Narrator Marisa Calin's crisp British accent engages listeners as she tells the story of Alice Spencer. Alice's distress amid the blitzkriegs of WWII and fear for her best friend, Alfred, are clear in Calin's voice. Alice comforts herself with memories of the times she and Alfred would escape into their beloved ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. In her strange bombed city, Alice Spencer's confusion becomes very like that of the literary Alice. Though Calin's precise enunciation highlights the beautiful writing and the literary references may please Lewis Carroll fans, Alice's ponderous reflections and the slow pacing of the story and narrator may stop young adult listeners. Steve Sater's author's note tells of his youth when "books were my everything" and recounts his creation of the musical on which this audiobook is based.
(Fabulism. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593106082
Publisher: Listening Library
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
The satisfying, cozy resolution affirms the magic of romance, the power of loving a place, and the rewards of taking risks.
Soneela Nankani’s quiet narration carries a wish and a promise, setting the tone for high school junior Calisa’s escape from Brooklyn to her estranged great-aunt’s B&B in Vermont. Calisa, hurt from a breakup, receives a caustic welcome from her Auntie Zee and discovers an inn in disrepair. Nankani gives voice to the inn’s strange guests, who have puzzling manners, and gradually the odd occurrences Calisa notices begin to point in a distinctly enchanted direction. As Calisa travels through the inn’s portals to magical lands, Nankani’s narration helps listeners experience the richness Calisa finds. Tension builds as Auntie Zee goes missing, the inn’s future is threatened, and Calisa must decipher family secrets.
The satisfying, cozy resolution affirms the magic of romance, the power of loving a place, and the rewards of taking risks. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 2 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217171934
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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