Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Author: Janet Evanovich.
Narrator: Lorelei King.
Category: Mystery & Suspense.
Publisher: Macmillan Audio.
Release Date: 2009.
Length: 7 hrs.
Unabridged.

An Overview:
Plum Spooky is a wicked read of a side jaunt of the Stephanie Plum Novels that sees Stephanie camping in the woods of New Jersey and keeping some unsavory company.

Plum Spooky is the first of the 'Between the Numbers' books that Janet Evanovich has penned to add more to the Stephanie Plum series. This book has Stephanie side by side with Diesel, who is now not only a sexy third man in Stephanie's life, but gets her into a bit of a pickle in the book.

The location of this book is an interesting place, primed for a Halloween type of book. It's called Pine Barrens, New Jersey. The people who live here are as much sideshow freaks as anything else. I suppose the idea of this book was to make this a completely scary place that had us looking for ghosts and goblins around every corner, but it didn't work. Instead, I found myself chuckling at some of the names and characters, but definitely not fearful of them.

The book also does a lot of talk about Lula, Tank, and other minor characters. While I don’t mind getting to know them a little more, they are not the main characters and I could have easily skipped that for more meat in the story. Yes, the other characters we all know and love are in the book plenty, but it really came off as more of a corny story line than a good book for a long time Janet Evanovich fan.

Another problem I had with this book is that it seems somehow Evanovich has stepped away from the smart humor she used to use, to switch to more juvenile humor. I remember times when you had to listen a little more closely for double meanings and 'inside jokes' within the story, but this book tries to tie most jokes to one bodily function or another and I just didn't find it that funny.

Perhaps, I am just old fashioned or getting to old for that type of humor, but I would have much preferred to have my old Stephanie, Joe and Ranger stories back.

The Narration:
To her credit, Lorelei King does an amazing job voicing the book. She was not given the best material to work with, but her voice does manage to bring all of the characters to life.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo
  

Resources:
wikipedia: Janet Evanovich

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Awards

An Overview:
Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans. The Battle of New Orleans has been the subject of many history books and even songs, but in Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans it becomes a complete colorful story of a pirate, an army and a fight for freedom.

Did you know that the Americans had the help of pirates in the Revolutionary War? Well, Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans delves into this factual part of our history through the Battle of New Orleans. Jean Laffite was a buccaneer who was also moving smuggled goods on the black market in the area of New Orleans.

In the Battle of New Orleans he ends up on the same side of the fence as Andrew Jackson, thousands of soldiers, members of the militia and others who were willing to face death for freedom. Side by side on the fields stood freed slaves, rich men who had lost everything they owned, crooks and those who had sworn to uphold the laws. On the other side of the field was double their number (or more) of British solders who were better fed, better armed, and better trained in the art of war.

This book is an amazing look at how those who would never have been in the same part of town much less shoulder to shoulder came together to take on and win over the British army, keeping New Orleans out of the hands of the British. This book was a great way to learn history. Throughout the woven story Groom builds a perfect picture of the way the times were and how those who never should have had a chance were able to beat the odds and hold their ground.

This is the way history should be taught and it would never be forgotten.

The Narration:
Grover Gardner has a great deep voice that was perfect for listening to the story. He had the kind of documentary voice you want for a book that is bringing history to life as well as enough personality and emphasis to keep it interesting and exciting where appropriate.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo

 Resources:
wikipedia: Winston Groom

An Overview:
Rachel Carson was 55 years old when she stunned the “world” of anyone who harbored concerns about the environment. Silent Spring was written in 1962, and became the catalyst for the environmental protections we have in place today.

Spurred by the lack of once prolific songbirds one spring, Carson, a marine biologist and writer, began her investigation into the environmental changes that were directly affecting wildlife. What she concluded brought cries of outrage from the public and inspired more in-depth environmental studies… and the laws that followed.

This highly controversial book begins in a fictitious, disease–filled town where total devastation of all nature has taken place. Carson sets this scenario, and then begins, with uncanny calm and impeccable style, to spin the listener’s head with audacious accounts of what is really happening, chemically, to the very real world around us.

