Episodes

Friday Jun 23, 2023
The Diary of Clotee, A Slave Girl Part 2: Escape from Belmont Plantation
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Dear Diary,
We finished recapping A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl by Patricia C. McKissack, and what an incredible story! So much happened: we learned more about the abolitionists and Spicy's history, and Clotee figured out what freedom looked like to her.
An engaging and essential read. Tune in to hear more!
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Join our Facebook Group!
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Jun 08, 2023
The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl Part 1: We Friend-ship It!
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Dear Diary,
On to a new book, and boy, this one is different than the last! A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl was written by Patricia C. McKissack and was published in 1997. (a very good year!)
Clotee is a clever 12-year-old girl who works in the Big House on a plantation in Virginia and teaches herself how to read and write. She writes candidly about her opinions on slavery and those who participate in it and about her friends and loved ones. It's a good read!
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday May 25, 2023
The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson Part 2: Frankly My Dear, We Don’t Give a @#$%&!
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
Dear Diary,
We're back for part 2 of our discussion of When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson written by Barry Denenberg. Is it better than the first half? Wellllll...... on the plus side, there's more action!
Tune in to find out what's in store for Emma, Tally, and Cousin Rachel. What happens when the Yankees come to town? Most importantly, should we care?
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday May 11, 2023
The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson Part 1: Gone With the Wind...for Kids?
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
Dear Diary,
We've reached book 3 in the series! And it's... certainly something! Author Barry Denenberg tackles a big topic with When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson.
We have a lot of thoughts about this book, namely, why did they choose to focus on a slave-owning white girl from the South? Tune in to hear our hot takes, bad southern accents, and odes to Ken Burns' docu-series, The Civil War.
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Historical Note: Beth Dhunjisha from Valley Forge National Historical Park
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Thursday Apr 27, 2023
Dear Diary,
Now that we're done reading The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, we got to talk to a park ranger from Valley Forge National Historical Park!
Ranger Beth Dhunjisha shared with us some great information about the history of the Continental Army's winter encampment of 1777-1778. We talked about myths versus reality and about teaching history to kids at a national park!
We hope you enjoy it!
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
Find more information about Valley Forge National Historical Park on their official website
For show notes and book recommendations, visit RibbonBookClubPod.com
Or find us online
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Apr 13, 2023
The Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart Part 2: Greyhounds in Bounty Coats
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Thursday Apr 13, 2023
Dear Diary,
This week we finished recapping The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart. We learned about Baron Von Steuben training the Continental Army, Elizabeth learned what happened to her bounty coat, and we had a lot of feelings about George Washington and Lucy's parents!
Tune in to hear all that, and stay tuned until the end for a very special reading of a very real diary.
Yours Truly,
Cate and Jen
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Mar 30, 2023
The Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart Part 1: The Army Marches into Valley Forge
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Thursday Mar 30, 2023
Dear Diary,
On to book two! This week we're recapping the first half of The Winter of Red Snow: The Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart written by Kristiana Gregory and published in 1996.
In Abigail's diary, we learn about the winter encampment at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778. We meet George Washington and Abigail's friend, Lucy. Topics of discussion include an 18th-century recipe for egg nog, bounty coats, and historical inaccuracies!
We hope you enjoy!
Yours truly,
Cate and Jen
ribbonbookclubpod.com for reading notes and book recommendations
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Edited by Danny Heck
Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage
Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub
Research help by Callie Cherry @_likethefruit

Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Historical Note: Tom Begley from Plimoth Patuxet Museums
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Dear Diary,
We had our first guest on the show! Tom Begley from Plimoth Patuxet Museums spoke to us about what he does at the museum, life in the early Plimoth settlement, and writing historical fiction for young readers. We had a lovely conversation, and we hope you enjoy listening to it!
Yours truly,
Cate and Jen
P.S. You can find Plimoth Patuxet online at https://plimoth.org/
and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
RibbonBookClubPod.com
@RibbonBookPod on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
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