Narrator Johnny Heller exuberantly portrays Harry, Doug, their friends, and their teachers in this 30th anniversary finale. Heller captures Doug's excitement at the end of third grade, while Harry sounds unusually subdued. Things are clarified when Harry announces his family is moving. Listeners will join Doug as he "tours" Harry's bedroom, revisiting the elements of earlier stories, such as the fake cigars used when they played the smoking Three Wise Men. Heller genuinely depicts friends--many international--as they express their dismay at losing Harry. Kids will be delighted when Doug meets Harry's new neighbor, who's eager to join the group. Heller warmly quotes author Suzy Kline, who is also a teacher, as she reveals that the character Harry is a compendium of her pupils.
(Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2018
Duration: 43 mins
DD ISBN: 9781980011071
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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