This atmospheric work of historical fiction and magical realism takes place in nineteenth-century London. Narrator Sarah Coomes creates a variety of voices for the chimney sweeps--Cockney climbing kids who are the featured characters. Listeners meet Nan Sparrow, the legendary climber; a malevolent master; a soft-spoken Jewish immigrant; a gentle chimney sweep; and Charlie--Nan's "monster." Nan's smart, lucky, and as fierce as she needs to be to survive as an indentured child laborer in the dangerous soot-filled chimneys. Mysteriously abandoned by the kindly sweep who once cared for her, she has only a small piece of char by which to remember him. Coomes's monster's squeaky voice is jarring at first, but listeners will quickly discover that it fits his kind and childlike personality. Coomes's voice and Auxier's prose combine to create an immersive experience.
(Historical fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2018
Duration: 8 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
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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