Johnny Heller, master of the understated narration, delivers a smooth, low-key reading of this 1998 Newbery Honor book. However, an underlying edge brings home the horror of 9-year-old Palmer "Snots" LaRue's dilemma. Palmer doesn't want to be a wringer. But in Waymer, 10-year-old boys yearn to arrive at that magical age that bestows the honor of wringing the necks of the pigeons wounded during the annual shoot of five thousand birds. Pacing is the key to the subtle emotional tension Heller delivers as Palmer, worrying about his approaching birthday, adopts a wild pigeon and risks detection by the gang of rough boys who have newly accepted him. Heller maintains this tension through to the final scene of salvation.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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