THE DAYDREAMER chronicles the stories that go on in the head of 10-year-old Peter Fortune--a boy destined to be misunderstood by adults made nervous by his quiet demeanor as he floats off on great mental adventures. In these daydreams, which fluidly merge fantasy and reality (part of the pleasure of this book is figuring out which is which), Peter experiences life as his old pet cat, does battle with his sister's bad doll, eliminates his bothersome family by applying vanishing cream, and defeats a bully just with his insightful words. The experienced and likable Simon Prebble brings much insight to this narration. His skilled reading reveals Peter's sense of humor and compassion--as though he understands what it's like to be completely absorbed in fantasy, sometimes at the expense of reality.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Sanderlin brings gravitas to the story’s most serious scenes while adding humor to its frequent moments of whimsy.
Mark Sanderlin tells this middle-grade story as the Royal Chronicler, an unnamed adult at an entertaining scholarly remove from the adventures of the main characters. Eleven-year-old Olly leaves his younger sister, Jenny, at home when he reluctantly goes out to find work, a necessity for kids in their struggling community. Their bleak reality becomes more colorful when Olly’s first job ends up being at a secret refuge for endangered dragons, and when Jenny develops magical powers. As they stumble into a quest to save the fantastical species, Olly and Jenny’s dialogue sounds convincingly kidlike, a nice contrast with the chronicler’s news anchor-style delivery of the rest of the prose.
Sanderlin brings gravitas to the story’s most serious scenes while adding humor to its frequent moments of whimsy. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 24 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898850296
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Listeners can expect fantasy at its silliest, with humorous voices to match.
Daniel Henning narrates this middle-grade fantasy with a dose of zaniness. Henning creates individualized voices for a cast that includes Adelbert, the forgetful magician; an irritable king; a host of royal attendants; a curmudgeonly, wish-granting tree; and the heroine, Bernadette the Brave. Bernadette is a kind, soft-spoken girl who is “hired” (kidnapped) to serve as keeper of the 24 goats upon which the king’s castle improbably rests. As the story's narrator, Henning is humorous and conversational, recounting Bernadette and Adelbert’s quest to rescue the turtle, Perseverance. This fun romp is completely out of order, beginning in Chapter 13, and dotted with morals, Latin, and the bleating of goats.
Listeners can expect fantasy at its silliest, with humorous voices to match. (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9798899737732
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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