Not since HOLES, by Louis Sachar, has children's literature celebrated an American tall tale with a plot of such serendipitous proportions. Insolent Florida and her earnest brother, Dallas, 13-year-old orphan "trouble twins" of the penurious Boxton Creek Home for Children, live to break every one of its insufferable and ubiquitous rules until they are finally sprung by Tiller and Sairy Morey. Their stay in the lush Ruby Holler frames a hilarious yet heart-tugging journey through loss and reclamation. Although the voices of the quirky secondary characters occasionally suffer from too much similarity, Donna Murphy's Southern drawl is put to varied use, from the gruff Boxton Home owner, Mr. Trepid, and his cranky pseudo-genteel wife, Mrs. Trepid, to the reticent but generous Tiller and the warm-hearted Sairy. Creech fans will rejoice in another tale by the Newbery Medalist and celebrate this refreshing change of pace.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Liam Aiken narrates this prequel to the Series of Unfortunate Events in a somber, deadpan tone that heightens its dark humor. As a teenaged Lemony Snicket investigates a series of arsons in a town called Stain’d-by-the-Sea, Aiken creates voices that delineate character and help keep clear the large cast of Snicket’s associates, enemies, and enemies that turn out to be associates. Aiken’s tone of quiet urgency will keep listeners hooked through wordplay, mysteries, good meals, romance, and the appearance of a new villain named Hangfire, who hoodwinks adults, frames a librarian, and kidnaps all the children in town. This smart and funny listen will please Snicket fans and create new ones.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478955733
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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