A battle is brewing between wizard factions in the final installment of Chima’s well-received Heir Chronicles. At the crux of it all is art student Madison Moss, a teen who is torn between her otherworldly life in Trinity (Ohio) and her mundane family—a selfish mother and two younger siblings, who live a few hours away. As Madison tries to keep her family intact, all sorts of wizardry breaks out around the Dragonheart—an elusive, misunderstood token of power. Chima's story of a present-day fantasy world draws in listeners, but Robert Ramirez doesn't keep pace. With more than a dozen characters in the story, the narration must differentiate voices, and Ramirez doesn’t deliver the goods. Even though he employs a few accents, several characters sound too much alike.
Young AdultPub Date: Jan. 22, 2009
Duration: 15 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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