Digital Library: Iron Hearted Violet

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill; narrated by Simon Vance

Hachette Audio Group/AudioGo, 2013. 7 hours. ISBN 978-1619696006

Synopsis: Princess Violet is plain, reckless, and quite possibly too clever for her own good. Particularly when it comes to telling stories. One day she and her best friend, Demetrius, stumble upon a hidden room and find a peculiar book. A forbidden book. It tells a story of an evil being—called the Nybbas—imprisoned in their world. The story cannot be true—not really. But then the whispers start. Violet and Demetrius, along with an ancient, scarred dragon, may hold the key to the Nybbas’s triumph…or its demise. It all depends on how they tell the story. After all, stories make their own rules. – from Amazon.com

What instantly drew me in was, of course, Violet. I loved that she wasn’t a stereotypical beauty and that she was bold and brash and all the things ‘good princesses’ are not, and that – for the most part – she is comfortable in her own skin. It utterly broke my heart that she had to tell stories with beautiful princesses and not ugly ones, something that is incredibly influential on her as she grows older. Yet, it is her fierceness and tenacity even in the face of danger and doom. I was a little confused as to why a man was reading a voice about a young girl, then I realized that the story was being told by Cassian, the court storyteller and Violet’s most beloved teacher. Vance brings Barnhill’s fantastic world full of magic, mystery, and stories. Vance brings to life the idea behind the power of stories, the notion that stories can be both dangerous and a way to save what we hold most dear. This story is so wonderfully heart-warming and shows us that we need to embrace ourselves no matter how we are perceived by others. When I grow up, I want to be Violet.

Digital Library: Better Nate Than Ever

Better Nate Than Ever by Time Federle; read by the author

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2013. 5 hours, 54 minutes. ISBN 9781442366206

Odyssey Honor Audiobook Award Winner, 2014.

Synopsis: Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he’d settle for seeing a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There’s an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom. – from Amazon.com

I always think it is a treat when an author performs the audiobook version of their own work because you can get a feel for how they hoped to portray the characters on the page. Federle brings across the exuberance, hopefulness, and nervousness of Nate’s character as he embarks on what becomes a journey of major ups, downs, and even some other surprises along the way. I had a laugh out loud at Nate’s internal voice telling him to stop talking when he knew he was starting to ramble – and I’m sure other readers will identify with this part of Nate’s character as well. It was hard not to root for Nate as he is going through the audition process, which seems somewhat nerve-wracking when you consider the sheer number of people in the casting office – some of whom he is competing with. I also had to admire Nate’s starry-eyed view of New York and the way he instantly falls in love with the city even though Kristin Chenoweth is not at the Greyhound station to welcome him with a song. I absolutely loved everything about this audiobook and would recommend it to anyone with big hopes and dreams to help encourage them.

Digital Library: A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle; Read by Hope Davis

Listening Library/Penguin Random House Audio, 2012. 390 Minutes. ISBN 9780307916570

Synopsis: Meg Murray, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course, and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a “tesseract,” which, if you didn’t know, is a wrinkle in time. Meg’s father had been experimenting with time-travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father? – from the publisher

Davis brings L’Engle’s classic middle grade sci-fi/fantasy novel to life and takes the reader deeper into the text – especially if you are listening to the audiobook while following along in a physical copy. The reader can really get a feel for the different layers of the story and the personalities for the characters with the audiobook thanks to Davis’s superb voice acting. She seems to adopt a multitude of personas as she reads through the novel, giving each character a unique voice as the plot goes along. I like it when a narrator takes the time and energy to put a little bit of diversity into their acting because it reduces the feeling of monotony. As much as I enjoy the story, I am still not a fan of Meg as a heroine. Davis seems to bring out more of the whining adolescent quality of Meg’s character and it really turns me off to her character. I understand that she is trying to figure some things out, but I don’t relate to her at all. Despite this, I enjoyed Davis’s performance of the book and think it would make a wonderful companion to the physical copy.