Giving example after example—starting as early as 1787 with the un-natural introduction of Prickly Pear cactus into Australia for the culturing of insects for dye—to the demise of robins at Michigan State University after the spraying of Elm trees, and a whole lot more—Silent Spring is a stream of catastrophes with traceable culprits.

Carson’s scientific expertise explains, in laymen’s terms, and with spellbinding detail, how man’s tampering with atoms and chemicals has altered life the way nature knew it. For instance, once adapted to the natural radiation given off by the sun, and earth’s rocks, the planet now deals with the un-natural radiation that comes from the splitting of atoms.

Where life was once able to modify its surroundings in a natural flow—molding to suit natural environmental changes—man suddenly “acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.” What Carson brings to light is the thoughtless, often greedy, motivations that caused man to forsake natural remedies for quick chemical fixes regardless, or impervious to, the consequences.

Where, Rachel feels, insecticides should have skull and bones plastered all over their containers, they are, instead, indiscriminately sold to anyone—some even in purse sized applicators (bug repellant.) Carson’s message of atrocity is tampered only by Burstyn’s delicate, slightly pleading, voice. If you were not listening to the words, you might think she is telling a bedtime story while she explains things like:

Eleven earthworms can contain enough DDT to kill a robin (who eats 10-12 worms a minute.)

The Narration:
Kaiulani Lee reads Rachel’s book with precision and urgency. It is a strange mix of pleasant voice verses scary, articulate, reality stories.

Audiobook reviewed by Dawn Fagan

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Silent Spring

An Overview:
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. If you wondered where President Barack Obama came from and what his real political views are, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream is a great place to start to learn a lot more about him.

I initially purchased The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama during the election to find out where he stood on the topics that were important to me before I put in a vote for a presidential candidate.

It is an interesting read that will give you a look into the life of the man who is now the President of the United States. This book discusses various aspects of his life and family, how he ended up in the world of politics and eventually into the US Senate. It also gives you a look at life from a politician's point of view, getting to know the people and experiences that surround him on a daily basis.

Additionally, the book goes into politics a bit, as you would expect by any book written by a politician. This is what may lose many people. If you are very conservative in your political views and have no interest in hearing what the other side has to say, this is not going to be a book that works for you. As you would expect, he has somewhat liberal views on a number of topics.

Personally, I was not listening to the book to judge politics, but to learn a little more about the person who was running for office. From that standpoint, this was a good book. You were able to really get a feel for where Barack Obama came from, his path in life that brought him to where he is today and get a feel for the kind of politics he prefers. It was a great way to see a full picture of the man who is now our president.

The Narration:
Barack Obama narrated his own audio book. I am a big fan of this as I regularly think the only person who can really do a book justice is the person who wrote it and knows just what they want each sentence to sound like.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: The Audacity of Hope

An Overview:
If you are looking to reclaim your creative side that has been bogged down by years of life's responsibilities, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity is a great way to get back in touch with that side you miss.

This is a book that will take you back to the days when you knew what creativity was and help you bring it back into your life. Unfortunately for many of us, day-to-day life can suck the creativity right out of us. From the responsibilities of taking care of a home and family to the corporate work day that leaves you in a structured environment, often our creative side is put away because there is no place for it.

Just like anything else in life, if you don’t use it for long enough, you can lose it, and this is often the case with creativity. The Artist's way is an attempt to get that creativity back. This book will walk you though a number of exercises that can help you find that creativity and bring it back to your life again. In many respects this is deemed as a spiritual book and has a lot of spiritual references in it as well.

Overall I though this was an enjoyable book with some great ideas for exercises that will help you rekindle your creative side. If you are not into the idea of creativity being a driving force for your soul, you may think this is a lot of new age mumbo jumbo and want to pass on this one. This is really a book that was created for those who are truly interested in opening their creative mind and releasing that inner artist that has been trapped away.

