Brittany Pressley's earnest narration captures heartbreak and hope in this beautiful story about holding on and letting go. Her gentle tone high pitch capture the youthful sadness of 12-year-old Emmaline Beaumont, who has been facing numerous hardships since her mother's death two years ago. One obstacle to Emmaline's happiness is her distracted and disconnected father, who builds a machine that allows him to visit with her mother's ghost. Pressley deftly portrays the heartbroken Mr. Beaumont with a shaking, broken voice and hones her dulcet tones to portray Mrs. Beaumont. Best of all is Pressley's portrayal of Emmaline's interactions with twins Gully and Oliver, which showcases her talents as she conveys the cheery highs and agonizing lows of the three friends.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 3 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501966941
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The audiobook has the comforting, magical quality of an irresistible bedtime story.
Author/narrator Coelho’s bright, friendly first-person narration brings 12-year-old Relic Hamilton to life. When Relic encounters a dangerous genie in his grandfather’s antique shop, he leaves his ordinary London life behind for a supernatural adventure that transports him through history and around the globe. While the journey has thrills and scary moments, the characters always have hope—a central theme of the audiobook. Coelho brings variety to the voices of his other characters, like Relic’s grandfather’s “Jamaican-teacher voice” and the gravelly rumble of a pirate captain from the Age of Sail who sounds exactly like an archetypal pirate ought to.
The audiobook has the comforting, magical quality of an irresistible bedtime story. (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798349162169
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
A magical blending of fantasy and reality.
Narrator Emily Eiden's expressive rendition of Auden "Denny" Greene and her best friend Runa is feminine and childlike, suitable for a tale of girls on the cusp of turning 12. Denny and Runa manifest their active imaginations in a magical world they call Sorrowfeld, filled with dragons and princesses, but Denny is dismayed to find that Runa seems to be growing out of this world and into a new phase of her life. Denny, however, still needs the escapism of Sorrowfeld to cope with challenging circumstances in her real life—while in Sorrowfeld, Princess Auden struggles against actual dragons.
A magical blending of fantasy and reality. (Fantasy. 8-13)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063348189
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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