Elizabeth Morton dramatizes 11-year-old Zoë Royster with a smart, sassy voice. After the death of her mentally ill mother, Zoë finds herself living with her uncle, a sculptor, who she believes is more interested in his work than in her. Morton's snappy comments fully convince listeners of Zoë's pessimism, born out of years of taking care of her mother and her string of irresponsible boyfriends. Morton subtly changes her tone as Zoë learns to trust the adults in her life. Periodically, Nicole Poole inserts vignettes by “Mr. C'mere,” the aging feral cat Zoë seeks to tame. Poole's mature voice fits him in terms of his age and instinctive appreciation of Zoë. As the story depicts the many meanings of "wild things," the narrators enliven all the characters Zoë comes to love.
Ages 8+Pub Date: April 30, 2010
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781449824754
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Liam Aiken narrates this prequel to the Series of Unfortunate Events in a somber, deadpan tone that heightens its dark humor. As a teenaged Lemony Snicket investigates a series of arsons in a town called Stain’d-by-the-Sea, Aiken creates voices that delineate character and help keep clear the large cast of Snicket’s associates, enemies, and enemies that turn out to be associates. Aiken’s tone of quiet urgency will keep listeners hooked through wordplay, mysteries, good meals, romance, and the appearance of a new villain named Hangfire, who hoodwinks adults, frames a librarian, and kidnaps all the children in town. This smart and funny listen will please Snicket fans and create new ones.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478955733
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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