The only downside I found of the audio book is that the real book is in many respects a workbook and you may want to go back and review things, which is hard to do in an audio format.

The Narration:
Julia Cameron was the narrator of her own book. Usually I love hearing an author read their book to me, as they know how the words are supposed to sound. But in this case, I was not as thrilled. I am not sure if she was uncomfortable reading it on a recording or just needs a little more in the way of oral reading skills, but it was not as enjoyable to listen to as I had hoped.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: The Artist's Way

Julia Cameron's official web site

An Overview:
When you jumped into the rat race and the workforce you probably checked your creativity at the door to move into cubicle life and follow a structure. The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon contends you don’t have to give up one to have the other and shows you how to keep creative in corporate.

The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon is a natural progression for those who have read or listened to the original Artist's Way book. The concept behind these books is that there is an artist in all of us. Chances are we were in touch with that artist as a child, and have lost touch over the years, as we had to step into a world of responsibility. While you may not think that artistic flair and creativity really mesh well with corporate America, they can.

Not only that, bringing that creative side out can also make you a lot happier to be going to work every day! To this end, The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon tries to help you deal with the negative effects of the workplace on your creativity and teach it to thrive, even in adverse conditions. While not every workplace appreciates creativity, I listened to this book and realized how it can be really helpful to retain your creative side whether it's welcome at work or not.

It can help you battle depression and keep a little more vision of yourself. Though this book you will get some ideas and exercises to help you keep creative at work. While I thought a few of them were a little corny, especially if you work in full-blown corporate America, I did like the overall concept and some of the ideas were really useful.

The Narration:
Mark Bryan and Julia Cameron chose to narrate their book together. This was a bit of a step up from Cameron's narration of her first book, but there was still a little something left to be desired in their reading. It was ok, but there may have been better narrator options that would have made it more enjoyable to listen to.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Julia Cameron

Julia Cameron's official web site

An Overview:
Have you heard of the end of time that has been predicted by the Mayans to be coming in 2012? Mayan Equinox surrounds this legend and a race by one man to stop it through human sacrifices and another man's race to stop the killings.

Mayan Equinox is a look into the Mayan belief that time will end in December of 2012. Throughout Mayan history, their calendar has pointed to the end of time, which is happening in our lifetime. It is a mystery that this particular story has as its centerpiece.

The story surrounds a man who believes he can make time continue on if he is able to find a special key that has been hidden in the Mayan word of Central America. The only catch is that the path to finding that key has a couple of human sacrifices along the way.

The man looking for the key, who has been hired to find it for a very rich man known as the professor, has no problem with this. But another professor, Russell Palmer, who finds out about what is going on is now busily trying to stop the sacrifices.

I am not going to spoil any of what happens in the book, but if you have any interest in Mayan culture or their story of time ending in 2012, this is a fun read. Not only is it an interesting mystery to read, but also it also well describes the Mayan world and the beauty, mystery and intrigue that world is filled with.

Is this a great mystery? Not really. Many of the mysterious components are given to you a little to early for my liking. I felt more like I knew everything and was following our main character as he discovered them, which took some of the suspense away from the book. But the scenery and characters you were able to follow throughout were completely worth it though.

The Narration:
Kevin Foley is the voice of Mayan Equinox. He has a great clear voice that is easy to listen to. From the narration of the scenery to the voices of all the Mayan hierarchy he is easy to follow through the story.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

An Overview:
Using quotes from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” and a title such as Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot, you can be sure that author Richard Restak, N.D. adds fun and makes interesting this self-help book on brainpower.

After a short and interesting introduction to the medical aspects, terms, and physiological workings of the human brain, Restak starts right in with in-depth explanations of the brain’s natural functions and what we do to help or thwart them. In laymen’s terms, he discusses the neurons and transmitters, the sections of the brain, and how each one functions, and, like the circuitry in a computer, how everything works together.

