For the third time, Soneela Nankani narrates the adventures of Aru Shah. She will again please listeners with the fast-paced dialogue, wit, clever references, humor, and dynamics of 14-year-old Aru and her friends, Mini, Brynne, and Adin. Nankani adds to Aru's crew of three (and her repertoire) with the arrogance and flaws of Rudy, a serpent prince. In the midst of seeking a wish-granting tree, Aru and her friends take on a quest to rescue a clairvoyant twin from the clutches of Sleeper. Nankani represents Aru's mix of feelings about her father as smoothly as she negotiates the Hindu-drawn world of gods and creatures and the non-stop action.
(Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593207161
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Michael Boatman is once again a master of vocal sound effects in this third installment of the Skunk and Badger series: the ErrrrrRRRRR of a rock tumbler tumbling, the scutch-scutch of snowshoes moving over snow, the Beed-el-LOO-bing! of a banjo being plucked. Raising two precocious young rats in Aunt Lula's brownstone, Skunk and Badger find themselves in way, way over their heads. And how is Badger going to get his article for ROCK HOUND WEEKLY finished with all of the distractions?! Boatman captures the mayhem in a high-energy, fully committed performance, differentiating the animal characters, emphasizing the many all-caps words and phrases, and using his voice to paint a picture of a family life that's chaotic, cozy, and loving.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781649041180
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrators Madeleine Curry and Valerie Gutierrez provide lively voices for a story that takes place in a multiverse. Two girls live in parallel versions of a town called Rockdale. Twelve-year-old Piper lives with her parents and her robot dog, Roody. Raisa lives in the parallel Rockdale with parents who are scientists. Each girl is on a mission: Raisa transports herself to Piper's Rockdale to prove her mother's theory of parallel worlds, while Piper is working to free her parents from the force field that is trapping them in their home. As the chapters alternate, Curry and Gutierrez give the girls expressive voices that make them believable. Their pacing adds to the excitement of the story, keeping listeners engaged.
(Science fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668651773
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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