Authors: J.K. Rowling.
Audio Cassette, pages
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication Date: 2000-07-08
Edition: Unabridged

Reviews :

    Read by Jim Dale

Running time: 20 hrs., 30 mins. 12 cassettes

Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his fourth year of magical adventures in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This year Harry turns 14 and becomes interested in girls -- one in particular. And with Dark Magic comes danger, as someone close to Harry dies. You'll have to listen to learn more! The audio is available on July 8th....

    In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight--and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for murder.

Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after Harry and that this year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead, Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians' schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard Tournament. Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could Harry be one of the lucky contenders?

But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito as Muggles, 100,000 witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling magicks up the details that make her world so vivid, and so comic. Several spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace, complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets. And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes rosettes "squealing the names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams are decidedly different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including Ireland's supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders engage in some pyrotechnics of their own: "The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field."

Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration is equaled by a moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running as deep as its dangers. Along the way, though, she conjures up such new characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or may not be getting paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop artist has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close, Rowling leaves several plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the author herself is part veela--her pen her wand, her commitment to her world complete. (Ages 9 and older) --Kerry Fried ...

Authors:
Audio Cassette, pages
Publisher: Imagination Studio
Publication Date: 2003-07-22
Edition: Unabridged

Reviews :

    This Magic Tree House set including the following titles:

Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House, No. 5)
Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Tree House, No. 6)
Sunset of the Sabertooth (Magic Tree House, No. 7)
Midnight on the Moon. (Magic Tree House, No. 8)...

Authors: Lemony Snicket.
Audio Cassette, pages
Publisher: Listening Library (Audio)
Publication Date: 2001-03-27
Edition: Unabridged

Reviews :

    Read by Tim Curry
Approx. 2 hours
2 cassettes

Beware — Not for fans of happy endings!

After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune....

    Make no mistake. The Bad Beginning begins badly for the three Baudelaire children, and then gets worse. Their misfortunes begin one gray day on Briny Beach when Mr. Poe tells them that their parents perished in a fire that destroyed their whole house. "It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Violet, Klaus, and even Sunny felt in the time that followed," laments the personable (occasionally pedantic) narrator, who tells the story as if his readers are gathered around an armchair on pillows. But of course what follows is dreadful. The children thought it was bad when the well-meaning Poes bought them grotesque-colored clothing that itched. But when they are ushered to the dilapidated doorstep of the miserable, thin, unshaven, shiny-eyed, money-grubbing Count Olaf, they know that they--and their family fortune--are in real trouble. Still, they could never have anticipated how much trouble. While it's true that the events that unfold in Lemony Snicket's novels are bleak, and things never turn out as you'd hope, these delightful, funny, linguistically playful books are reminiscent of Roald Dahl (remember James and the Giant Peach and his horrid spinster aunts), Charles Dickens (the orphaned Pip in Great Expectations without the mysterious benefactor), and Edward Gorey (The Gashlycrumb Tinies). There is no question that young readers will want to read the continuing unlucky adventures of the Baudelaire children in The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson ...

Authors: Lemony Snicket.
Audio Cassette, pages
Publisher: HarperChildrensAudio
Publication Date: 2005-10-01


Reviews :

   

After any harrowing struggle, it is nice to consider checking into a hotel for a rest. In fact, this might be just the break Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire could use after their wearying deep-sea adventure.

A hotel can be a good choice for any family vacation. With so many floors, such a variety of rooms, and a curious array of guests, spending time in the safety of the right hotel can be the perfect learning environment for children of any age. A keen researcher like Klaus, an adept inventor like Violet, and a sharp-toothed culinary master like Sunny are all sure to find engaging diversions during their stay.

Regardless of how they pass their time while at a hotel, the three siblings will be sure to take in all the interesting sights and sounds—and write them down—just in case this episode turns out to be the darkest yet in a series of unfortunate events.

...

   

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10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Daniel Handler

Q: Your Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) entry defines you as author, screenwriter, and accordionist. Is that how you would describe yourself?
A: I find that nothing makes people back away faster at a social gathering than "accordionist." Except perhaps "screenwriter." And, even "author" always makes people nervous, so I usually say "writer."

Q: How long have you been writing?
A: All my life really, since I was able to write all I wanted to do was write. I think largely I ended up becoming a writer because I could think of nothing else that I was good at--at all. As a kid, I always wanted to be a writer, and I had no backup plan whatsoever as an adult.

Q: Are the Baudelaire children ever going to be happy?
A: Well, they are happy on a regular basis, just not for very long. Um, are they ever going to be happy permanently? I don't know any permanently happy people, thank goodness.

Q: Okay, then is the series going to end on a happy note?
A: Well, I always remind readers of the Snicket books that happy is a comparative term, so the end will be happier than some people would think, but less happy than others.

Q: When can fans expect the final book?
A: I believe the thirteenth volume will be released in the fall of 2006, although something terrible could happen to the author at any moment and then the books would not be released at all.

