Review: When Books Went to War

When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning

The title of this book drew me in right away. On further review the description was very intriguing. Since reading is my biggest pastime, I thought this non-fiction piece would be an interesting tidbit of history. I'm so glad Blackstone Audio made this title into an audiobook. I greatly enjoyed reading non-fiction as an audiobook!

Molly Guptill Manning discovered ASEs while writing her first book, The Myth of Ephraim Tutt. While researching Tutt, she found Tutt's book as an Armed Services Edition. As further research brought more references to ASEs, Manning knew she wanted to know more. (She explains more on her blog.)

I'm so happy she looked into and shared her research about Armed Services Editions and the history around them! I quickly became enthralled with her book. The history began with book burning events in history and ends with the GI bill after VJ day. One of the main themes was WWII being a "war of ideas" and how Americans fought the ideas war.

Manning offers great quotes throughout her book from letters mailed to publishers, authors, war correspondents, and other well-known individuals of WWII. She also shares WWII history beyond the books, which surprisingly are softly tied to reading and ASEs. Reading is an everyday skill and ASEs are only a small part of WWII, but both hold an amazing place in history. ASEs were a key to changing the book publishing history! I never knew that and I doubt I would have found out if not for Manning's book. Yes, there is some overlapping (or repetition) but she covers a lot of material and time in this book. I didn't mind the repetition or jogs between years.

I would recommend When Books Went to War for anyone who is interested in WWII, books about books, publishing, business, banned books, and libraries. I think a wide audience would be interested in this title. Mostly adults will probably read it, but college students and high schoolers might enjoy it as well.

Bernadette Dunne narrates Manning's book. I enjoyed her vocal skills. She was consistent throughout the nearly 7 hours of reading. Dunne shared mild nuisances when portraying writers of letters or individuals sharing small bits of reports and the like. She was a great reader for this non-fiction piece. I would listen to another book read by Dunne. No music accompanied this audiobook and it wasn't needed.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Blackstone Audio!

I received this audiobook for free from Audiobook Jukebox for an honest review.

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When I finished When Books Went to War, I wanted to find out even more information about ASEs. Here are some of the articles and websites I found about ASEs...

Molly Guptill Manning explains how she discovered ASEs
Molly Guptill Manning speaking with Smithsonian.com

ASE's explained by Wikipedia
List of ASE Titles and Authors from Armed Services Editions
Books for Victory Publishing During WWII blog
Literature on the Frontlines: The History of Armed Services Edition Books article from The Art of Manliness (This article also shares book cover images of published ASEs.)


Books in Action (Library of Congress Center for the Book)

More WWII Audiobook titles to enjoy via BookRiot

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Audio Book Details...
When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning
Read by Bernadette Dunne 
 Produced by Blackstone Audio
Number of Discs: MP3 download (13 parts)
Total Time: 6 hours, 49 minutes
ISBN: 9781481522120

978-1-4815-2212-0

978-1-4815-2212-0

978-1-4815-2212-0

Audiobook SYNC 2015 is Coming!

Audiobook SYNC is returning in 2015! Mark your calendars for May 7, 2015. That's the beginning of a fourteen week audio adventure. The final download day is August 13, 2015.

At the end of January 2015, Audiobook SYNC announced 26 out of the 28 titles they will be sharing this summer. More titles are to come along with the book pairings. SYNC pairs one classic book with one YA book each week during the summer. Visit their blog for the complete listing of their upcoming titles.

I'm looking forward to hearing many of the titles, but here are two that rank near the top of my list:  Courage has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Lee Stone (Brilliance Audio) and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Penguin Audio). What titles are you looking forward to hearing this summer? I would love to hear from you!

2015 Odyssey Award

The American Library Association hosted the Youth Media Awards on Monday, February 2, 2015. During the awards ceremony the Odyssey Award is given to the "the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States."

“H. O. R. S. E. A Game of Basketball and Imagination,” produced by Live Oak Media, is the 2015 Odyssey Award winner. The book is written by Christopher Myers and narrated by Dion Graham and Christopher Myers.

Three Odyssey Honor Recordings also were selected:

“Five, Six, Seven, Nate!” produced by AUDIOWORKS (Children’s) an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc., written by Tim Federle, and narrated by Tim Federle;

“The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place,” produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Julie Berry, and narrated by Jayne Entwistle;

“A Snicker of Magic,” produced by Scholastic Audiobooks, written by Natalie Lloyd, and narrated by Cassandra Morris.

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As of February 2015, I have only listened to A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd which I found utterly delightful. I happily shared it with young patrons who were looking for a sweet read (or listen). I'll have to put these other titles on my to-listen list. Have you had a chance to listen to any of the 2015 Odyssey Award books? Let me know your thoughts!

