Narrator Ramon de Ocampo draws listeners into this bittersweet story with his gentle handling of adolescent fears and the challenges of growing up and letting go. Shovel has been Zack's large, purple, furry imaginary friend since he was 5. Shovel was there to help Zack escape the grief of losing his father and the loneliness that followed. Now, six years later, Shovel helps him with the anxiety of middle school, including coping with bullies and making new friends. But their fantasy world of knights and magic is fading away, as is Shovel's dwindling connection with this boy too old for make-believe. De Ocampo captures the humor that lightens this narrative and creates relatable voices for each of the characters. His portrayal of Shovel--whose very existence depends on believability--is particularly engaging.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781705044025
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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