Tom Parks jumps into Paulsen’s novella of a lad who inherits a rider lawn mower and builds a lucrative landscape business. Parks, as the unnamed narrator, describes how, through hard work and with sound advice from a customer, he raked in over $40,000 in one summer. Parks trims back his youthful voice to play believable secondary characters, including his beleaguered parents and, alas, stereotypically immigrant workers. An emotional cadence to every phrase adds to the far-fetched aspect of this tall tale, but the economic lessons about supply and demand, fair wages, and labor laws are well grounded in fact. The combination is an entertaining and educational listen. M.M.O. 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
Ages 10+Pub Date: 2009
Duration: 1 hr
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lemony Snicket, who became known for challenging listeners’ vocabularies in his Series of Unfortunate Events, chooses 13 seemingly random words and arranges them into the story of a “despondent” bird and a dog who tries to cheer his friend by visiting a “haberdashery” to buy a hat with “panache.” Michael Emerson’s intonations and phrasing allow listeners to picture characters and settings even without Maira Kalman's illustrations. He encourages listeners to savor the sounds of words as the author intended. Who wouldn’t buy a hat from a breathy sales-baby who describes “panache” as “a kind of verve or swagger”? In an amazing artistic interpretation, Snicket’s final word, “mezzo-soprano,” becomes an opera of the book, created by real-life composer Nico Muhly.
Ages 8+Pub Date: 2010
Duration: 6 mins
DD ISBN: 9781443404433
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Author and narrator Enrique Flores-Galbis is a master of duality in this nuanced story of the Cuban revolution. His writing and narration are superb. In both, his humble style of storytelling is arresting. When revolution comes to Cuba, Julian is just a boy. He doesn’t even know what a revolution is. In leaving Cuba and losing his family, Julian finds new ways in which he’s both vulnerable and strong. Flores-Galbis’s voice embodies the contradictions of Julian’s experience. We hear that vulnerability in a soft, almost hesitant, voice; underneath is a quiet confidence. The pacing ebbs and flows as naturally as the tide between Havana and Miami as Julian figures out what is right and determines to do his part to help.
Ages 10+Pub Date: 2013
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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