Everything in Alistair's simple life changes when he agrees to write the biography of his classmate, Fiona. Narrator Graham Halstead's hypnotic intonation lulls the listener as the story slowly reveals the puzzle of Fiona's visits to the parallel world of Aquavania, where the Riverman steals the souls of children. As the lines between fantasy and reality blur in this dark tale, Halstead clearly delineates between Fiona's stolid insistence that Aquavania and the Riverman exist and Alistair's initial skepticism of her story. Halstead also captures Alistair's fierce protectiveness of her. Secondary characters are portrayed equally well. Alistair's best friend, Charlie, has the jumpy, impatient voice of a gamer while Charlie's older brother, Kyle, has a laid-back, amused tone.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2014
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781490616308
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A not-too-scary horror audiobook.
Dan Bittner gives a polished performance of Stine’s middle-grade horror novel, narrating with melodramatic flair and dramatic pauses at the end of each cliffhanger chapter. When the Ferber family moves into a creepy old house on Nightmare Street, Joe’s parents are oblivious to the scary things happening in the house. In a parallel story, the Hannigan family moves into the same house, where Shawn has different creepy experiences. Both Joe and Shawn have nightmares in which they encounter horror tropes—headstones, a creepy rag doll, a looping camera, a ventriloquist’s dummy, and masked teachers—in their house and at school. Bittner’s pacing works well, and fans of the Goosebumps series will enjoy the familiar shivers and tongue-in-cheek humor.
A not-too-scary horror audiobook.Pub Date: April 18, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228588288
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Past and present come together seamlessly.
Casey Holloway and Emily Eiden perform alternating chapters of this audiobook about two girls connected through time. In the present day, 13-year-old Penny Marks is angry and resentful about her parents’ decision to move their family to Paris for her mother’s museum job. In 1943, 13-year-old Marie Bonnet and her sister live alone in Nazi-occupied Paris. Holloway depicts the curious, determined, artistic Penny, who pursues the mystery of a painting hidden in a wall and a letter written 80 years earlier. With an accented narration, Eiden reveals Marie’s entry into the French Resistance and her commitment to hiding French art from the Germans.
Past and present come together seamlessly. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063321816
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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