Listeners will easily imagine themselves on a dangerous journey with 11-year-old Anna, as she, her mother, and her older sister flee Czechoslovakia after the 1948 Communist takeover. Narrator Jennifer Jill Araya skillfully delivers a range of accents and Czech names and phrases. Based on the author's own family history, this audiobook describes in riveting detail the family's secret escape to Germany, where they hope to reunite with Anna's father, who fled earlier. Araya captures diverse characters ranging from the snarling Czech informant to the kind American soldiers from Alabama. She fully inhabits Anna's emotions, making listeners feel her pride and admiration for her father's heroism, her fear of capture, and her wistful homesickness when she realizes she may never see her beloved country again.
(Historical fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
Duration: 3 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593208649
Publisher: Listening Library
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
