Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Teens, Ages 11-13

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Title: Adam Canfield Watch Your Back!

Subtitle: The Slash, Book 2

Author: Michael Winerip

Narrator: Patrick G. Lawlor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-18-08

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

But it's hard to keep a low profile when there's still baritone and basketball practice, a new principal to figure out, a science fair sham to uncover, a bully survey to monitor, a 300-year-old tree to save, and the next issue of the Slash to take care of. It's enough to drive a kid over the edge.

Luckily, Adam's got Jennifer, his trusty (and cute!) co-editor, to help him keep it together. But when the Slash is threatened, will they be able to get the story and keep the paper going, all without getting expelled?

Members Reviews:

As good as the first!

Both my kids and I enjoyed this very much. Witty, insightful, and good story.

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Title: Sebastian Darke

Subtitle: Prince of Fools

Author: Philip Caveney

Narrator: Maxwell Caulfield

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-08

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

On the way, they meet Captain Cornelius Drummel, small in stature, but the fiercest of fighters. The three rescue the fair princess Kerin, who's being held captive by brigands. If only Sebastian knew the kidnapping was engineered by the evil King Septimus!

Members Reviews:

An thrilling tale about pirates, monsters, and treasures beyond your imagination

After a heroic act of taking down the evil King Septimus, Sebastian Darke is back! With his long-time buddy, Max the Buffalope, and the short (but mighty) warrior Cornelius. They are off to another grand adventure! And this time, out into the sea!

After being saved from a monster by a man named Adam, the trio is told that his sister, Leonora, knew that they were in danger. But these siblings have an agenda of their own. They are out to get the treasure that Sebastian and his friends are trying to find!

Attempting to escape from their pursuers, Sebastian and the gang hires a ship to find their way to the mysterious island that holds Captain Callinestra's world fortune. With fierce pirates, a long-lost loot, and mythical creatures, you should prepare for another fantastic quest with Sebastian Darke!

After reading the Prince of Fools, I knew I had to one day get my hands on the sequel. And I was not disappointed as Caveney delivered a non-stop and fun action story with enthusiastic characters, new and old!

The plot kept me hooked and I continued flipping the pages, dying to know what happened to the characters next. When you think things are going to be okay, another problem jumps out! You will be sitting there, biting your nails as you pray for the characters' safety.

I pitied Sebastian throughout this novel because he fell under an enchantment where he would only think of the evil Leonora. On his journey, he made acquaintances with the pretty female captain pirate, Jenna. I think she is pretty cool and I do hope she makes an appearance again in the next novel but for some reason I doubt so. Sebastian slowly but surely grew up some more after encountering plenty of obstacles in this expedition since the Prince of Fools. He is an odd character to have a story evolve around because of his personality and situation but I love how different he is compared to most male leads.

What I adore the most about the novel is how everything is like a classic hero story for kids. You have the protagonist with his steed and best man, going through deadly challenges to get to the treasure that was lost for hundreds of years. Except it is a read for teens instead of the youngsters.

I definitely recommend the Sebastian Darke series if you have not read it yet! It gives you a break from the usual supernatural/fantasy stuff that you generally find in YA fiction. I'm anxious for the third installment!

Read more of my reviews at: Stop, Drop, and Read! - [...]

great adventure, rich characters

This was a really fun read. Some of the characters were so delightful they have stayed in my mind in rich imagery for the 6 months since I read the book. What I like best was the ending. It's a great lesson for the teen readers, and allows for further adventures of the friends we've grown to love. Great fighting scenes, a tiny bit of romance, and good clean fun. Recommended for age 8/9 to adult, and good for a read-aloud, too.

Great story, terrible type

I agree with other reviewers that this is a fun and exciting story.

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Title: The Great Ice Battle

Subtitle: The Secrets of Droon, Book 5

Author: Tony Abbott

Narrator: Oliver Wyman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-04-08

Publisher: Listening Library

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

Brr! Jaffa City is under a spell of ice and snow. Even Galen the Wizard is frozen solid. Eric, Julie, Neal, and Princess Keeah have to figure out a way to break Lord Sparr's curse, but they better hurry, because they might get frozen, too.

Pssst! Listen to more

.

©1999 Tony Abbott; (P)2008 Listening Library

Members Reviews:

My son loves this series. He discovered it at ...

My son loves this series. He discovered it at school and is now moving on to book five. It really holds his attention.

Five Stars

My Grandson loves the adventures of Eric, Julie, Neal and Keeah!

My kids, 7 and 9 year old, couldn't ...