Review: The Smallest Gift of Christmas

The Smallest Gift of Christmas by Peter H. Reynolds


Roland raced down the stairs to see his Christmas present. With great disappointment, he saw a small gift under the tree. Roland wanted a bigger present, so he wished for a bigger one. Still not satisfied, he went out in search of a larger present. It wasn't until he was very far away, that he realized what a present could be.

Peter H. Reynolds is so creative and magical when he writes. The unique perspective he shared in his stories captured me. The Smallest Gift of Christmas was beautifully created with digital art and hand-lettering. The message didn't grab me right away. It helped to ponder it a while. I read the book, listened to the audiobook, then followed along in the book while listening to the CD. The message, for me, is about perspective. Perspective is not always an easy thing to understand - for adults or children. When sharing this book, be ready to start a discussion. I would encourage readers to talk about what happened in the book and what it means to them.

The audiobook was read by Peter H. Reynolds, which was a pleasant surprise. He has a very nice voice. A reader could listen to his book over and over again. Dreamscape did add in music at the beginning and end which fit in well with the tone of this Christmas title. They also added in some sound effects that where well suited to the illustrations. There are no page-turn indicators during the audiobook, but there are pauses so book followers can turn the page at the appropriate time.

Book reviewed from a library copy. Audiobook reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Dreamscape Media, LLC!


Audio Book Details...
The Smallest Gift of Christmas by Peter H. Reynolds
Read by Peter H. Reynolds
Produced by Dreamscape Media, LLC
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 5 minutes
ISBN: 9781633794993

2014 Unreviewed Audiobooks

Throughout the year I've enjoyed many great (and not so great) audiobooks. The goal of Adolescent Audio Adventures is to continually post reviews on the books read through the year, but life speeds by and the review is not posted. Here's a wrap up post for the unreviewed audiobooks  in the year of 2014.

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz, read by Johnny Heller 
Book 02: A Tale Dark & Grimm


The Secret of the Key by Marianne Malone, read by Cassandra Campbell
Book 04: Sixty-Eight Rooms


One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Read by Tara Sands
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: 6
Total Time: 6 hours, 45 minutes
ISBN: 9780804167000


A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd, read by Cassandra Morris


The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Read by Kristen Bel
Book 01: Veronica Mars
Produced by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Number of Discs: MP3 download (7 parts)
Total Time: 8 hours, 42 minutes
ISBN: 9780804193528


Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman


The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck, read by James McCourt

The Greatest Gift

The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale by Philip Van Doren Stern

Have you heard of The Greatest Gift? Are you familiar with the Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life? The Greatest Gift was the inspiration for that classic film! The first time I heard about it was after my high school theatre production of It's a Wonderful Life. My parents gifted me a hard copy of The Greatest Gift. I was not familiar with this little book and mum explained that this book was the inspiration for the play I recently participated in at school. Thanks, Mum for the introduction!

I was so thrilled to see the audiobook available from Simon & Schuster Audio. This tiny tale was meant to be shared and reach out to everyone. The Greatest Gift is a about discovering life and worth. If you've watched George Bailey's life in the movie, the story will be different and very brief in comparison. Frank Capra fleshed out the story and gave it more background, but the original message is still present. The greatest gift is life. Everyone is important and plays a roll in the world around them. It'a a beautiful story to share.

Edward Herrmann narrates Van Doren Stern's story. He has a good voice and shares the story with subtle flair throughout. It's not a radio play or a movie script, but a story. He isn't overly dramatic which is good. I believe the story should be heard, reflected upon, and savored.

Simon & Schuster Audio did add an afterward to their new audiobook publication. Philip Van Doren Stern's daughter Marguerite Stern Robinson wrote a brief memoir about the experience of The Greatest Gift and how it turned into It's a Wonderful Life. Robinson's afterward is read by Madeline Maby. This special tidbit is not advertised on the CD, the case, or the sleeve. I found that interesting and strange. Simon & Schuster Audio does share information about the afterward on their online product description.

Another enjoyable audio tidbit is the use of music. The music throughout is the song AuldLang Syne. The movie (and stage production) end with that song. It's a lovely piece to add to this audiobook edition.



Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Simon & Schuster Audio!

Audio Book Details...
The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern 
Read by Edward Herrmann and Madeline Maby
Produced by Simon & Schuster Audio
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 45 minutes
ISBN: 9781442381582

The Christmas Quiet Book

The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood


When the original Quiet Book and Loud Book appeared at the library, I was a bit skeptical. It seemed like a rather odd topic for little ones to read and enjoy, but I was amazed at how Underwood pinpointed moments of life. When The Christmas Quiet Book appeared a couple years ago, I knew I wanted to read that book right away.

