Narrator Heath Miller is entrancing in this fantasy featuring 13-year-old Osmo, who longs for an interesting life outside Littlebridge. Under unfortunate circumstances, Osmo must enter the adjacent woods, where the fierce and cunning Quidnunx reign. His initially unwilling companions are Bonk the Cross, a skadgebat (skunk-badger-wombat), and Nevermore, a pangirlin. Miller creates a fantastical array of character voices for these and other denizens of the woods, where everything has two natures. Miller's Osmo is fittingly kind and soft-spoken as he dutifully carries out his appointed quest. The standout, however, is Bonk, who is portrayed with a Scottish brogue and a melodramatic crustiness that is improbably endearing. Miller's droll English accent expresses authority yet invites trust; the listener is willingly carried off to the fabled Eightpenny Woods.
(Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: April 26, 2022
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797139562
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
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: April 21, 2026
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: April 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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