If granted a single wish, would you wish for unlimited wishes? Clever children often do, but for Benjamin Bartholomew Piff that wish wreaks havoc in his already unanchored life. As he is catapulted from a horrible orphanage into another dimension--in which wishes become an unstoppable force--Benjamin hones his knowledge of wishes, hopes, and family. Roy Dotrice undertakes this narration with verve. Ben's transformation from a doleful and passive youngster to an engaged and confident boy is both subtle and convincing. Dotrice has fun with the myriad supporting characters, from Leo Snifflewiffle, the doting former president of Wishworks, to the blustery orphanage cook and the three vintage robots. Dotrice sets a brisk clip that increases as the mission speeds to its climax.
Ages 8+Pub Date: April 24, 2007
Duration: 4 hrs
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Atherton perfectly captures this enchanting return to Wonderland.
James constructs a new version of Wonderland and sends the original Alice’s granddaughter, Alyce, into it to solve the war between night and day. Narrator Kristin Atherton is magical. She creates distinctive voices and enhances the whimsy as Alyce meets the March Hare and the Mad Hatter as well as new characters—a friendly fox in a paper sailor’s cap and a caterpillar who is eating a Joyce book that he declares indigestible. Alyce must stop the war between the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon; they keep turning the lights off and on without warning, making the stars disappear and confusing the cows. Atherton’s facility with the fanciful verse reminiscent of the original story is a particular delight.
Atherton perfectly captures this enchanting return to Wonderland.Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217080830
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
Narrator Michael Boatman is once again a master of vocal sound effects in this third installment of the Skunk and Badger series: the ErrrrrRRRRR of a rock tumbler tumbling, the scutch-scutch of snowshoes moving over snow, the Beed-el-LOO-bing! of a banjo being plucked. Raising two precocious young rats in Aunt Lula's brownstone, Skunk and Badger find themselves in way, way over their heads. And how is Badger going to get his article for ROCK HOUND WEEKLY finished with all of the distractions?! Boatman captures the mayhem in a high-energy, fully committed performance, differentiating the animal characters, emphasizing the many all-caps words and phrases, and using his voice to paint a picture of a family life that's chaotic, cozy, and loving.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781649041180
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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