I have savored The Christmas Quiet Book and shared it with others. I've also noticed the popularity of Underwood's stories. It is now available as an audiobook and on DVD by Dreamscape Media. I listened to the three minute audiobook, then listened to it again while paging through the picture book.

I found it best to listen with the book rather than listen to the recording alone. The audiobook features Susie Berneis as the reader and she does a fine job expressing the lines. She has a lovely voice.

Some of the lines had sound effects while some of them did not - it was a ratio of about 1 in 3. I wasn't a big fan of most of the sound effects. I think the story can stand on it's own. Some of the effects were heard at the same time as the narration and that can be difficult to separate the layers of sound. It might be best if the sounds were before or after each narrated line.

I enjoyed the opening and closing music on the CD. I wonder what it would have sounded like with the light music during the entire story.

I still believe this is a strong book and I would share it with anyone - young children, elementary students, grown-ups, grandparents. The recording can also be shared with anyone. It's a gentle, thought provoking book. The narration lends itself to use for non-readers or early readers that want to enjoy the book but cannot read or are learning to read.

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Dreamscape Media, LLC!

Audio Book Details...
The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood
Read by Susie Berneis
Produced by Dreamscape Media, LLC
Number of Discs: 1
Total Time: 3 minutes
ISBN: 9781633794917

The Incredible Journey

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford

The only reference I had for The Incredible Journey was watching Disney's 1993 movie: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey when I was younger. I figured it was (finally) time to read the original.

I checked out the Incredible Journey from my library's Overdrive collection, so I could enjoy it while I walked. It made an excellent companion because the animals were on the move and so was I! It also kept my interest as I relived that the Disney movie was far from the book. (But aren't most movie adaptations far from the book?)

I'll try not to play the comparison game between the two media forms. Each are great in the their own way. The biggest different was the location of the book - it's not America, it's Canada! The location made the journey so much harder because winter was coming. I say winter in Canada is harder because it is further North than the US. It's also wilder, less populated in certain parts of their country. (This book was written in 1960, when less people populated the earth and technology wasn't at everyone's fingertips.)

I appreciated that Burnford wrote about her animals as animals. They were not speaking to each other or holding conversations with humans or other critters. The author observed and reported the happenings on the journey. It made the story come alive in reality, rather than fantasy.

The audiobook version was narrated by Megan Follows. It took me a little bit to realize who was reading. (I checked out the book without paying attention to the narrator.) Her voice was so familiar and when I looked it up I was so pleased to read the name Megan Follows! She is known for her role as Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables. (One of my favorite film series.) Follows has a fine voice for narration. I also appreciated that Listening Library hired a Canadian to narrate a Canadian story. Something different in the recording was the use of music in the story. The music faded in when their were intense moments of the story. I thought that was very interesting. I think it was added to either warn younger readers about trouble ahead or heighten the emotions of the listener. Either way it was interesting. I don't think it took away from the story, but I'm not sure if it added anything either.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
Read by Megan Follows
Produced by Listening Library
Number of Discs: MP3 download (3 parts)
Total Time: 3 hours, 7 minutes
ISBN: 9780739360538

The Hero's Guide Series

The Hero's Guide Series by Christopher Healy, read by Bronson Pinchot
Book 01 - The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
Book 02 - The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle


The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was published in  2012. Being a fan of retold and fractured fairytales, I immediately added it to my to-read list. As more titles in the series were published my list got that much longer. Finally, I took the time to checkout and listen to Healy's manly retold fairytales.

They are laugh out loud hilarious! I enjoyed listening to them so much, I recommended them to others before I even finished the books. Christopher Healy focuses on the Prince Charmings, and/or Princes Charming, of various famous tales and gives them a country and a back story. Each prince has a different family life, different strengths and weaknesses, and different wardrobes. It's odd to mention wardrobes, but wardrobes do mean something in these tales. The princesses are also unique in personality as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

The first book brings all the princes together for the first time. They are fighting the bards' silly songs that don't share the truth of their stories! As they try to bring the truth to their lands, they stumble upon a nasty plot to bring down all the kingdoms. They need to work together to save everyone and their lands.

The second book follows up with the princes and their princesses. After their *soiler alert* success at saving their kingdoms, they need to handle their fame and their futures. The princes return home, but soon enough they need to band together. They need to save a powerful weapon that's in the wrong hands. As the title states, it is a Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle.

Between book one and book two, the characters and their personalities remained strong and sure. The consistency was fabulous. Book two brought well-known characters and new characters into the storyline. The danger, surprise, and plot twists in each novel were fantastic.

