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

West of the Moon

West of the Moon by Margi Preus


West of the Moon arrived on the hold shelf at the library for me and I took a double take. What is this? Why did I place a hold on this audiobook? I checked it out with an attitude of maybe I'll get around to it.

I was very surprised by this book. I was surprised by listening to it right away. I was surprised about the storyline. I was surprised by the ending twists. It was quite an unexpected adventure!

Author Margi Preus created West of the Moon from a line of an old family diary. Her Great Great Grandma hired a maid from her immigrant ship who didn't have a family. Preus originally wanted to write about her grandmother, but the mysterious maid without a past beckoned her from the pages of the diary. West of the Moon is the fictional tale of the lonely maid. (Hear her read a section of West of the Moon at TeachingBooks.net.)

West of the Moon is a story of sisters. The elder gets sold to an awful goat farmer while the younger sister stays with their aunt's family on the family farm. Their father went to America long ago and Astri (the elder sister) wants desperately to take her sister (Greta) and go to him. As the days grow darker at the goat farm, Astri plans an escape! She runs away with another worker from the goat farm and makes her way to Greta. The three travelers now must escape the goat farmer who is tracking them across Holland as they make their way to the coast. To make their journey even more difficult, they have no money for passage or food for the voyage or legal papers from the church. Perhaps the little gifts the travelers gain upon their journey will turn their luck around.

As I stated earlier, I cannot recall why I originally placed this title on hold at the library. I'm thinking it was because it was a new title in the catalog. Or perhaps a review I saw...somewhere... Or the ties to fairy tales. I'm leaning on the ties to fairy tales. I love a good fairytale story and Preus wove several tales throughout the entire story of West of the Moon. The title of the book comes from the tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon which is the story about a girl and a polar bear. The fairy tale additions didn't standout, but rather wove into the fabric of the whole novel. Astri loved to share stories with her sister and she used the stories as ways to relate to her life. It was very interesting and historically relevant to the times - circa 1850's. Stories were handed down and stories sometimes became belief. Preus shares historical information at the end of her novel about the fairy tales she used as well as the beliefs of the people at that time in history.

I would recommend this title to middle schoolers or high schoolers. The journey isn't always pleasant and the choices made along the way were difficult and trying. It's a book that can generate lots of good discussions in the classroom. It could also springboard activities for students to dig into their family histories or research the fairy tales mentioned in this book. I personally went and checked out East-West renditions from the library including Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George, Ice by Sarah Beth Durst, and East by Edith Pattou.

Jessica Almasy narrated West of the Moon. I first Almasy, when she narrated Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes. I enjoyed her voice during Preus' story. She has a youthful and upbeat voice. With the dark turns that arrived during the novel, the story was still alive without turning depressing or horrifying. I also liked her male voices. Female voice artists struggle with the lower male tones, but Almasy did a very smooth job. It never sounded forced or out of place.

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
West of the Moon by Margi Preus
Read by Jessica Almasy
Produced by Recorded Books
Number of Discs: 4
Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
ISBN: 9781490615578

Review: Frozen: The Junior Novelization

Frozen: The Junior Novelization by Walt Disney Company

As the title suggests, Frozen: The Junior Novelization is a written out story of the Disney movie Frozen which came out in 2013. The audio of Frozen the chapter book came out in 2014.

Overall the stories are very similar, but the novel fleshes out the storyline a bit more. The songs are not sung in the audio, but the atmosphere of the celebrations are mentioned. The story follows the movie closely. Only two strange items were mentioned that caught my attention - Kristoff's wagon and someone wearing goggles. I don't recall Kristoff driving wagon, but a sled and I don't remember any goggles in the movie. Those two items stood out for me, but all in all that is very minor. Frozen fans will enjoy this version of the popular movie. It is a chapter book, so it might be advanced for little listeners, but if the youngsters want to listen -- by all means share the story!

Andi Arndt narrators the Frozen story. She did a fine job. It was not overly exciting or dry and dull, but right in the middle. If readers are expecting the different characters voices, please remember that the book is read by one narrator. The voices will be slightly different from each other, but they won't be as different as a separate reader for each person.

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

Audio Book Details...
Frozen The Junior Novelization by Disney Press
Read by Andi Arndt
Produced by Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Number of Discs: MP3 download (2 parts)
Total Time: 2 hours, 18 minutes
ISBN: 9781483019635

The Wig in the Window

The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher


Meet Sophie Young and Grace Yang. They are seventh grade detectives as well as BFFs. Their newest case features Luna Vista's unbelievable middle-school counselor, Dr. Charlotte Agford. Young and Yang are teaming up to find out what's wrong the sickeningly sweet, fake counselor.

I selected this title, because it looked like a winner for young ladies who love mysteries. When I started listening, I thought it could be an alternate universe for pre-teen Veronica Mars and her friend Lily. But no, it is not an alternate universe for Marshmallows. Kittscher wrote her own standalone tween crime novel. It took me a while to appreciate this piece. The ridiculous body humor didn't appeal to me, but I can see it causing snickers in a middle school library.

The investigation became more complex as the story unfolded. I appreciated the plot twists (which I won't share, because I don't want to give anything away). The friendship storyline was also well written. Young and Yang are complete opposites, which can work well together, but also create some strife at times. Yet true friendship will stand the test of time and a dedicated detective will always get their man (or woman)!

This is the first time I have heard Amanda Philipson narrate a book. Her voices is well suited for bringing teenagers to life. She also had wonderful enthusiasm!

Reviewed from a library copy.

Audio Book Details...
The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher 
 Read by Amanda Philipson
Produced by HarperCollins
Number of Discs: MP3 download (7 parts)
Total Time: 7 hours, 56 minutes
ISBN: 9780062283641