Dan Bittner performs a middle-grade story about an anxious boy who is pulled into a horrifying situation after watching the scariest movie ever made. Ethan is terrified of everything, but his understanding friends try to help him through his fears by inviting him to a horror movie. However, the movie isn't a movie but an actual monster that Ethan is the only one to escape from. Bittner's bright narration shifts between a good-hearted jokey tone and a bombastic cadence perfectly suited to young listeners. The performance balances kid-friendly horror and a spooky story with surprising heart. Bittner's narration makes this story all the more accessible.
(Horror. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668643990
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Bahni Turpin employs a Caribbean accent to take young listeners to St. Rita for this haunting combination of folklore and contemporary life. Young Kela is freshly mourning the loss of her mother when she finds a sea woman's comb in an exposed cave. Maybe that's why she can't help making a wish and why she fights so hard when things go wrong. If you're not familiar with this Golden Voice narrator, it may be hard to believe that all the character voices come from Turpin. She pulls electric energy and emotion from them all, especially the embittered sea woman, Ophidia. Turpin's tone travels effortlessly between fairy-tale sweetness and crackling action. Be prepared to hold your breath as the danger mounts.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 8, 2022
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063043466
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Elena Rey ably voices a bustling cast of humans and monsters in this sequel to THE SCHOOL FOR INVISIBLE BOYS. Here, 12-year-old Kairos agent Sam Osborne takes center stage when he's assigned to find the papers of a deceased operative. Embedding in Seattle with his family, Sam assumes the identity of a Texas cousin, a device that allows Rey to slip nimbly between accents. She's particularly adept with her characterizations of children, especially Sam's target's earnest grandson, his word-loving best friend, and the teenage son of the family next door--none of whom are what they seem. Author Hutchinson opens his aperture considerably in this second series outing, but he provides enough backstory to orient new listeners as Rey confidently carries them forward.
(Supernatural. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217015627
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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