Episodes

15 hours ago
15 hours ago
Dear Diary,
This week, we are recapping the second half of Red Rose of the House of Tudor: Elizabeth I, and it is JAM PACKED! We've got intrigue, marriage plots, and confirmation that Kat's fear of poison is justified! All this drama has our princess wondering if she'd rather trade the money and privilege for the "simple" life of a peasant.
Tune in to hear all about it!
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
Join our Discord!
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Dec 04, 2025
Red Rose of the House of Tudor: Elizabeth I part 1
Thursday Dec 04, 2025
Thursday Dec 04, 2025
Dearest Diary!
In the classic way of youthful diaries, we will start with an apology for being away so long! The fall really got away from us, but we are back with a new book and a NEW SERIES.
Join us as we recap the first half of the first Royal Diaries book (a sister series of the Dear America books), all about Elizabeth I. We meet the future queen as a precocious eleven-year-old, desperate for her father's love and attention.
We cover the dizzying array of step-mothers, dip our toes into Tudor court politics, and explore the complicated familial relationships of the English royals.
Yours truly,
Cate and Jen
P.S. We started a Discord community! Come say hi!
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Wednesday Sep 24, 2025
Historical Note: Kolby Lanham of the Alamo Museum
Wednesday Sep 24, 2025
Wednesday Sep 24, 2025
Dear Diary,
Much like a real diary, sometimes we forget to update you in a while! So this week we're taking a step back to where we were this past spring: the Alamo. We had a great conversation with Kolby Lanham from the Alamo Museum. Kolby shared some fascinating stories from the Alamo and gave us the inside scoop on exciting things coming to the Alamo Museum.
Thank you to Kolby for joining us! We hope you enjoy our conversation, and stay tuned for new episodes coming!
Yours truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday May 08, 2025
The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence part 2: this time we did a smidgeon of research
Thursday May 08, 2025
Thursday May 08, 2025
Dear Diary,
It's time to finish our recap of A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, and whoooooo boy, what a doozy.
What could possibly go wrong when you send a bunch of under-prepared Texians against the Mexican army? Turns out, a lot of death and destruction. This book carries on the proud tradition of seeing how much misery this series can inflict on its main characters. And preteen girls couldn't get enough of it!
Tune in to find out who made it through.
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Apr 24, 2025
Thursday Apr 24, 2025
Dear Diary,
This week, we are heading to the southwest to learn about the Alamo! Our guide is Sherry Garland, and her 1998 book, A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence.
Lucinda and her family of Mama, Papa, and her creatively named brothers live in the small frontier town of Gonzales near the Guadalupe River. Trouble is brewing between the president of Mexico, Santa Anna, and the "Texians" in San Antonio. The Lawrence family is divided in their opinions about war and independence. Tune in to hear about life on the home front in rural 1830s Texas!
Yours truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Apr 10, 2025
Historical Note: Paul Lee and the Real Time Titanic
Thursday Apr 10, 2025
Thursday Apr 10, 2025
Dear Diary,
This week, we had the privilege of talking to Paul Lee, who has been studying the history of Titanic for nearly 40 years! Every year, he publishes social media posts in real time, along with the historical events of the fateful voyage of the RMS Titanic.Tune in to hear our discussion on some of the lesser-known stories of Titanic and about remembering the humanity of all those affected by the tragic disaster.
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
@RibbonBookClubPod on Bluesky
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Mar 20, 2025
The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady part 2: I Will Go Down With This Ship
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Dear Diary,
We're here with part 2 of our recap of A Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, and it's a DOOZY.
Flirting and snobbery abound before the fateful striking of the iceberg. But what becomes of our cast of characters? Will Margaret and Mrs. Carstairs bond over their shared trauma? Will Robert make it to safety? And will we make it through an episode without crying over a 100-year-old disaster? Tune in to find out!
Yours truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Mar 06, 2025
The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady part 1: Culture Clashes and Class Consciousness
Thursday Mar 06, 2025
Thursday Mar 06, 2025
Dear Diary,
We made it to one of our most anticipated books of this series: Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady! It was written by Ellen Emerson White and published in 1998. Boy, were the late 1990s a fantastic time to hyperfocus on the Titanic.
In this story, we meet Margaret, a precocious orphan from Whitechapel. Margaret's life is about to be turned upside down when she gets a job as a companion to the wealthy Mrs. Carstairs. Together, they plan to sail first class to America on the RMS Titanic (what could possibly go wrong???). Margaret is not sure how she feels about her luxurious new surroundings, but she does enjoy the company of a certain cabin steward named Robert.
Tune in to hear our recap of the first half of this thrilling story!
Yours truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

The Ribbon Book Club
...is a podcast revisiting the Dear America book series by Scholastic. We are reading through the books in the series, discussing the history behind the stories, and interviewing experts in the field.
The show is co-hosted by Cate Reed and Jen Vos, two friends, and lifelong history nerds. Jen grew up reading the Dear America series, and Cate is reading them for the first time!
Join them on their journey through American History through the lens of girlhood.
For more information including reading lists and book recommendations, visit our official website: ribbonbookclubpod.com








