Rats, cats, and mice inhabit a kingdom in the subway tunnels beneath Brooklyn, New York. Deceit, schemes, and warfare ensue. Narrator Kirby Heyborne brings freshness and intimacy to this production. Young listeners will be quickly engaged as Hopper, an unassuming mouse with a white circle around his eye, sets out to reunite with his brother and sister. Heyborne's overall pace is steady. As Hopper reaches into his memory to connect the past to the present, Heyborne's tone is quietly gentle. He also captures Hopper's confusion as he tries to piece together the allegiances of the rats as well as his dismay as he comes to understand how he has played into the escalating tension. Secondary characters, especially icy King Titus and his boisterous son, Zucker, also stand out.
(Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: 2014
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781442371033
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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