One minute Penelope is trapped in a strict daily schedule recited by her mother each morning in a chipper voice; the next she falls through her itinerary into the Realm of Possibility, where the overlord, Chronos, has forbidden idle time. There she encounters many colorful characters whom narrator Jennifer Jiles voices with exuberant whimsy. Penelope and her new friend, Dill, set off to find the Great Moodler, the only one who can defeat Chronos. Jiles gives the Wild Bores a monotone stream of words with which to bore visitors to death. Dill's enthusiasm for the infinite uses of mushrooms is hysterical. Especially memorable is Jiles's portrayal of the Cuckoo Bird, whose dialogue is peppered with cuckoo sounds.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2015
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780545788793
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
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.
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