Eleven-year-old twins Oz and Lily tap into a magical world when their father inherits a house and a chocolate shop from his great-great-grandfather. Jayne Entwistle's chipper, youthful voice conveys the twins' excitement when they discover that they're the only ones who can see Spike, a talking rat, and Demerara, a talking cat. In Entwistle's portrayal, Spike's accent takes on a charming Cockney flair. Her sophisticated depiction of Demerara features long, drawn-out words befitting the cat, but at times the voice is overdone and makes the character somewhat unlikable. While Entwistle's variety of voices is also evident in the story's other characters, voices often run into one another, making it difficult to distinguish one from another. Nonetheless, this is an enchanting children's story.
(Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: March 12, 2013
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780385368230
Publisher: Listening Library
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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