My kids, 7 and 9 year old, couldn't stop reading the book. It kept them occupied during our long road trip... instead of watching a movie.

Great book! My seven-year-old son enjoyed it

Great book! My seven-year-old son picked this book out and enjoyed reading it. He did a book report on this book as part of his curriculum in school.

entertaining

good leisure read for third grade. can read out of order and still enjoy. paperback is good to bring along for trips.

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Title: What Mr. Mattero Did

Author: Priscilla Cummings

Narrator: Eve Bianco

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-28-08

Publisher: Penguin Group USA and Audible

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

Told from two points of view, Claire's and Melody's, this novel takes readers into their private middle-school worlds as the girls struggle to discover the truth.

Critic Reviews:

"The book provides a great deal of high-interest suspense, and, when the issue of what Mr. Mattero did is finally resolved, readers get an ending that's both satisfying and realistic." (School Library Journal)

"An age-appropriate introduction to a difficult topic." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

The impact of a sexual abuse report on a family and community

Grade: B+

Claire and her two seventh grade friends report that their teacher, Mr Mattero, molested them, setting off a series of events they never expected. His daughter, Melody, an eighth grader at their middle school feels that impact hardest. But what really happened in that music room, and are the girls telling the truth.

Told in both Claire and Melody's POVs, WHAT MR MATTERO DID is s thoughtful look at friendship, peer pressure, family, and sexual abuse. Although Claire clearly made some awful decisions, she was more troubled than bad. At home she was lost in the shuffle between her special needs brother and toddler sister. She lacked confidence, had an eating disorder and followed her dominating friend into trouble. Melody was less complex of a character, purer in her feelings and actions. Her POV of the devastation the accusations had on the entire Mattero felt raw and honest.

Priscilla Cummings created a great preteen voice in Claire and Melody, unfortunately the voices were the same for both girls. I did enjoy Cummings' writing. I'm not sure where she came up with the statistics that 20% of sexual abuse allegations are false, all the statistics I've read have the number much lower. Yes, it happens, but far more minors, mostly girls, are molested than report. Many cases can't be proven because only about 30% of cases have DNA linked to a perp because of delays in reporting, certain acts don't create DNA. I wonder wherever Cummings got her stats included cases that couldn't be proven in the number. I'd hate for tweens to get the wrong idea about victims and believability.

THEMES: sexual abuse, friendship, family, peer pressure, eating disorders

Sexually Abused Nymphets?

In What Mr. Mattero Did by Priscilla Cummings, three seventh-grade girls, Jenna, Suzanne, and Claire, told their middle-school principal that Mr. Mattero, the music teacher, had molested them.

I was immediately suspicious of the girl's claims, because most victims of sexual abuse never report being harmed. They may mention it to a friend, but rarely to their parents or to the authorities. However, victims are more likely to report abuse once another victim's wrong has been exposed. Moreover, according to Joan J. Johnson in her book Teen Prostitution, in most cases, sexually abused nymphets are victims of incest. In other words, nymphets are most commonly molested their fathers or step-fathers, but in some cases the brother, uncle or cousin is the abuser.

That is exactly what happened in What Mr. Mattero Did. Phoebe, another seventh grader, confessed to Claire that she was sexually abused by her step-father. Phoebe confessed to Claire, because she thought that Claire was a victim of sexual abuse as well.

"You're the only person I've told," Phoebe said. "'Cause you've been through it, Claire.

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Title: The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio

Author: Lloyd Alexander

Narrator: Robert Ramirez

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-13-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

Garnering starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist, this highly acclaimed novel is another triumph for best-selling Newbery Medalist Lloyd Alexander.

Critic Reviews:

"Masterful storytelling tinged with romance and humor makes this an engaging read." (

Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Will be finishing this as a print book

What would have made The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio better?

A better reader. I'll be buying this on my Kindle and finishing it as a print book. It sounds like a great story, but I simply can't stand to listen to it any more.

Would you ever listen to anything by Lloyd Alexander again?

Absolutely, as long as Ramirez is not reading. I am an adult reader (and high school English teacher) who enjoys YA fiction. I recently finished listening to Alexander's entire Prydain series (Book of Three, Black Cauldron, Taran Wanderer, House of Llyr, The High King) and enjoyed them so much I ordered this book without taking the time to listen to a sample of the reader - much to my regret.

