Hats off to narrator Rachel L. Jacobs! Not only does she get inside the soul of a 12-year-old girl, but she also brings lilting Scottish brogues to a cast of unique supporting characters. When Ada Ru is whisked off to Scotland for the summer, she is anything but pleased. When she arrives at Port Augustus, the pull of nearby Loch Ness treats Ada Ru to a host of new friends--one blind, one musical, one a determined scientist, and several loch watchers. As they come to support each other, new information on the stories of underwater dwellers in Loch Ness emerges. Jacobs highlights the inflections, sarcasm, mercurial confidence, and cocky esprit of Ada Ru. And Jacobs's Scottish lilt is music for the ears. The production concludes with a note from the author.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593155578
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
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