The encouraging part, which Restak stresses at every opportunity, is how the brain—unlike other organs and systems of our bodies—doesn’t have to age and degenerate with time, but does so by non-use. Breaking down the brain’s functions and use of perceptions and connections, the book touches upon aspects of brain involvement we might never even consider.

Emotions, language, art, music, memory, future memory, the five sensory inputs (touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound), and more, are broken down with explanations of what is going on, physically, in the brain while these come into play during the course of our day. The author follows these explanations with ways to keep that part of the brain growing and fresh (exercise, repetitive motions, magic tricks, visual games, etc.)

Many references are made to Alzheimer’s disease, which is of growing interest today as millions of baby boomers edge closer to the possibility of suffering from such. The main motto here is “what you don’t use, you lose.” If you are unfortunate enough to clinically suffer impairment of cognitive ability, the plans and exercises in this book will not cure you.

They can’t hurt you, either. And, if you are just the victim of your own lazy self, hearing Restak talk about what is, will be, or has happened to those dormant circuit boards in your head will surely get you thinking. One thing I loved about this book was that Restak explores the effects of culture change across time. He brings to light that ancient man may have had greater brainpower than today’s technologically enlightened humans.

This is attributed to the fact that without today’s technology, humans had to rely solely on their memory power. Humans were forced to remember things, or lose them to time. Whole plays, diatribes, military moves, everything from recipes to building plans, from family history to future plans, all had to be manually, if you will, organized and held in memory by brainpower alone.

Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot can help you understand that the brain does not wear out. It can be stimulated to begin new growth, and activated to stimulate you, as this book will do. Dr. Restak’s 28 steps can help you gain better control of your life as well as keep your brain healthier and with less risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s setting in. Based on medical studies, and filled with practical advice, this book makes the steps easy to follow.

However, although made interesting with examples and medical explanations, it sometimes gets a bit boring. There seems to be so much to learn, and some of the exercises seem too drawn out and agonized over.

The Narration:
Restak reads this book himself and does a fine job.

Audiobook reviewed by Dawn Fagan.

An Overview:
Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation into Civilization's End is a unique look into the Mayan prophecy that many say means the end of the world in 2012 from the perspectives of the Mayans, Russian scientists and the bible.

If you have read up on the beliefs of the Maya or seen any of the TV shows that have been centered around the year 2012, Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation into Civilization's End delves into these. According to Mayan legend, there will be an earth changing event occurring in December of 2012.  Many say it will be the end of mankind as we know it.
 
The date came from studies of astronomical data that was gathered by the Mayans as well as their very own calendar, which ends at this time.In this book, the author takes the information from the Mayan Prophecies and starts to really look into them, as well as the science of the planet and what it may be telling us about it's future.
 
It is an interesting look at what many call a myth that not only looks at the Mayan legends, but also things like sunspots, changes in the earth's magnetic field as well as things the other planets may be telling us about our solar system. Throughout the book you will also get to know the people who are passing on the prophecy, the Mayan shamans, and the Russian scientists who are studying them.
 
While I was very interested in the topic, there were some moments in this book that were a little much for me. Instead of just sticking to the science and prophecy, he also started adding religion into the mix and telling everyone they needed to pray to make it safely through the apocalypse that is coming.
 
I really could have done without this part of the book, as I was enjoying the look into the prophecy and the Russian scientists that have been delving into it. If you can ignore this part of the book you will likely get a lot of great information out of it and still enjoy it overall.

The Narration:
This book was narrated by Feodor Chin. He has a nice, clear easy to follow voice that was very easy to listen to and follow along with while listening to the text of the book.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Lawrence Joseph

An Overview:
Les Miserables is a literary classic that surrounds the life of a man whose life is spent being chased by the police for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's family. He continues to spend his life helping others, even wiling to die to save young men who were fighting in an uprising against the French Government.

Les Miserables is a masterpiece of literature that has been not only the focus of a book but was turned into a Broadway Musical and a Movie.  The story mainly follows a man named Jean Valjean. He was arrested and sent to jail for stealing a loaf of bread. He took the bread to feed his sister's starving family.