I found the reader's style to be extremely distracting. I suspect that he was trying to deliver 'drama' to the dramatic reading, but as a result, each and every sentence was delivered in a tense,anxious style - regardless of the circumstances. The reader's voice and inflection made every sentence sound like he was in a life-or-death situation, whether he was walking through the market or talking to his uncle. I couldn't stand to listen to it long enough to find out how he narrates something *truly* exciting. There was never a point where the reader seemed to relax enough to simply read the story in a fluent and interesting way without sounding like he was trying to make every. single. word. drip with excitement. The very first paragraph was delivered in a way that led me to believe that the second paragraph would deliver a thrilling punch - it didn't, and that sense of false anticipation persisted throughout the three chapters I managed to get through. There was never any sense of tension actually building: rather, every sentence in itself was delivered tensely. It's been my experience that a good reader knows how and when to add drama to a reading by varying the tension, cadence, and inflection of his reading. I recommend you listen to the sample before you buy, keeping in mind that nothing particularly exciting is happening in the part of the book you're listening to. If you can listen to 7 hours of the same reading style with little variation in pattern or inflection, you'll probably enjoy the performance.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio?

For more details, please see above. In a nutshell, I got the impression that the narrator somehow felt that reading an exciting story aloud meant delivering every sentence in a 'dramatic' way. I kept thinking that this is how a high school freshman would have read the story, thinking that 'dramatic' reading meant every word should be dramatic.

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Title: 'Mark Spark in the Dark' and 'Jimmy Jelly'

Author: Jacqueline Wilson

Narrator: Kim Hicks

Format: Unabridged

Length: 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-11-08

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

Mark is scared of the dark, but when he thinks his Great Gran is in trouble, nothing is going to stop him from coming to her rescue.

Young Angela is obsessed with Jimmy Jelly, her favourite TV personality, though the rest of the family can't stand him - that is, until he comes to open a shop in the local shopping mall!

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Title: Ocean Realm

Subtitle: Crystal Doors, Book 2

Author: Rebecca Moesta, Kevin J. Anderson

Narrator: Joshua Swanson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-07-08

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 70 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

Can they escape in time to save the island from destruction?

Critic Reviews:

"The story...flows like so much poetry across the page....A great read for any fantasy lover, regardless of age." (g-pop.net)

Members Reviews:

interesting, little childish

The storyline is amazing. However, a lot of the dialogue is immature and a little unnecessary. It does not reflect real life. For instance, why do the characters always have to describe their plans? Especially in front of or very close by their enemies? Isn't that a little idiotic? Also the "connection" between them shouldn't have to be explained through dialogue. The audience can clearly see the connection. It's something that develops throughout the book. Things don't always have to be explicitly spelled out. Let a little mystery enter the story. Let the audience wonder and come up with ideas of their own about the relationships before revealing the truth.

my daughter couldn't put it down!

I ordered this book for my daughter, who is into the whole Crystal Doors series. She honestly read it through and couldn't put the book down. She loved it and wanted me to order her the next (future) book in the series. I wish she could get as interested in the literature classics as she has been in this series. We have a whole bookshelf of classics in our library that she isn't interested in reading.

Love it!

Awesome!! I would read this book again! I already cant wait to see what the third book is going to be like!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Cousins Gwen and Vic Pierce, the protagonists fromCrystal Doors #1: Island Realm (Crystal Doors), are back in this exciting follow-up, along with some of the other great characters we came to know and love in the first book: Uncle Cap, Ali el Sharif, Tiaret, Lyssandra, and even the wonderful djinni, Piri.

The magic of the world of Elantya is also back, along with the Citadel, Sharif's magic carpet, Tiaret's warrior skills, Lyssandra's telepathic and interpreting abilities, and the natural curiosity of Gwen and Vic. Unfortunately, that also means that the bad guys from the first book, most noticeably the merlons and their king, Barak, have also returned.

Uncle Cap (Gwen's uncle and Vic's father) has made it through the crystal doors and finally arrived on Elantya. But even before a happy reunion can happen, the merlons kidnap Gwen and Vic, none too happy about the last skirmish that took place. This time, their plans are even greater: they're hoping for total destruction of the Elantyan world and, quite possibly, the crystal doors themselves.

The twins will have to use all of their knowledge and wits to keep this from happening. Thankfully, they also have their close friends to rely on, as well as some new allies. It's not going to be an easy feat, but somehow they must defeat King Barak, Orpheon, and Azric's immortals.

The climax of OCEAN REALM is a fantasy-lover's dream, with action-packed scenes that will have you flipping pages as quickly as you can. Readers of the first two books in the series will be eagerly anticipating the third,Crystal Doors #3: Sky Realm (Crystal Doors), set to be released in June 2008.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

amazing!

