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SAMANTHA SPINNER AND THE SUPER-SECRET PLANS

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Narrators Kathleen McInerney and Grover Gardner hold listeners in the palms of their hands. Their spot-on kid voices make listeners feel they are being told this adventure/quest/travelogue story by the very children who are in it. In the narrator role, McInerney brings urgency, fast pacing, and precise diction to bear as 11-year-old Samantha and her younger brother, Nipper, investigate the disappearance of their Uncle Paul. Who would have guessed that the lining of an umbrella would provide a map (of sorts) or that in following it, Samantha and Nipper travel to Paris, Florence, and Edfu via underground magnetic trains, pneumatic tubes, and white water rafts, all the while being pursued by ninjas? McInerney and Gardner spin an enthralling tale, for sure! The production concludes with the author sharing a pair of puzzles specially conceived for audio.

(Adventure. 9-12)

Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018

Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins

DD ISBN: 9780525525608

Publisher: Listening Library

Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026

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    THE BOOK OF THREE

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    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

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      POSY BATES, AGAIN

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      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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