Tweens and their parents or grandparents may find this mystery ideal for shared listening. Narrator Lincoln Hoppe nimbly portrays a dichotomy of characters: a teen protagonist with stereotypical 21st-century angst and pulp villains straight out of the 1940s. Hoppe's portrayal of 13-year-old Jason reveals his boredom with being stuck in blue-haired St. Petersburg, Florida, where he's helping his dad settle his grandmother's estate. Hoppe conveys Jason's begrudging interest when he discovers that perhaps Grandma was not only young once, she was also entwined in an exciting mystery. With his new friend, Dia, Jason follows a trail of vintage postcards with the tenacity of a gumshoe detective. Hoppe's well-paced, realistic dialogue adds credibility to the story's adults, especially Jason's stressed-out father.
Young AdultPub Date: April 8, 2008
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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