Narrator Bianca Amato's classy performance adds to an audiobook filled with pleasantly predictable characters and a variety of unoriginal situations. The Winthrop Hopkins Female Academy teaches aristocratic young women the skills they'll need once they secure wealthy husbands. The school, however, is located in Lesser Hoo, in rural Yorkshire, and the eight young ladies attending haven't missed the fact that there aren't any marriageable men in the neighborhood. Amato elevates an entertaining story into a listening delight, especially after an injured young aristocrat is forced to shelter at the school and his friends begin visiting him there. Amato delivers an arresting assortment of girls, con men, ardent suitors, well-meaning teachers, sadistic governesses, and absentee parents--and she never disappoints. Fun from start to finish.
(Historical fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2015
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781470339395
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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