3 Below

Floors #2: 3 Below by Patrick Carman


The Whippet Hotel is now under the ownership of young Leo Fillmore. Mr. Whippet passed his hotel to Leo, but failed to take care of some business. The hotel owes back taxes! Leo and Remy need to travel through undiscovered floors to find the money needed to pay the taxes or the hotel will be put up for auction.

Carman's second Floors novel continues where book ones ends. The characters remained strong and the new characters add extra flavor to the story. The new floors that Leo and Remy discovered were so creative and unexpected. Similar to the first novel, the ending turns out for the best and there are hints to more Floors adventures.

Jesse Bernstein returns to narrator the second Floors novel. His character voices remain true to his original interpretation. Jesse is youthful and distinguishes the characters from each other.j

Reviewed from a library copy.


Audio Book Details...
Floors by Patrick Carman
Series: Book Two, Floors
Read by Jesse Bernstein
Produced by Scholastic Audiobooks
Number of Discs: 5
Total Time: 6 hours

Stealing Magic: a Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure

Stealing Magic: A Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure by Marianne Malone


Ruthie and Jack discovered the magic of the Thorne Rooms located at the Chicago Art Institute in The Sixty-Eight Rooms. They made friends and solved mysteries, but their adventure didn't end with the discovery of Mr. Bell's photographs. Ruthie and Jack return to the Thorne Rooms only to discover a thief. Someone is taking objects from the Thorne Rooms!

Malone continues the magic of life in a museum. In Stealing Magic, a life-size mystery is revealed. She intertwines magical objects, art, technology, and student crime solvers. Characters from the first novel also make an appearance to assist Ruthie and Jack throughout the story. Stealing Magic was a faster read than the first novel. The first story lays out the magic and the basics of the Thorne Rooms. This second installment jumps right in, so it is faster paced. I would highly recommend listening (or reading) the first book before venturing into the second.

Cassandra Campbell returns to read Stealing Magic. I love it when narrators continue reading a series! Campbell is a mellow reader and shares the story well.

Reviewed from a library copy.


Audio Book Details...
Stealing Magic: a Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure by Marianne Malone
Series: Book 2, The Sixty-Eight Rooms
Read by Cassandra Campbell
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 5
Total Time: 6.5 hours

War Horse

War Horse - Audio by Michael Morpurgo

Albert's father aquires a beautiful horse. Albert immediately bonds with his father's new horse and names him Joey to along with their old farm horse, Zoey. As war becomes closer to their village, soldiers come and seek out available horses for their calvary. To keep the farm, Albert's father sells Joey. Albert it heartbroken. He asks to join the calvary, but is denied because of his youth. Albert returns home with a promise to find his beloved Joey.

War Horse is a play and a movie, but the original is a book by Michael Morpurgo. I wanted to hear the original text before seeing the play or the film version. Teachers and researchers require original resources and readers should seek them out as well.

War Horse is a short book with an amazing storyline. Listeners (and readers) see war via a calvary horse. They hear about the love of animals and the misunderstanding of using calvary in modern warfare. The story is heartbreaking, but do not toss it aside. I would highly recommend this title for any reader interested in war stories, horse tales, or overcoming adversity. I am looking forward to seeing the various interpretations on stage and film.

John Keating narrates War Horse and various Irish stories. Joey, the horse travels all over the world, so the Keating must add several dialects in his narration. When the characters moves from the UK, to France and Germany, the narration changed as well as male and female voices. Some of the group scenes were similar in character, but still understandable and very acceptable. I am very pleased the decision to use Keating for a European story would be very flat without a him.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Read by John Keating
Produced by Scholastic Audiobooks
Number of Discs: 4
Total Time: 4 hours, 4 minutes

The Willoughbys

The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

What a wimpsical and riotous story about a family called Willoughby! The parents don't like their children and the children don't like their parents. They are out to remove themselves from each other's care. Surprisingly...yet unspirisingly...freedom is won! The adults go off on vacation and sell their home. The children leave their home and live with a neighbor.