Once released he is able to make a new life for himself, yet his past follows him in the form of a detective named Javert who is waiting to bring the 'thief' back down.The story is set during a time when France was in upheaval. Throughout the book Valjean finds himself taking on the responsibility of a young girl whose mother is dying.

He then raises Cosette as his own. As the book progresses things are getting worse in France and it culminates with a student uprising against the government. Knowing his daughter is in love with one of the students on the front line Valjean picks up arms to fight and tries to offer his life up for those of the young men who are dying.

Just so you know, the fact that it is a 66-hour book is not a misprint. The complete Les Miserables is a very long book and extremely detailed in parts and therefore some people may be better off trying the abridged version of this book.

With that said, if you appreciate true feats of literature, this is one book that you will appreciate having listened to as it is an amazing story taken to depths that few today can do.

The Narration:
Frederick Davidson is a fantastic voice for this book. He has the type of voice you would expect to be passing on a story from so many years ago. You can almost imagine him sitting in a high society, secret club in Paris passing on this story.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Les Misérables

An Overview:
The Codex is a book that takes your deep into the jungles of Honduras in search of a tomb robber who is creating his own tomb with a nearly priceless treasure for his sons to find after his death.

The Codex is what would happen if Indiana Jones was more of a tomb robber and wanted to teach his children how to follow in his footsteps. This book surrounds the inheritance of Maxwell Broadbent. He has been a tomb robber most of his life. Many would even call him notorious.  His sons, however, have not followed in his footsteps the way he would have hoped.

Instead they turned out to be a professor, a veterinarian and a spiritual leader (more commonly thought of as a hippie by his father). As Broadbent realizes his life is coming to a close, he takes a priceless Mayan codex, an artifact that is filled with priceless information on healing of most any ailment you could think of, and runs into the jungles of Honduras.

The message to his sons is that they want to get their inheritance; they must find him and the secret tomb he has chosen for himself to get the codex which while priceless historically is worth billions on the black market. The three take off on the adventure to find their father's hidden treasure, but are not alone. Hot on their trail is a private investigator that wants his share of the treasure.

At times this book seems like it has a few too many cooks in the kitchen, meaning too many of the main characters are all trying to work together to find the treasure. While it did cruise along at a pretty good clip - there were also a number of places where you could pretty much predict the twist that was coming next. I really expected a bit more from it.

The Narration:
Scott Sowers is a great narrator for this book. He has a strong and almost gravely voice which is perfect for an adventure novel through the rough and harsh jungle.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: The Codex

An Overview:
Peter and the Shadow Thieves is a brilliant follow up to the first book in this series, Peter and the Starcatchers. Not only does it continue the story from the first book, but also brings in new elements of the Peter Pan story you knew and loved as a child.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves is the follow up to the very popular Peter and the Starcatchers Peter Pan prequel. In this book we hear of a new threat to Never land, a ship full of troublemakers who are in search of starstuff, the magical power that lets Peter fly and stay young forever. It can also make a person a great and powerful villain, which is what their leader wants it for. That leader is Lord Ombra.

They soon find out that Molly the Starcatcher has already taken the starstuff to London and they are on their way to the British city to try and steal it away. Peter now has to head out to help save Molly and her family from the threat that is tracking them down. This book is filled with adventure and sword fights in both London and back in Never land, where the Lost Boys and Hook are facing off.

While it may be a long read, it has you turning pages quickly and when you get to the end you are still ready to follow Peter for more adventure and excitement. It also introduces us to more and more of the characters that we know from the original Peter Pan book and gives us a little insight into where they came from. If you enjoyed Peter and the Starcatchers, this is a definite must-have book as it continues the storyline and gives you even more of the unique back-story that authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have created.

The Narration:
Jim Dale once again lends his voice to this series of books and once again does it great justice. His voice is perfect for bringing this type of fairy tale story to life and you can really get a feel for the characters through his vocal changes!