Looking for more from Daniel Handler? Check out his answers to Amazon.com's The Significant Seven.

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Amazon.com Exclusive: The Horrendous Heap

Experience Snicket in the worst way possible: from the very beginning. Here are twelve books contained in four boxes in one terrible shipment. The Horrendous Heap also contains four unfortunate gifts, more upsetting than an itchy sweater in an unflattering color, including:

*A full-color print of one of Brett Helquist's most worrying illustrations, suitable for framing or burying in the backyard.
*A door-hanger, designed to keep unfortunate events out of any room with a door.
*A full page of black-and-white stickers, fit for sticking wherever unfortunate events arise.
*An iron-on, which can render any piece of clothing a part of the uniform of a secret organization.

Please be warned. This offering is a great deal of misfortune. Lemony Snicket advises against the reading, framing, hanging, sticking, or wearing of unfortunate events. In fact, you might be better off ordering a less horrendous heap, if you prefer that sort of thing.

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Make Your Own Misfortune Teller

Fans of the Lemony Snicket books can download and fold their own Misfortune Teller, by following these simple instructions. Once the Misfortune Teller is complete, all that is necesary is a willing victim, er, subject, and let the games begin!

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An Interview with Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket has captured the hearts of childen and adults alike with the hilariously gloomy series that began, of course, with The Bad Beginning. Amazon.com had a chance to question the author of this marvelously morbid and delightfully depressing series, and the communication was grim indeed. Read the cumbersome communique and see for yourself.

...

Authors:
Audio Cassette, 6 pages
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Publication Date: 1996-06-04


Reviews :

   

An unprecedented wave of criminal activity has broken over the town, and its citizens are stunned. Thefts, broken windows, graffiti. . . Who on earth is behind this outbreak of lawlessness?

It's up to the crew at Whit's End to find out. But as Jack, Jason, Eugene and the others set out to uncover the answer, they face a tremendous test of faith, friendship and forgiveness. Will they get through this dark time to see the light of dawn?

...

Authors:
Audio Cassette, pages
Publisher: Imagination Studio
Publication Date: 2002-07-23
Edition: Unabridged

Reviews :

    Read by the author
2 hrs. 49 mins.
2 cassettes

Jack and Annie return to audio with four more time travel adventures.
Jack and Annie are whisked back in time as they try to save the ill-fated Titanic, learn to hunt buffalo on the Great Plains, save a rare tiger from poachers in India, and help a baby kangaroo and a koala escape from a fire-filled forest in Australia.

Volume 5 includes:
Tonight on the Titanic #17
Buffalo Before Breakfast #18
Tigers at Twilight #19
Dingoes at Dinnertime #20...

Authors: Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.
Audio Cassette, pages
Publisher: Imagination Studio
Publication Date: 2003-09-09
Edition: Unabridged

Reviews :

    Nate the Great
When Nate gets an urgent call from Annie about a lost picture, he immediately plunges into his new and baffling case with the cool detachment of a Sam Spade. Getting all the facts, asking the right questions, narrowing down the suspects, Nate, the boy detective who “likes to work alone,” solves the mystery and tracks down the culprit. In the process, he also discovers the whereabouts of Super Hex, the missing cat.

Nate the Great Goes Undercover
Nate the Great has his first night case! Somebody is raiding Oliver’s garbage can each night, but who? The list of suspects is long–Rosamond and Esmeralda, the girls down the street; Rosamond’s cats; and all the shrews, moles, skunks, birds and raccoons in the neighborhood. Nate courageously encounters a skunk and a telephone pole, but not until he goes under cover of the garbage can lid does he narrow the suspects down to one.

Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt
It is Halloween night and Nate’s good friend Rosamond needs his help. Her cat Little Hex is missing. Little Hex hates Halloween, so maybe he is hiding. Or is he lost? Nate and his trusty dog, Sludge, take the case and hunt in the night for Little Hex. They pass robots, pirates, and witches. But where will they find Little Hex?

Nate the Great and the Monster Mess
Nate loves his mother’s Monster Cookies, but now her recipe is missing! Nate the great has never solved a case for his mother before. Can he do it? With his dog, Sludge, they look, sniff, climb up, bend down, push, and pull. They find long and short clues. And fishy, fangy clues, but which clues count? Can Nate the Great ever hope to eat those wonderful cookies again?...

Authors: Michael Hoeye.
Audio Cassette, pages
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication Date: 2002-01-29
Edition: Unabridged

Reviews :

    Read by Campbell Scott
approx. 5 hrs. 45 mins.
4 cassettes

When spunky aviatrix Linka Perflinger walks into Hermux Tantamoq’s watch shop in Pinchester, it’s obvious that she’s anything but ordinary. And when she mysteriously disappears, it’s clear Hermux must find her. Hermux unexpectedly stumbles across the key to the mystery when he intercepts the journal of an adventurous botanist who is missing in the faraway jungles of Teulabonari. A trail of clues leads directly to The Last Resort. The doctor who runs this exclusive spa, the reclusive Hiril Mennus, is putting the final touches on a machine that will put coin-operated plastic surgery into every shopping mall. Caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse that pits Hermux against an eccentric cosmetics tycoon, a sinister plastic surgeon, and a squad of ruthless lab rats, the watchmaker discovers that no one – not even himself – is quite what they seem....

