Jeffrey Cummings immerses listeners in the fantastical life of 19-year-old Finnikin, whose world was turned upside down 10 years earlier when the royal family was brutally murdered and the population scattered. Cummings dramatizes Finnikin’s passion in his dialogues with Evanjalin, the prophetic novice in his care. At the same time, Cummings conveys Evanjalin’s secretive, determined nature. Listeners will feel the powerful connection between these two characters in Cummings’s electric delivery. He develops the minor characters just as strongly and superbly projects the plot’s tension and themes of guilt and revenge. All these strengths add to the characterizations of the two protagonists and give verisimilitude to the portrait of a land being held in the grip of darkness and looking for redemption.
Young AdultPub Date: Sept. 28, 2010
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781441888747
Publisher: Brilliance Audio/ Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In 1832 thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is sailing from Liverpool to Rhode Island to rejoin her family. Shocked to discover that the families who were to have been both guardians and companions will not accompany her, Charlotte embarks on a journey filled with terror and swashbuckling adventure. The first-person narrative makes this Newbery Honor book a wonderful choice for recording. O'Karma's reading, with its hint of cross-gender differentiation, allows the listener to feel as if Charlotte Doyle herself were relating the tale. This story should be particularly alluring to adolescent girls although the fast-paced action and the nautical setting will also appeal to male listeners. Ages 12-adult.
Ages 12+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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