Narrator Dion Graham draws listeners into this quirky tale set in the mysteriously off-kilter town of Carousel. Eggers tries his hand at engaging younger listeners, and Graham aids him greatly in that effort, breathing life into the central character, Gran (short for Granite), and his new pal, Catalina, who enter a secret underground world and seek to shore up Carousel. Graham excels at creating intrigue and suspense as this odd little story unfolds. His ability to depict a host of colorful characters adds a lot to this offbeat work, which is by turns fantastical, whimsical, and allegorical. Some listeners may wonder whether Eggers is a natural at writing for children, and all will enjoy Graham's performance of this story about sadness and the power of community to dispel it.
. (Fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: April 24, 2018
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524782849
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Michael Boatman is once again a master of vocal sound effects in this third installment of the Skunk and Badger series: the ErrrrrRRRRR of a rock tumbler tumbling, the scutch-scutch of snowshoes moving over snow, the Beed-el-LOO-bing! of a banjo being plucked. Raising two precocious young rats in Aunt Lula's brownstone, Skunk and Badger find themselves in way, way over their heads. And how is Badger going to get his article for ROCK HOUND WEEKLY finished with all of the distractions?! Boatman captures the mayhem in a high-energy, fully committed performance, differentiating the animal characters, emphasizing the many all-caps words and phrases, and using his voice to paint a picture of a family life that's chaotic, cozy, and loving.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781649041180
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrators Madeleine Curry and Valerie Gutierrez provide lively voices for a story that takes place in a multiverse. Two girls live in parallel versions of a town called Rockdale. Twelve-year-old Piper lives with her parents and her robot dog, Roody. Raisa lives in the parallel Rockdale with parents who are scientists. Each girl is on a mission: Raisa transports herself to Piper's Rockdale to prove her mother's theory of parallel worlds, while Piper is working to free her parents from the force field that is trapping them in their home. As the chapters alternate, Curry and Gutierrez give the girls expressive voices that make them believable. Their pacing adds to the excitement of the story, keeping listeners engaged.
(Science fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668651773
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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