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Peter and the Shadow Thieves

An Overview:
Peter and the Starcatchers is a journey through Never Land in the days before Peter Pan was the leader of the Lost Boys.

If you always loved Peter Pan as a kid and would like to take a little different look at the life of Pan, Peter and the Starcatchers may be the book you want to delve into. Peter and the Starcatchers is a prequel to the Peter Pan book you know from your childhood, but is still packed with the pirates, mermaids and crocodiles you expect in Peter Pan along with some other characters like cannibals and odd green 'starstuff' that gives gods, heroes and villains their powers.

As a matter of fact, the starstuff is a big portion of this story, as the Starcatchers mentioned in the title have the job of watching for the starstuff to fall from the sky and to run and collect it. The hope is by catching it they will keep it from falling into the hands of those who would do evil. So, you may be wondering how Peter plays into this book? Well, you will meet him as a boy who has been loaded on a ship to go work.

He is an orphan and was sent to be a servant for the king. This is where he hears about the Starcatchers and starstuff from Molly, another child on the ship. She happens to be a Starcatcher apprentice and is trying to keep starstuff out of bad hands. Peter is going to lend her a helping hand in this endeavor. This is just the beginning of what is to be a wild adventure through Never Land.

This book is a fun adventure, but does periodically touch on adult content. If you are very careful about what your children read or listen to and you want them to listen to this with you, you may want to listen ahead first. Many of the 'adult' content scenes are worded in such a way that children may mot understand the innuendo while adults will.

The Narration:
Jim Dale was the narrator for this book. He has a great British accent that sounds like it came right out of a Dickens's novel or other fairy tale. His voice as a perfect fit for this book.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Peter and the Starcatchers

An Overview:
The Ruins is a somewhat frightening look at the scary things that could go bump in the night in the jungles of Mexico. The four characters in this story are tourists who get asked to help find a missing man and end up in a struggle to survive.

The Ruins starts simple enough. A group of four Americans are vacationing in Cancun and planning to take in some of the sites. Through a twist of fate they find themselves on an adventure to find the lost brother of a German traveler. It turns out the missing brother was last seen at a local Mayan archeological site in the jungle. This book ends up being quite the thriller style of novel where what was meant to be a search and rescue mission for a missing man ends up with all of them fighting to stay alive.

What did I like about this book? The concept was an interesting one of how offering a little help to someone can get you in a world of trouble. However, I found it kind of hard to get attached to any of the main characters because there was not a lot of depth to them.  Who I did feel I knew well was the villain who was downright scary at times, so that character was well developed and not someone I wanted to run into.

I can say I was a little freaked out by some of the moments in the book as well. One of the things I found odd about this book is that it was much wordier than other thriller types of books usually are. I expected a lot more speed in the action of the book, but found it often slowed down by too much exposition.

The Narration:
Patrick Wilson has an enjoyable voice for this book. His voice has a strong presence, but also is easy on the ears and easy to follow along with as he tells the story. The only problem with that in this book is there are times when it would have been nice if his voice were a little more energetic to suit the intensity of a scene, but it isn't.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: The Ruins

An Overview:
It all comes to a head in Peter and the Secret Rundoon, the final book in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. This book takes all the build up from the first two books and takes it over the top to end the series. It's a page-turning and wild ride to the finish.

It all comes to a head in Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. This is the third book in the Peter and the Starcatchers series. If you have been listening to the rest of the books in the set, you are likely chomping at the bit to get into this one and it will not disappoint. This book finds Peter and Molly in a horrible place, Rundoon, a land with an evil king and a lot of evildoers surrounding them.

Meanwhile, there are bad things happening back on Mollusk Island, where the Scorpion Tribe is threatening the lost boys and Peter tries to help them, putting his life in peril. It will even give you a little more information about Peter's past and how he ended up as an orphan in Never Land in the first place. This book will give your mind a workout as you are following a couple of different stories at the same time which will all end up coming together for the climax of the book.

