Bilingual narrator Almarie Guerra brings Ortega's humorous ghost-hunting story to life with ease as she introduces listeners to young Lucely Luna and her firefly spirit family. Guerra imbues Lucely's voice with vibrant notes of determination and curiosity as she and her best friend, Syd--the more skeptical and rebellious of the pair--work to unravel a decades-old mystery that is endangering the Luna family. Throughout the audiobook, listeners meet a variety of characters--from the slick Mayor Anderson to the no-nonsense, magical Babette, all of whom Guerra voices with distinct tones. Offering an authentic glimpse of Dominican folklore and the thrill of ghost hunting, both voiced expertly by Guerra, this audiobook makes for a lighthearted listen.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781338619522
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The audiobook has the comforting, magical quality of an irresistible bedtime story.
Author/narrator Coelho’s bright, friendly first-person narration brings 12-year-old Relic Hamilton to life. When Relic encounters a dangerous genie in his grandfather’s antique shop, he leaves his ordinary London life behind for a supernatural adventure that transports him through history and around the globe. While the journey has thrills and scary moments, the characters always have hope—a central theme of the audiobook. Coelho brings variety to the voices of his other characters, like Relic’s grandfather’s “Jamaican-teacher voice” and the gravelly rumble of a pirate captain from the Age of Sail who sounds exactly like an archetypal pirate ought to.
The audiobook has the comforting, magical quality of an irresistible bedtime story. (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798349162169
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
A magical blending of fantasy and reality.
Narrator Emily Eiden's expressive rendition of Auden "Denny" Greene and her best friend Runa is feminine and childlike, suitable for a tale of girls on the cusp of turning twelve. Denny and Runa manifest their active imaginations in a magical world they call Sorrowfeld, filled with dragons and princesses, but Denny is dismayed to find that Runa seems to be growing out of this world and into a new phase of her life. Denny, however, still needs the escapism of Sorrowfeld to cope with challenging circumstances in her real life—while in Sorrowfeld, Princess Auden struggles against actual dragons.
A magical blending of fantasy and reality.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: N/A
DD ISBN: 9780063348189
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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