Hold onto the reins as narrator Steve West delivers this tale of daring deeds and magical exploits past. Freed in a game of chance from his indenture to a traveling show, young Kit Bristol becomes the sole and faithful servant to an unconventional master. West employs a BBC accent, which is appropriate for an eighteenth-century manservant. It is Kit’s loyalty (combined with excellent riding skills and quick thinking) that engenders his unlikely and unexpected transformation into famed highwayman Whistling Jack, who must rescue a princess from an enchanted coach. For a story told as retrospective, West conveys a contemplative mood but doesn’t forsake the breathlessness of adventure. He creates unique voices for the princess; tightrope walker Lily; senile Uncle Cornelius; and fairies Willum and Gruntle. L.T. 2015 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Young AdultPub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781427258717
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In 1832 thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is sailing from Liverpool to Rhode Island to rejoin her family. Shocked to discover that the families who were to have been both guardians and companions will not accompany her, Charlotte embarks on a journey filled with terror and swashbuckling adventure. The first-person narrative makes this Newbery Honor book a wonderful choice for recording. O'Karma's reading, with its hint of cross-gender differentiation, allows the listener to feel as if Charlotte Doyle herself were relating the tale. This story should be particularly alluring to adolescent girls although the fast-paced action and the nautical setting will also appeal to male listeners. Ages 12-adult.
Ages 12+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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