I though the first two books were packed with action, but this one took everything to a new level and was an amazing finish to the series. When it came to my experience with these books, when I got to the end of this book I was almost heartbroken knowing the series was done. I was ready to keep reading and follow Peter and his friends through more adventures and mishaps.

The Narration:
Jim Dale is the voice behind this third in the series. He has been the voice of all of the books and has completely mastered the sound and feel for all of the characters in these books. He completely brings it all to life with the changes in tone and inflection.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

An Overview:
In Blood Tide: A Never Land Adventure you get to find out what made the mermaids go from friendly creatures to violent ones – a literal blood tide. This book takes you through trying to regain friendship with the mermaids as well as trying to foil Hook's plot to take over Never Land. It's quite a story!

While you may not have thought about this, natural disasters can strike Never Land and that's just what happens in Blood Tide: A Never Land Adventure.  The book opens with massive earthquake hitting Never Land, which triggers a number of unexpected happenings. As the dust settles, a lot of things have changed. One of those things is that the underground caverns where the Lost Boys had hidden for years are flooded and they have to move.

Add to that the mermaids, who used to be friends to everyone, have suddenly become ugly and angry creatures who are violent to the natives. Thanks to the attempt by Scallop and Pearl to sort things out they discover the root of the problem. There is a blood tide that is poisoning the home of the mermaids and slowly killing them. The rest of the book follows their attempts to find a way to stop the flow of the blood tide and save the mermaids.

Unfortunately, they have more to deal with than just the mermaid's problems. Captain Hook has also hatched a plan to destroy the home of the Mollusk tribe in his attempt to take over Never Land. This is a very enjoyable book for younger readers and their parents alike. This series of books are geared towards children who are in the 4-8 years old age range. They are essentially chapter books that are meant for new readers.

They will enjoy the adventure of the characters and as parents you may find that you are enjoying a little bit of a different look into the life of the Peter Pan characters you remember from your childhood.

The Narration:
Jim Dale is the perfect voice for these books. His voice is able to completely bring each of these books to life and let you feel like you are really listening to the characters all around you.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Never Land Books

An Overview:
In Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Adventure you will get to better know the Lost Boys as they head into a mysterious cave in search of treasure and end up running for their lives from a mystery beast as well as Hook and a band of pirates.

Ever wonder what kind of trouble the Lost Boys get into while Peter Pan is away? Well Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Adventure lets you know just what types of things are going on while Peter is gone. They find a cave that seems like a great adventure to explore, despite the warnings from others that there is an evil and scary beast known as the Goat Taker that lives in the cave.

They also hear about a treasure that is in the cave, which has them on a search for gold. Unfortunately they are not the only ones searching for gold. Hook and his evil followers are also on the trail of the gold, and the boys. This book is for a much younger audience than the Peter and the Starcatchers series. It is meant to be a chapter book for beginning readers who are in the age range of 4-8 years.

While they are very fun to listen to with your child and share the story, these are probably not books you are going to want to listen to on your own as an adult. My family had a lot more fun with this book than the first one. I think that is in part because this brought in the elements we love in Peter Pan, the pirates and treasure hunts. It was a very enjoyable adventure to share!

The Narration:
Jim Dale is continuing to lend his voice to this series of books. Lucky for us! He has an amazing ability to bring these books to life and I can't imagine anyone else becoming the voice of Hook after listening to him throughout the initial series.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Never Land Books

An Overview:
Escape from the Carnivale: A Never Land Adventure shows us more of the characters that live in Never Land. This time we are teamed up with Scallop, a mollusk princess with a heart that wants to roam and seek out adventure. She does, but it may be much more than what she really wanted.

Escape from the Carnivale: A Never Land Adventure gives us another look at the world surrounding Peter Pan, Hook and all of your other favorite characters from that fairy tale. In this book we get to know Scallop, who is a Mollusk Princess. While a life of royalty can be nice, she's bored. So, she goes wandering with friends and makes the mistake of not listening to her parents.

