, and Kaya is FINALLY reunited with her sister, Speaking Rain! The cover spoiled us, but that doesn't mean the reunion goes smoothly. In this week's dive into Kaya's story, we unpack what happens when you physically lose a sister, and what might happen when you emotionally lose a sister, and how finding a new path (allegedly) might just mean you never have to take your sister's oath seriously. It's a sister story, and not much else, but as always, we have a good old time, so tune in! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Spoilers abound 2:44 - Chapter One: The Sound of the Falls 16:08 - Chapter Two: Dangerous Crossing 30:27 - Chapter Three: Stranded by the Strome 42:02 - Chapter Four: A New Path 56:49 - Peek into the Past: We love nature! 1:04:53 - Closing Thoughts

Have you ever thought about coping with your sister's kidnapping and your mentor's death by putting all of your hopes and dreams into a feral wolf-dog? Kaya is TOTALLY ok, by the way! This week, we're recapping Kaya as she takes a break from causing chaos and instead becomes the ultimate dog girl (horse girl being out of play, currently). Kaya learns how to nurture, Sparrow begs to be mauled by a bear, and Kautsua continues to be in everyone's business. Tune in! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Dog Girls Unite! 7:06 - Chapter One: Starving Dog 25:20 - Chapter Two: Newborn Puppies 38:17 - Chapter Three: More Warnings 50:18 - Chapter Four: Danger for the Pups! 58:05 - Chapter Five: A Sad Parting 1:08:06 - Peek into the Past: Wrong Book? 1:19:28 - Closing Thoughts: Vibes!

*Slightly bad audio today, (sorry!)* Have you ever had a girl crush on a strong, powerful, possibly barren woman in your tribe? Who among us hasn't, you know? This week, we're diving into Kaya's Hero, in which a girl crush on Swan Circling teaches Kaya how to be a better person (maybe). What we aren't taught is what is going on with any of these ceremonies, and that's an issue for Caroline and Celia to harp on. Tune in for some high highs, low blows, and a baby that just isn't actually that sick! Chapters 0:00 - Devastation (cont) 2:13 - Chapter One: Runaway Horse 24:30 - Chapter Two: Lessons From a Basket 40:03 - Chapter Three: Sick Baby 50:34 - Chapter Four: Gifts From Swan Circling 1:11:20 - A (Disappointing) Looking Back 1:16:03 - Closing Thoughts - We All Need a Strong Woman

If you thought any of the other girls ended up in disasters of their own making, then buckle the F up because Kaya's about to take the finger cake. When Kaya and her sister get abducted by raiders in a mess entirely of Kaya's own making, Kaya must team up with a surly Salish boy carrying the energy of an angry NPC to try and find her way home. Will she survive? Is this all her fault? The answer to both is yes, but tune in for the roller coaster ride that is Kaya's Escape! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: The Books Are Getting Dark Quickly 2:17 - Chapter One: Taken Captive 17:20 - Chapter Two: Slaves of the Enemy 33:45 - Chapter Three: 49:32 - Chapter Four: 1:06:23 - Looking Back: Learns a Lesson? 1:15:42 - Closing Thoughts: Kaya's Fault!

Nez Perce lore? Horse girl drama? More words for Celia to pronounce? It's so on! We're back again with a new girl - the LAST girl of the OG 7, AND our last girl of the year - Kaya! She's stubborn, she's a horse girl, she loves to chase shiny new things, and she's a really sore loser! Join us as we take a step into Kaya's world and tune in to find out why we think Speaking Rain should Stay Put. Chapters 0:00 - Meet Kaya: A Nez Perce Peek into the Past! 16:12 - Chapter One: Let's Race! 37:06 - Chapter Two: Switchings! 52:06 - Chapter Three: Courtship Dance 1:05:40 - Chapter Four: Rescued From the River (plus, a technical difficulty) 1:14:52 - Bonus Peek into the Past 1:22:25 - Closing Thoughts: New World, New Girl!

