Ned's story begins when his twin brother dies in an accident and the townspeople believe that the wrong boy lived. Narrator Ralph Lister reads this fairy-tale-style fantasy, complete with bandits, royalty, and magic, peeling back the mystery surrounding Ned's mother, Sister Witch. While Lister provides a complete set of voices for the characters--from Ned and his family in the village to the Queen and the Bandit King--only his male voices ring true. The voices of the female characters sound breathy and unrealistic--especially the voice of the Queen and Ned's counterpart, ine, the daughter of the Bandit King. While the story moves slowly at times, Ned and ine's adventures will appeal to fans of middle-grade fantasy, and Lister's narration adds to the magical feel of the story.
(Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2014
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781622314805
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
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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