Kate Simses serves up a vivid, utterly believable portrayal of a family separated by the newly erected Berlin Wall. Young Gerta, her mother, and her older brother, Fritz, are trapped by the constant scrutiny of the East German border police, while her father and younger brother are unable to return from the West. Listeners will feel the complete despair in Gerta’s voice as life in East Berlin becomes bleak and uncertain. Simses allows hope to flicker in the two children as they dig a tunnel toward freedom, and their father and brother. Simses paces the ebb and flow of tension so well that listeners will lose all track of time. The palpable fear of capture and the excited hope of reunion raise this performance above the norm.
(Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780545880800
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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