Two hens are clucking once again about your favorite girls - from Kirsten to Kit, we're covering the best books, why Learns a Lesson's never quite hit, and comparing how bad our Halloween hangovers are in comparison to last year (you had to be there). Tune in for a little break between seasons, and a fun chat with Caroline and Celia about all things American Girl!

Goodbye Kit! This week, we're wrapping up our coverage on this little writer girl by getting into uncle fights, becoming journalists, and perhaps most important of all, making a difference. Will Stirling's mom ever be caught poisoning his soup? Does the eggman come at dawn? Is dad ever going to get a job? Find out all this and less in Changes for Kit! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Last Kit book! 2:34 - Chapter One: Something Wonderful 21:31 - Chapter Two: To Do 36:31 - Chapter Three: Letters with an 'S' 46:10 - Chapter Four: The Perfect Word 55:20 - Peek into the Past: WWII Saves the Day? 1:01:45 - Closing Thoughts on Kit!

Hobos and Bums and Tramps, oh my! When a young hobo wanders into Kit's backyard, she's immediately adventure-cucked. Living in a tent, eating communal hobo soup? What a treat! What a dream! Wrong! Turns out, being a vagabond is not nearly as cool as it seems, and actually scary! Oops! We could not have predicted this. Chapters 0:00 - Our Darkest Book Yet 2:01 - Chapter One: Stuck! 10:02 - Chapter Two: Just Plain Will 23:40 - Chapter Three: The Hobo Jungle 33:50 - Chapter Four: Do Something 46:29 - Peek into the Past: Too Poor for Summer! 57:33 - Closing Thoughts: Dark!

The eggman cometh! Join us as we celebrate (or barely reference) Kit's upcoming 10th birthday! When Aunt Millie comes to town, she brings with her tons of ideas on how the Kittredges can actually save money and turn a profit with their failing boarding house business - but will the Kittredges be happy with these changes, or will they be inexplicably shamed by the idea of eating peaches out of a dented can? Only time will tell, and boy, does this book take its time getting to the point! This book? Boring. This episode? Very entertaining. So listen in, lest you summon the wrath of the ragman!

It's a Depression-era Christmas, and Kit is NOT feeling the Christmas cheer - if you can even believe. Between Ruthie's dad threatening to evict her family as a New Year's gift and Ruthie giving her hand-me-down dresses, Kit is at her limit with financial stress, as any nine-year-old would be. But can she turn her Christmas around by performing a series of increasing random errands for her curmudgeonly uncle? Is it still "American Girl Talk" if Caroline is recording in Romania? Tune in to find out! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Romanian Girl Talk! 9:48 - Chapter One: Rick Rack 22:06 - Chapter Two: The Bright Red Dress 38:24 - Chapter Three: The Wicked Ogre 47:37 - Chapter Four: Jewels 58:58 - Peek into the Past: A Depressing Christmas! 1:04:01 - Final Thoughts: Best Doll Award?

Our very first book where no lesson is learned - potentially! It's Thanksgivingn at the Kittredge boarding house and Kit is FED UP with all the boarders cramping her style. Dad will get a job any day, so there's no point in having them there right? RIGHT? Wrong! Turns out, you can't trust adults to be honest, but you can trust us to give you the DL on everything happening in Kit's world on this week's episode. Tune in - gobble gobble!

America may be depressed, but we certainly aren't (sometimes)! It's time to meet Kit - our spunky, plucky, Depression-era daddy's girl who just discovered her family is headed towards financial ruin! When a ghoulish boy and his maybe-questionable-mother move into the Kittredge house, Kit discovers that life is not fair, and Caroline and Celia wonder why the adults in Kit's world lie so much.

You heard it here last, folks! American Girl just released their new Girl of the Year, and she comes equipped with clothes, accessories, and...Samantha lore? Tune in for a quick lil' snack of an episode where we discuss this breaking news!