Scallop ends up going beyond the safe areas of her tribe with a pair of mermaid friends. While it all seems to be fun at first, the tides change as some men in a ship kidnap her friend, Surf. Now Scallop and her other friends are getting that excitement they thought they wanted, but with a price. If they fail, they may never see their friend again. If you read the Peter and the Starcatchers series, you may expect this book to be a lot like those. It's not.

This book is written to a much younger audience and is great for kids in the age ranges of 4-8, perhaps younger if they are at a higher reading comprehension level. It also is the type of story that has a moral at the end for children to learn. This book is relatively short and can be listen to all at once or in short segments, whichever best suits you and your child.

The Narration:
Jim Dale has once again lent his voice to the characters of Never Land in Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Adventure. There is no other voice I would want to hear doing these books as he is able to completely capture the feel of all the characters in his voice.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Never Land Books

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Awards:
Author: Bathroom Readers Institute.
Narrator: Full Cast.
Category: Classic Editions.
Publisher: Advantage Publishers Group.
Release Date: 2005.
Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins.
Unabridged.

An Overview:
If you like trivia, weird stories and just general interesting stories that relate to all aspects of life, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is a book that is perfect for you to listen to when you have a little free time.

The original Uncle John's Bathroom Reader was a book that was literally meant to help pass the time in the bathroom. It is filled with a number of stories in varying lengths so you could read a short passage if you weren't going to be around too long, or longer sections if you may be there a while.

The audio book is, of course, a little different since you may not necessarily choose to take your audio books to the bathroom with you. In this case it may be the perfect book if you have a short attention span or if you regularly have small pockets of time to listen to a book and want a book you can keep going back to from time to time without forgetting where you are in the book each time.

So what kinds of stories are in the book? Well there are stories about Dr. Ruth and some of the things she did that made her into the icon she has become. Another passage will teach you all you may have ever wanted to know, and more, about various kinds of bats.

This is really a great way to take in interesting trivia and to learn a little more about all kinds of aspects of the world around you. At the time you are listening, you will likely just think they are curious and interesting stories. Down the road you may be happy you listened to them when they happen to give you the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question.

If you like learning all kinds of things, this is a great book to add to your collection. If you prefer only one storyline in your books, you may want to look elsewhere.

The Narration:
This book has various narrators from the Bathroom Reader's Institute. Since this is a piecemeal kind of book, that seems completely appropriate for this selection. It's an easy listen and there is no problem stopping and starting again to listen to new passages.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Uncle John's Bathroom Reader

An Overview:
The Tao Te Ching is considered one of the deepest texts to read if one wants to gain a better understanding of life. In small poetic pieces, the words in this text are able to help one gain a clearer view of life to contemplate it.

Whether you are a fan Bhuddism, poetry or just deep thought and reason, you may find yourself drawn to listen to the Tao Te Ching. This book is a very ancient text from the 6th Century B.C. that has been translated many times over the years.

Frankly this translation of the Tao Te Ching was not my favorite. It seems this is more of a mainstream version of the ancient text, perhaps meant for a more Western society that doesn't always look as deeply into the meaning of things. Many of the verses are in a sing-songy style that may sound good to some people who have never read other translations, but it was not the best I have encountered.

If you have never read the Tao Te Ching or have not been into deep spiritual readings, this may be a book that works fine in your collection. But if you have been a student of these types of ancient texts, you may find yourself less than impressed with this version. While the rhythm of the words sound nice, they really seem to be a little too poetic or dramatic for drama's sake

Keep in mind, the idea of this writing is to give you things to contemplate and really take in to see life within and without more clearly. Some of these verses are not much more than confusing, while they sound beautiful rolling off the tongue of the man reading the book.

The Narration:
Dr. Jacob Needleman is the narrator of this book. His voice reminds me of an old Indian Chief who is telling stories to his people. He was a wise choice for this particular text as he sounds like the kind of person who would be able to impart wisdom to those who are listening.

Audiobook reviewed by Michelle Murillo.

Listen to Audiobook Sample Available: Yes

Resources:
wikipedia: Tao Te Ching