Author Jack Gantos picks up right where his Newbery Medal-winning DEAD END IN NORVELT left off, delivering young Jack's and elderly Miss Volker's increasingly wacky adventures in his own perfectly droll and deadpan voice. It's hard to imagine another narrator relating the story with the same familiar fondness—Gantos's reading is spot-on and never over the top. It's also hard not to laugh out loud. This time around, Jack and Miss Volker do get out of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, embarking on a road trip to pay their last respects to Eleanor Roosevelt and catch an infamous Norvelt murderer. Some of the situations defy belief—but listeners should simply shelve any doubts and hang on for this wild and hilarious ride.
(Historical fiction. 11-13)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2013
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781427233141
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A classic story of high adventure and conflict between good and evil placed in the mythical land of Prydain, The Book of Three is read grippingly and enchantingly by Chris King. Vocal switches are mostly smooth with a few minor pronunciation slips which are quickly corrected. King's voice is clear, easy to understand and memorable, giving the listener a sense of the characters as well as a pronunciation guide to those incredible Gaelic names Alexander uses. Both the characters and the story linger in the mind's eye because of the quality of narration. This is surely a reading that can be listened to again and again and will leave the listeners asking for the entire Prydain series on tape.
AGES 8+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Posy Bates is back, this time with a dog left over from a pet show. Back also are baby Fred and her friend, Sam. But the star of the show is Posy herself, an energetic nine-year-old with a penchant for misadventure. Judy Bennett's rendering of each of the characters in this episodic family story is right on the mark. Her enunciation and impeccable timing clarify the idiomatic text so that its unusual words become another aspect of the book's pleasure. The irrepressible Posy is her greatest challenge, and Bennett gets high marks. She bubbles with enthusiasm, wails and squeals, and dies over and over again. "It's positively brilling!"
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 1 hr
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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