Narrator Lori-Felipe Barkin's clear, bright voice enhances this fast-paced urban fantasy. The mystery revolves around Maria, a neglected 11-year-old who is forced to work as part of her pseudo-psychic mother's scam conning elderly widows. But Maria has a secret. She really can communicate with a spirit, and that spirit is giving her clues to find a special treasure. There are plenty of plot twists, but the recurring theme of crossing boundaries creates subtle connections. Maria's need for support from both real and paranormal friends is cleverly juxtaposed with clues exploring the Beat movement, which is notorious for its break from literary tradition in the 1950s. Barkin creates wonderfully animated voices for the characters, embellishing them just enough to lighten the story's tone and capture the fun.
(Paranormal mystery. 7-10)Pub Date: July 21, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250619228
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A not-too-scary horror audiobook.
Dan Bittner gives a polished performance of Stine’s middle-grade horror novel, narrating with melodramatic flair and dramatic pauses at the end of each cliffhanger chapter. When the Ferber family moves into a creepy old house on Nightmare Street, Joe’s parents are oblivious to the scary things happening in the house. In a parallel story, the Hannigan family moves into the same house, where Shawn has different creepy experiences. Both Joe and Shawn have nightmares in which they encounter horror tropes—headstones, a creepy rag doll, a looping camera, a ventriloquist’s dummy, and masked teachers—in their house and at school. Bittner’s pacing works well, and fans of the Goosebumps series will enjoy the familiar shivers and tongue-in-cheek humor.
A not-too-scary horror audiobook.Pub Date: April 18, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228588288
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Past and present come together seamlessly.
Casey Holloway and Emily Eiden perform alternating chapters of this audiobook about two girls connected through time. In the present day, 13-year-old Penny Marks is angry and resentful about her parents’ decision to move their family to Paris for her mother’s museum job. In 1943, 13-year-old Marie Bonnet and her sister live alone in Nazi-occupied Paris. Holloway depicts the curious, determined, artistic Penny, who pursues the mystery of a painting hidden in a wall and a letter written 80 years earlier. With an accented narration, Eiden reveals Marie’s entry into the French Resistance and her commitment to hiding French art from the Germans.
Past and present come together seamlessly. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063321816
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
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