I would recommend this book to anyone that loved fantasy and magic.

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Title: Spinners

Author: Donna Jo Napoli

Narrator: Suzanne Toren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-14-08

Publisher: Penguin Group USA and Audible

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

This is the story of two spinners. The first honed his craft at a stolen wheel, crippling his leg, turning a room full of straw into a glittering dress for his beloved - and losing her. The second steals moments to teach herself. Saskia is her name, and she grows up to be a master spinner. Nothing is beyond her - until she, too, must spin straw into gold. And it is then that they meet.

©1999 Donna Jo Napoli and Richard Tchen; (P)2008 Penguin

Members Reviews:

Not Going in My Favorites Pile

I'm glad that 3 stars on Amazon equals "It's OK" because that's just how I felt about Spinners, the first book I've read by Donna Jo Napoli.

In Spinners, Napoli has taken the tale of Rumpelstiltskin and fleshed it out, creating Rumpelstiltskin's side of the story, so-to-speak. The story is told in present tense (which I usually dislike as I feel it reads somewhat awkwardly), and covers a number of years in the life of a young man who loses in love and the lives of those with whom his story is entwined.

Spinners is a fast read and, while it held my interest, in the end I was left dissatisfied and slightly depressed. Other reviewers complained about the abrupt ending and recommended Napoli's other retold fairy tales, including Zel. While the story in Spinners didn't make me want to seek out her other books, Napoli's writing is above average, so I may take those reviewers' advice and give her another try.

hmmmmmm

Never finished. Thought I would like this book as I'm a fiber artist. Just didn't. Maybe too slow for me.

A book of gold with an ending of straw

This is another book I read as a kid and still love now. In fact, I love pretty much everything this author writes.

As you can probably guess from the title, this is Rumpelstilzken, Donna Joe Napoli style. A young man makes a foolish boast so he can wed his sweetheart (with whom he has already been intimate) and steals a spinning wheel from an old woman so he can attempt to spin straw into gold. It works, but maims him, and the woman must marry another because she's pregnant with his child. She dies in childbirth, hating the evil little man she thinks he's become, he wanders off alone, and their daughter is left to be raised by her stepfather (who thinks he's her father.)

Anyway, you know how the story goes and how it ends. This is a tale of pride, of love misplaced or trust gone wrong and deep loneliness. My only complaint with the whole book is that the ending is way too abrupt-and that knocks it down to a still respectably four star rating.

A Heartrending Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin

Donna Jo Napoli has the ability to plumb the depths of familiar tales, unearthing valuable nuggets of gold. Her ability to breathe life into the fairy tale's characters is superb. Spinners is a tragic tale of rejection and longing, a tale of a crippled tailor whose unrequited love for a miller's daughter sets him on a quest for acceptance.

A tailor and miller's daughter have loved each other for years. When the tailor must prove his worth to the miller by creating a gold wedding dress, his desperation prompts him to spin upon a cursed wheel. Thus the tailor becomes crippled for life. The miller rejects the tailor's suit upon seeing his disfigurement. When the miller's daughter likewise rejects her suitor, the tailor flees in humiliation and disgrace.

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Title: The Damned Thing

Author: Ambrose Bierce

Narrator: Clifton Chadwick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-25-08

Publisher: PC Treasures, Inc.

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

A dimly lit coroner's inquest sets the scene for "The Damned Thing", which relates the strange and savage death of Hugh Morgan, a solitary man who found himself haunted - and eventually hunted - by an unseen creature stalking the untouched woods near a small, rural village.

(P)2006 PC Treasures, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Overrated

Despite the low price, it is not value for spend.

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Title: Darkest Age

Subtitle: Book One

Author: A. J. Lake

Narrator: Carolyn Bonnyman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-07-08

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Teens, Ages 11-13

Publisher's Summary:

When a ship is dashed against the rocks in a fierce storm, all hands are lost except for two children, washed up on a beach next to a mysterious trunk. Inside the trunk lies something more powerful than the fiercest storm, something that binds itself to their destiny. Shipwreck was just the beginning of a journey which will take them far from anything they know, and for which they will need skills and courage beyond anything they imagined.

©2006 Working Partners; (P)2007 Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Members Reviews:

Good!

I really enjoyed this title. The story was engaging and I found myself drawn to the characters. The narrator was excellent and the production values smooth and consistent. I find myself eagerly awaiting the sequel. This series, so far, seems suitable for all ages.