Lowry freely sprinkles outrageous and classic moments throughout the story. The children label themselves as old fashioned children, so they constantly share the names and booktitles of classic litruature such as Pollyanna, Heidi, etc. The crazy antics include giving away a baby, sharing one sweater between twins, and hiding from the realtor.

Arte Johnson is a wonderul fit as narrator for The Willoughbys. He has a classic radio voice which goes hand in hand with the homage to classic children's stories. Even the glossary at the end is amusing to hear.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Read by Arte Johnson
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 3
Total Time: 2 hours, 56 minutes

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

A baby boy was found in the ocean and brought to land by sailors. He was sent to an orphange and named Peter. A hard-hearted thief saw Peter's small, nimble fingers and adopted him, so Peter could pick locks and steal. Peter scratched out a living, until he unlocked a visiting magician's wagon and stole a mysterious box filled with magical eyes.

The magical title in a golden and curly font above a shadowy figure on the rooftops caught me right away. I began reading a digital copy from NetGalley, but never finished. When the book officially released, I found the audio version as soon as possible so I could finish the tale. I loved the historical fiction beginning of Peter Nimble, but was taken aback at the quick change to fantasy. I knew the story would be magical, but I never pictured such a fantastical tale. I believe this story will be enjoyed by elementary and middle school students. Families could add this to their playlist on a car trip. The story was predictable, but I think the younger listeners will enjoy figuring out the clues and how the story fits together.

Michael Page narrates Auxier's imaginative tale. (He previously narrated Leaving the Bellweathers.) Most of the voices were distinct. The voices that puzzled me were the police or mob creatures. They sounded very similar, so every once in while I did not know who was talking in the scene. My favorite characters were the sea creatures near the end of the book.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
Read by Michael Page
Produced by Brilliance Audio
Number of Discs: 8
Total Time: 9 hours, 48 minutes

The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

A friend told me about The Help before the movie came out. I tend to read more juvenile fiction, YA, or faith fiction, so I set it aside for the moment. As more friends shared the enjoyment of the book, I added it to my "to-read" mental list. As the book gained popularity and became a film, I sat down and placed a library hold on The Help. It wasn't until I finished another audiobook that I finally picked up and listened to The Help.

More? Ms. Stockett can you please give me more!? 

To date, The Help has been the longest audiobook I have followed with 15 discs. It looked daunting, but once it began I couldn't listen to the CDs fast enough. The Help told the story of several ladies who lived in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960's. Stockett shares the stories of society ladies and stories about household help. This novel will touch your heart and give much food for thought. She wraps up her characters very well, but I greedily want to know more. I want to follow the lived of these amazing characters. I want to hear how Baby Girl grows up and how Aibileen becomes a writer. I want to see the new Skeeter and if she meets a special someone. I want...so much more.

Well, listeners (and readers) will just have to wait and see.

The multiple readers added a beautiful flair to this piece. The readers gave life to Aibileen Clark, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, and Minny Jackson. The middle section that embodied all the characters (like a news article about the benefit) was read by a seperate narrator. The middle section was the strangest, but after talking with someone who read the book verses listening to it, it was understandable. A highlight was listening to Octavia Spencer. I enjoy her numerous roles as an actress and she was also the movie version of Minny.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Read by Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, and Cassandra Campbell
Produced by Penguin Audio
Number of Discs: 15
Total Time: ca. 18 hours

Floors

Floors by Patrick Carman

Welcome to the Wippet Hotel! The Wippet was created by an excentric gentlemen who excelled at creating strange inventions. Each floor of the hotel is unique and full of surprises and adventures. No one knows the ins and outs better then the janitorial staff of the Fillmore family. Leo Fillmore discovers all this and more when a mysterious box is discovered...which leads to more myserious boxes.

