Narrator Kirby Heyborne brings a modern fairy tale filled with dark magic to life with a fantastic performance. With wary tones, Heyborne introduces Alex, a shy kid with a love of creepy things. When shrill-voiced Natacha lures Alex into her spell-ridden apartment, he is forced to write and deliver a scary story each night to appease the witch. While captive, Alex meets Yasmin, another prisoner, whose tenacity and confidence are evident in her voice. As the two begin plotting their escape from Natacha, they realize it will take a truly terrifying act to attain their freedom. This bewitching audiobook is reminiscent of "Hansel and Gretel" and THE ARABIAN NIGHTS.
(Horror. 9-12)Pub Date: July 24, 2018
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062841988
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Bahni Turpin employs a Caribbean accent to take young listeners to St. Rita for this haunting combination of folklore and contemporary life. Young Kela is freshly mourning the loss of her mother when she finds a sea woman's comb in an exposed cave. Maybe that's why she can't help making a wish and why she fights so hard when things go wrong. If you're not familiar with this Golden Voice narrator, it may be hard to believe that all the character voices come from Turpin. She pulls electric energy and emotion from them all, especially the embittered sea woman, Ophidia. Turpin's tone travels effortlessly between fairy-tale sweetness and crackling action. Be prepared to hold your breath as the danger mounts.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 8, 2022
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063043466
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Elena Rey ably voices a bustling cast of humans and monsters in this sequel to THE SCHOOL FOR INVISIBLE BOYS. Here, 12-year-old Kairos agent Sam Osborne takes center stage when he's assigned to find the papers of a deceased operative. Embedding in Seattle with his family, Sam assumes the identity of a Texas cousin, a device that allows Rey to slip nimbly between accents. She's particularly adept with her characterizations of children, especially Sam's target's earnest grandson, his word-loving best friend, and the teenage son of the family next door--none of whom are what they seem. Author Hutchinson opens his aperture considerably in this second series outing, but he provides enough backstory to orient new listeners as Rey confidently carries them forward.
(Supernatural. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217015627
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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