Narrator Nicola Barber gives a delightful performance of this gripping fantasy filled with magic, science, and dragons. Barber's youthful voices are clear and unique, and her infectious energy transports listeners to a beautifully imagined steampunk-like world. Thirteen-year-old Paisley is assigned her destiny, but it is not one she wants. With the help of her brother, Dax; her mother's lab assistant; and others, Paisley tries to defeat the Dark Dragon and outrun fate itself. As Barber tells the story from two contrasting points of view, her accents and intonations are on point. She skillfully balances the Dark Dragon's sinister tones with the vulnerability of his lackey, Roach, and maintains Paisley's fierceness.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2021
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781338780536
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners can expect fantasy at its silliest, with humorous voices to match.
Daniel Henning narrates this middle-grade fantasy with a dose of zaniness. Henning creates individualized voices for a cast that includes Adelbert, the forgetful magician; an irritable king; a host of royal attendants; a curmudgeonly, wish-granting tree; and the heroine, Bernadette the Brave. Bernadette is a kind, soft-spoken girl who is “hired” (kidnapped) to serve as keeper of the 24 goats upon which the king’s castle improbably rests. As the story's narrator, Henning is humorous and conversational, recounting Bernadette and Adelbert’s quest to rescue the turtle, Perseverance. This fun romp is completely out of order, beginning in Chapter 13, and dotted with morals, Latin, and the bleating of goats.
Listeners can expect fantasy at its silliest, with humorous voices to match. (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9798899737732
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Tiedemann perfectly captures Queso’s emotions as he deals with family and loss in this time-travel adventure.
Narrator Gary Tiedemann creates a youthful voice for 12-year-old Queso, who, after making a wish to see his deceased dad one more time, travels back in time to 1985. He meets his dad, Pancho (also 12 years old), whose easygoing voice matches his friendly personality, and they become fast friends. As Queso learns more about his dad's childhood, he becomes determined to help him with school to alleviate some of the struggles Pancho will face later in life. Then Queso must make the difficult decision to leave his father behind and return to his own time—if that’s even possible.
Tiedemann perfectly captures Queso’s emotions as he deals with family and loss in this time-travel adventure. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 57 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063092273
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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