    It's impossible not to like Hermux Tantamoq, the watchmaking mouse. He relaxes in a flannel shirt printed with pictures of cheeses from around the world, he has a caged pet ladybug named Terfle, he writes endearing thank-you letters to the universe each night, and he has a big heart--a heart that aches for the fearless aviatrix Ms. Linka Perflinger, who unexpectedly visits his shop requesting an emergency rush repair of her wristwatch. Little does he know that this brief rendezvous with the jaunty adventuress will change his life forever. When a week goes by without word from her, he doesn't know whether to be worried or angry. He drafts a slightly unpleasant, then desperate, then not-too-sweet, not-too-sour letter to her and awaits her response. Nothing. Even nasty encounters with his neighbor (the horribly garish and affected cosmetics tycoon Tucka Mertslin) and pleasant interludes with his artist friend Mirrin don't distract him from his new heart-quickening obsession.

His worst fears start to cement when a yellow-eyed, thin-lipped, sharp-tongued rat comes to his shop and says with a dreadful smile, "I've come for Linka Perflinger's watch." Hermux isn't about to fork over his beloved's watch without a claim check, and ends up following the rat... all the way to Linka's house! And, what's this? Is she being kidnapped? The plot thickens as Hermux boldly enters her apartment (what has gotten into him?) and discovers a mysterious letter from Teulabonari and an overturned spicy-smelling plant. As he says to his ladybug that night, "This is the beginning of a new career for me. Either as a detective or a jailbird. Only time will tell. If it turns out to be the latter I will be asking you for hints on decorating my cage." Soon he begins to make a connection with these strange clues and the cosmetics mogul Tucka, who pulls him into her scheme to create eternal youth in a bottle (to be taken internally).

Suffice it to say that gentle Hermux gets in way over his head with his detective work and proceeds to have fur-raising encounters involving spies, thieves, killers, betrayal, the Fountain of Youth, snakes, calliopes, and dramatic rescue attempts. Throughout it all, however, Hermux continues to thank the world at large: "Thank you for corner grocers. For sandwiches and honey fizz. For scary news and narrow escapes and trolleys and shopping bags. Thank you for loyal pets and bold adventurers (and adventuresses)." Readers will be disarmed by Hermux's earnest, inquisitive nature and zeal for life--and thoroughly engaged by the suspenseful action adventure. Highly recommended! (Ages 10 to adult) --Karin Snelson...

Authors:
Audio Cassette, 6 pages
Publisher: Tyndale Entertainment
Publication Date: 2004-10-25


Reviews :

    Things are getting back to normal here in Odyssey. Or are they? Bernard tells a story about his meeting with a reluctant angel, the goofy Wooton has to impersonate his bad-tempered brother for a business meeting, and Whit finds himself trapped in a room without doors! Getting back to normal? That's as normal as things ever get here in Odyssey.

Volume 42 contains the following episodes (and themes):

• Living in the Gray 1 & 2 (God's unconditional love)
• Stubborn Streaks (Admitting you're wrong)
• Called On in Class (Fear)
• The Girl in the Sink (Being used by God)
• Bernard and Saul (Jealousy)
• Eggshells (Supporting your friends)
• Nothing But the Half Truth (Honesty)
• Split Ends (Reconciliation)
• Something's Got to Change (Sacrifice)
• No Way Out--No Way In (Love casts out fear)

...

Authors: James Dobson. Paul Herlinger. Kate Leigh. Hal Smith. Edmiston Walker.
Audio Cassette, 6 pages
Publisher: Tyndale Entertainment
Publication Date: 2004-12-02


Reviews :

    He loves me, he loves me not? Love--even life itself--is on the line as Connie drives all the way to Washington, D.C., to mend fences with Mitch. But his cool reception matches the frigid waters that nearly cost Connie her life during a stopover in West Virginia. A sudden job opportunity abroad creates yet another crisis for their relationship. Meanwhile, Odyssey's master of mispronunciation, Bart Rathbone, decides to sponsor--what else?--a Shakespeare festival. But he ends up with more theatrics behind stage than on it. Throughout these and other conflict-solving stories, kids 8 and up will learn that running away from a problem only makes matters worse.

Volume 41 contains the following stories (and themes):

• Do or Diet (patience and perseverance)
• Hindsight (the value of every moment)
• The Taming of the Two (teamwork)
• The Mailman Cometh (responsibility)
• Teacher's Pest (love your enemies)
• My Girl Hallie (putting people before things)
• Seeing Red (admitting you're wrong)
• Black Clouds (God's presence in tough times)
• Silver Lining (revenge)
• Pink Is Not My Color (unconditional love)
• Something Blue, 1 & 2 (counting the cost)

...