Narrator Gibson Frazier’s gentle voice is well suited to this middle-grade tale of magical realism. Steve’s new baby brother is very ill, his parents are distracted, and a group of wasps is building a nest on the side of his house. When he begins communicating with the wasp queen in his dreams, Steve thinks he has found a fix for all his family’s troubles. But magical bargains rarely work out. Frazier’s tone fully captures Steve’s anxiety, and he performs in a sweetly poisonous voice for the wasp queen. Frazier’s narration will make listeners worry about the baby, and Steve. Listeners will be unable to turn this off until they hear how it all comes out.
(Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2015
Duration: 3 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781442391277
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Henry's parents are kidnapped while they travel the world. Henry is confused and lost when he's sent to his aunt, uncle, and cousins in Kansas. His bewilderment increases when the plaster of his bedroom walls cracks to disclose 100 strange cupboards that are portals to odd places. Vivid descriptions of fascinating lands hold listeners' attention through the story's many unexplained facts as does the steady, solid narration by Russell Horton. Horton accurately modulates the characters' up-and-down emotions, adapting his pace quickly to the changes. Listeners are able to keep up with the rapidly introduced characters because of Horton's stand-out portrayals.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2007
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780739362778
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A cast of narrators shares these stories, each told from the point of view of a supporting character from Riordan's Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. We hear from Halfborn Gunderson, Samirah al-Abbas, Alex Fierro, and more. In "So's Your Face!" narrator Sile Bermingham gives fiery einherji Mallory Keen an Irish lilt, and in "I Play with Fire," Bahni Turpin gets to pull out the stops creating voices for a meeting of immortals in Muspellheim. Riordan's signature humor is here--Thor makes a guest appearance in each story, running through the nine worlds in his leather short shorts. The characterizations might not quite match what listeners heard in earlier installments, but diehard Magnus Chase fans can still enjoy this collection.
(Fantasy. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
Duration: 3 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780525641834
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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