The world's best-known vampire story comes to life in this expert performance by Robert Whitfield. No music, no special audio tricks detract from the chilling, gruesome tale of the un-dead. Whitfield's minimalist narration suits perfectly. His subtle shading of voice gives complete personality and motivation to each of the eight protagonists, with exaggerated accent reserved for the Dutch Dr. van Helsing, and, to a lesser extent, Count Dracula himself. His women come across as sweet, yet intelligent. With the same understated clarity, he brings full voice to the voluptuous vampiresses' seduction of their victims and to the malevolent machinations of the Count. For a classic performance of a classic work, this production must not be missed.
(Graphic novel. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An unrealistic but enjoyable whirlwind tour of Tokyo inspired by the author’s own story.
Eileen Stevens and Alison Hiroto narrate this enthusiastic look at Tokyo and the seductive history of manga. Pen pals Abby and Yuuko meet in person when Abby travels to Tokyo, and together they create a well-received comic. Stevens and Hiroto are engaging as they portray Abby and Yuuko’s different accents, cultures, and personalities. A full cast, along with sound effects of cooking, train and plane travel, karaoke, and more, invites listeners into the action and makes the setting come alive, including fun details about Japanese cuisine and ever-present vending machines. While the text makes the young women seem too juvenile, both main narrators sound more like adults.
An unrealistic but enjoyable whirlwind tour of Tokyo inspired by the author’s own story. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
Duration: 1 hr, 26 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225091521
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2026
Ivan Mok, Quyen Ngo, and a full cast narrate this award-winning 2020 graphic novel. Mok portrays 13-year-old English-speaking Tien, and Ngo portrays his mother, Helen, a Vietnamese refugee. Mok shows Tien's confusion as he crushes on a male classmate. Ngo conveys Helen's despair at losing her own mother and her longing for the past. Mother and son have always bridged language differences and found connection by reading fairy tales together, so it makes perfect sense that these actors' on-target depictions are interwoven with dramatic, beautifully rendered scenes from stories that resemble "The Little Mermaid," "Tattercoats," and others. Throughout, well-cued sound effects aid in setting scenes, while a superb musical score differentiates contemporary and fantasy settings.
(Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
Duration: 1 hr, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217072811
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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