Anire Kim Amoda brings youthful enthusiasm to her portrayal of a biracial girl named Hana and her culinary challenge. Grandma and Grandpa Williams are from South Carolina, and cherish gumbo, while Halmoni (Grandmother) and Harabeoji (Grandfather) are from South Korea, and savor kimchi. What can young Hana cook to please everyone's palate? Amoda's light, engaging voice brings out Hana's thoughtfulness and eagerness in bridging the diverse cuisines. Budding foodies may be especially impressed by Amoda's smooth pronunciation of the glossary of global food terms and Hana's creative recipe for Korean gumbo. Amoda's delightful performance also conveys the book's heartwarming message: The love and care behind a meal outweigh the importance of the dish itself.
(Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
Duration: 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217014491
Publisher: Listening Library
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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