What truly brought the Hero's Guide series to life was narrator Bronson Pinchot. He gave each kingdom their own accent and each character their own voice and flair. I was astounded. Mr. Pinchot was amazing! The hilarious storyline brought together with the remarkable reading truly created a fantastical piece that will be well remembered. I cannot wait to hear the final installment of the Hero's Guide series, The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw.

Audio Book Details...
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Series: Book One, Hero's Guide
Read by Bronson Pinchot
Produced by HarperCollins
Number of Discs: MP3 download (8 parts)
Total Time: 9 hours, 4 minutes
ISBN: 9780062222275

Audio Book Details...
The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy
Series: Book Two, Hero's Guide
Read by Bronson Pinchot
Produced by HarperCollins
Number of Discs: MP3 download (10 parts)
Total Time: 10 hours, 20 minutes
ISBN: 9780062329493

The Family of Jesus

The Family of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury

Many readers have fallen in love with Karen Kingsbury and her many, many books and series. I cannot recollect picking up one of her titles until now. Her previous titles were set in modern times with modern themes. I typically read historical fiction. The Family of Jesus is one of her newest titles and it is historical fiction. It's also a creative insight to Bible stories.

Kingsbury created a book that follows the life a Jesus through the eyes of His relatives. Kingsbury's timeline for this book goes from Mary and Joseph's betrothal to Jesus death and resurrection. The order of individual is Joseph (Jesus' stepfather), Zechariah (father of John the Baptist who is Jesus' cousin), John the Baptist (Jesus cousin), Elizaeth (mother of John the Baptist who is Jesus' cousin), James (step-brother of Jesus), and Mary (mother of Jesus).

The moments shared between the people in Jesus' life overlap a little, but Kingsbury wove a start to finish story. Joseph relays his betrothal to Mary, angel visits, Jesus birth, and Jesus visit to the temple when he was 12. Zechariah shares his lot during Passover, the angel visit, John's birth, and John's life before his step into ministry. John the Baptist talks about his ministry, his cousin Jesus, and his arrest by the king. Elizabeth bares the pain of John's death with Zechariah and the blessing of a visit from cousin Mary (Jesus' mother). James' reflects on the craziness of his brother Jesus and His strange ministry to say that He is the son of God. James follows him all the way to the Crucifixion. Mary concludes the short stories with her knowledge of the Messiah, her son. She follows him until the end - Jesus' death and resurrection from the dead.

Listeners (and readers) keep in mind that Kingsbury anchored her storytelling in the Bible. She placed moment in the Bible first in her timeline, when wove a story around those moments. It's not a question of did it happen, but could it have happened. I believe that her goal was to give listeners (and readers) a deeper understand about the people in the Bible - how they might have felt, what trials they were going through, how they relied on each other and loved each other. These short stories are perfect to hear (or read) and reflect upon.

These stories were meant for a Bible study series, either personally or in a group. MP3 files of the Bible study are available on the last disc. I would have preferred pdf files to print off the Bible study, but my copy was an audiobook copy. I'm not sure if they could add pdf files to an audio disc or if the publisher would have needed to add an additional disc to the collection. Perhaps on the next collection they can investigate printable files...

All in all this was a very fast and very enjoyable listen. The stories reminded me of a mix between the 1980's You Are There dramatized Bible stories and Adventure in Odyssey Bible retellings which I grew up enjoying. If you are of fan of dramatized Bible stories, I would highly recommend this book. I think it would be a very interesting Bible study series with a group of friends as well.

Two narrators shared the stories from The Family of Jesus. Kirby Heyborne represented the four males and January LaVoy represented the two females. I have heard Heyborne before, but LaVoy was a new narrator for me. I enjoyed Heyborne's renditions of the various Bible characters. He had a serious, straight forward approach with caring in his voice. Each voice was slightly different, but nothing too exaggerated. It was very pleasant.

LaVoy's voice came across a bit more forceful. Mary and Elizabeth were fine and had different vocal qualities, so the listeners could sense the difference of age between the cousins. Her male voices came off strange. They sounded forced in way that LaVoy's range didn't reach that far down on the scale. I understand the difficulty of narrating male voices, so it is what it is.

I'll be interested to see who narrates the following books in the Life-Changing Bible Study series. The next book is set come out in Summer 2015. I'm looking forward to it!

Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Simon & Schuster Audio!

Audio Book Details...
The Family of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury
Series: Book 01 Life-Changing Bible Study Series 
Read by Kirby Heybourne and January LaVoy
Produced by Simon & Schuster Audio
Number of Discs: 5
Total Time: 6 hours
ISBN: 9781442364547