Author Lucy Strange narrates her debut novel with the sensitivity that comes from having written it. She fully dramatizes the upheavals of 12-year-old Henrietta, whose grief at her older brother's death is multiplied by the cruelties her catatonic mother suffers at the hands of the uncaring Doctor Hardy. Strange animates Henrietta's determination to help her family and her frustrations in doing so. The story's post-WWI British setting in a mysterious wood provides a melancholy, mysterious backdrop. Strange gives even minor characters layered portraits. Doctor Hardy's menacing demeanor is due to his megalomania, Henrietta's caretakers are strict mostly for her protection, and Moth, who lives in the woods, has a kindness born from her own loss. A passion for words is always evident, and lyricism provides emotional respites in this difficult story.
(Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2017
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781338187540
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ebner’s well-paced narration will engage listeners to the very end of this excellent audiobook.
Jeff Ebner's youthful, enthusiastic voice immediately pulls listeners into this fun-filled summer adventure. Eleven-year-old Felix and his neighbor, Marigold, find a mysterious wooden box that contains a field recorder and a coded message that subsequently sends them on a fantastically sound-filled scavenger hunt. The inclusion of actual sound effects—an ice cream truck’s jingle, a barking dog, bird song, and more—throughout the audiobook enhances the listening experience. The music, the voices, and the clues as Felix and Marigold run all over town are irresistible. The story’s conclusion features an unexpected reconnection.
Ebner’s well-paced narration will engage listeners to the very end of this excellent audiobook. (Mystery. 7-11)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217351961
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
A not-too-scary horror audiobook.
Dan Bittner gives a polished performance of Stine’s middle-grade horror novel, narrating with melodramatic flair and dramatic pauses at the end of each cliffhanger chapter. When the Ferber family moves into a creepy old house on Nightmare Street, Joe’s parents are oblivious to the scary things happening in the house. In a parallel story, the Hannigan family moves into the same house, where Shawn has different creepy experiences. Both Joe and Shawn have nightmares in which they encounter horror tropes—headstones, a creepy rag doll, a looping camera, a ventriloquist’s dummy, and masked teachers—in their house and at school. Bittner’s pacing works well, and fans of the Goosebumps series will enjoy the familiar shivers and tongue-in-cheek humor.
A not-too-scary horror audiobook.Pub Date: April 18, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228588288
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
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