Margaret Cabourn-Smith gives a mesmerizing performance of this exhilarating heist story set in Prohibition-era New York City. Vita sails from England to visit her grandfather after he has been swindled out of his crumbling family mansion by a mobster. Listeners hear her indignant determination as she bands together with a young pickpocket and two circus apprentices to steal back a valuable emerald taken from the mansion. What follows is a thrilling, nonstop adventure about four kids who try to outwit the con man and his gang. Cabourn-Smith treats listeners to a wide array of voices and accents to portray British Vita and her mother, the Russian animal trainer, the Irish orphan girl, shouting newsboys in the street, and the New York thugs.
. (Historical fiction. 11-13)Pub Date: 2019
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781980060277
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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
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