It's time for another yap! We're taking a week off from reading about American Girls and we're simply talking about American Girls - Kirsten, Samanth, Molly, Felictiy, Addy, and Josefina! Join us as we rank, rant, rave and review what we've noticed and who's won our hearts. PLUS: Celia does some snooping and gets to the bottom of our frenemy, Valerie Tripp's relationship to the American Girl Doll brand.

WE WERE SO RIGHT. Love is IN THE AIR in the land of enchantment, but yearning is also at full throttle - and Papa and Tia Dolores do not know what to do with themselves! When Tia Dolores announces she's going to leave the rancho and move to Santa Fe, Josefina full-on crashes out because she KNOWS Tia Dolores is meant to be with Papa. Can Josefina mastermind the relationship into existence? We're literally giggling, kicking our feet, listening to this one, so tune in! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: We were SO RIGHT 3:02 - Chapter One: Gifts and Blessings 19:36 - Chapter Two: Sleet 42:03 - Chapter Three: Josefina's Plan 49:38 - Chapter Four: Heart and Hope 1:01:36 - Peek into the Past: Oops - Manifest Destiny! 1:08:59 - Closing Thoughts: Goodbye to our delicious slowburn

We can't even focus on this book because of the sheer amount of tension between Papa and Tía Dolores, but... Josefina and her family are in Santa Fe to trade goods and save the ranch! When Josefina encounters the Rizzmaster Señor O'Toole, he says that he can help her family earn the money they need AND throw in something a lil extra to make Josefina's day! But can we trust this Americano? Are all people who play music inherently good? Have Papa and Tía Dolores touched each other, or are they straight yearning? Are we delulu? Find out!

Josefina's name day fast approaches, and she's LOCKED IN on becoming a healer. She's fostering goats, sniffing herbs, and cleaning pots off tall shelves - but will it be enough? Only time and bizarre circumstances will tell, so join us as we hyperfixate on what papa and Tia Dolores are doing, speculate on the logistics of snake attacks, and wonder if mallow root really could save the day! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Are Papa and Tía Dolores F*cking? 3:54 - Chapter One: Spring Sprouts 19:23 - Chapter Two: Tía Magdalena 30:11 - Chapter Three: Second Chances 40:57 - Chapter Four: Rattlesnake! 51:27 - Peek into the Past: Childbirth and Suspicious Wedding Lore 56:11 - Closing Thoughts: A Manic Episode, and a Budding Romance

Feliz Navidad! It's Christmastime for Josefina and her family, and everyone is wondering - for the first time since Mama's death - do they dare to be happy? The jury's out because Clara doesn't think so! She's hiding dolls, crashing out over altarpieces, and in general feeling glum about the holiday season. Can Josefina and Tia Dolores lift her spirits? Will Josefina unlock a classic American Girl Hyperfixation? Does Celia cry for the first time reading one of the books? Find out all this and more on this week's episode! Chapters - 0:00 - Intro: Christmas in Summer Never Felt So Good! Chapter One: Christmas is Coming! Chapter Two: Where is Niña? Chapter Three: The Silver Thimble 50:45 - Chapter Four: La Noche Buena 1:00:21 - Peek into the Past: Put Christ Back into Christmas! 1:06:47 - Final Thoughts: Grief, for Girls!

*AUDIO DISCLAIMER* The ghost of Mama cursed this episode, so the audio in the first part is...bad! Stick with it though! When a torrential flood kills a shocking number of sheep on the rancho, Tia Dolores swoops in to save the day! Josefina and her sisters must weave like their lives depend on it in order to save their family's fortunes, but could weaving lead to worse things - like forgetting the legacy of their dead mama? Inexplicably - maybe! Join us as Josefina becomes the first girl in AGT history to barely learn a discernible lesson in Josefina Learns a Lesson! Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Lessons Learned? Not Here! 1:53 - Chapter One: Light and Shadow 19:37 - Chapter Two: Turning Blankets Into Sheep 30:26 - Chapter Three: Rabbit Brush (Cursed Chapter) 39:41 - Chapter Four: The First Love 52:21 - Peek into the Past: School! Barely! 58:18 - Did Josefina Learn a Lesson?