Karissa Vacker's gentle voice ripples with mirth as she recites Bee Johnson's descriptions of the many things a mess can make: meals and snacks, props for imaginative play, art, a squabble, a reconciliation, and more. Lists of messes conveyed in bouncy rhyme unfurl alongside a jaunty soundtrack augmented by occasional sound effects. These last are often necessary to fully understand the nature of some of the messes. The sound of breaking crockery underscores how a "heavy platter" and "little hands" lead to "a change in plans." These ensure that listeners who enjoy the audiobook without the picture book will follow the verses' gist. (Those with Johnson's illustrations in hand will see a smashed bowl of spaghetti and the delivered pizza that becomes dinner.) An exuberant celebration.
(Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
Duration: 3 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250343420
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Liam Aiken narrates this prequel to the Series of Unfortunate Events in a somber, deadpan tone that heightens its dark humor. As a teenaged Lemony Snicket investigates a series of arsons in a town called Stain’d-by-the-Sea, Aiken creates voices that delineate character and help keep clear the large cast of Snicket’s associates, enemies, and enemies that turn out to be associates. Aiken’s tone of quiet urgency will keep listeners hooked through wordplay, mysteries, good meals, romance, and the appearance of a new villain named Hangfire, who hoodwinks adults, frames a librarian, and kidnaps all the children in town. This smart and funny listen will please Snicket fans and create new ones.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478955733
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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