Carman writes an amazingly imaginative tale that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. If you need a book that needs to span a range of ages during a roadtrip, this is an excellent selection. The older listeners might be able predict the some plot points, but there are plenty of surprises along the way. The ending wraps up happily with hints at more Wippet adventures.

Jesse Bernstein reads the first Floors novel. The narrator is well-known for his reading of The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series. His voice is youthful and he differentiates between the characters. I prefer consistancy between books, so if the Floors series continues, I hope Berstein will return to tell the tale.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
Floors by Patrick Carman
Series: Book One, Floors
Read by Jesse Bernstein
Produced by Scholastic Audiobooks
Number of Discs: 5
Total Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes

It's Audiobook Month!

Did you know? June is audiobook month! With the majority of schools breaking for summer, June is a wonderful time to celebrate the audiobook format of reading. These auditory adventures are wonderful to listen to when traveling, finishing chores, taking a walk, or just for fun! My favorite place to enjoy an audiobook is during my commute to work. When do you like to listen to audiobooks?

Happy listening, friends!

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda has a sequel called Darth Paper Strikes Back. These books are popular among tweens and teens at the library. To catch up on reading I jumped in and found the audiobook version.

Origami Yoda is a short chapter books lasting the length of two compact discs. Surprisingly, Recorded Books used five narrators to represent all the characters in this novel. The storyline includes a crowd of unpopular teens who deal with the surprising wisdom from Dwight's paper puppet. The chapters are people's reflections about the circumstances around Yoda's wisdom. The main character, Tommy, remarks upon each incident as does Harvey who is pessimistic about Yoda's/Dwight's wisdom.

I understand the pull of Origami Yoda. Angleberger shares the themes of frienship, school life, and relationships. He also focuses on an extremely popular pastimes of Star Wars and origami. Listening to Origami Yoda looses some of the uniquness of the novel itself. Character Kellen adds doodles to the pages and being audio, you miss out on the illustrations. If audio is preferred format, go ahead and have a listen, but reading it would be the best format for Origami Yoda.

The readers include Mark Turetsky, Greg Stenbruner, Jonathan Todd Ross, Julia Gibson, and Charlotte Parry. With so many characters, it was wonderful to hear a audible clue of who's case is the focus of the chapter. Overall, everyone shared a great story. Some narrator's tried too hard to capture a teen's attitude and voice characteristics. My favorite was the cases recorded with a player (then trascribed by Tommy). I also enjoyed everyone's rendition of Yoda's voice - very humorous.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Series: Book One, Origami Yoda
Read by Mark Turetsky, Greg Stenbruner, Jonathan Todd Ross, Julia Gibson, and Charlotte Parry
Produced by Recorded Books
Number of Discs: 2
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes


Purchase The Strange Case of Origami Yoda from Amazon (Affiliate)

The Case of the Deadly Desperados

The Case of the Deadly Desperados: Western Mysteries, Book One by Caroline Lawrence

P.K. Pinkerton is on the run. His adoptive parents were murdered by a gang masquerading as American Indians. He needed to escape before he was killed as well. He runs to Virginia City to find an escape, but Wittlin Walt is always right behind P.K.

Lawrence's newest mystery series is centered in the Wild West during the Silver Rush. I heard about the popularity of this book and I enjoy a good Western. It was a very pleasant surprise to find a new series. P.K. keeps running and the listener will be on the edge of their seat to see if he succeeds. He needs to grow up fast and be quick witted to survive in a city where no once trusts each other. The final twists to the tale are clever and interesting. I am looking forward to hearing book two, The Case of the Good-Looking Corpse.

T. Sands is the narrator of this tale. With a diverse community in Virigina, Sands did a wonderful job distinguishing the different accents. P.K.'s twelve year old voice wasn't too deep or too high, very believeable with a country hitch. I hope Sands will return to read again.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence
Series: Book 1, Western Mysteries
Read by T. Sands
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 6
Total Time: 7 hours, 19 minutes