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The Locked Bathroom

It's a funny thing about a blog that no one knows about yet. It's like a locked bathroom, a magic sanctuary, a junior high school journal. You can just sit in it, rummaging around in the old bellybutton for wayward lint, maybe sing off-key a little bit or stare off into space, and nobody's the wiser, the more grossed out, or irritated. Even after I hit the "Publish" button, I think I'm going to pretend I didn't.

Out Loud: Review of THE NINJA LIBRARIANS: SWORD IN THE STACKS audiobook in Sound Commentary

11/6/2016

3 Comments

 
Alright! I admit it! I wrote more or less a zillion characters into SWORD IN THE STACKS. Even Jim Dale might have blanched at the dramatic personae list, but narrator Laurel Merlington was more than up to the challenge. If you haven't yet had a chance to read SWORD IN THE STACKS, you can let Ms. Merlington bring it to life on your next long family drive....you know, like when you're traveling over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house or to Great Uncle Felix's or wherever you go for turkey....or turducken....or cranberry-stuffed tofu balls...
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Click to hear sample
*Jen Swann Downey. Sword in The Stacks. The Ninja Librarians. Read by Laural Merlington. 8 CDs. 9 hrs.  Dreamscape.  2016.  978-1-52000-369-6. Ages 10-13.
     This complicated tale of time traveling librarians who are determined to save the world from those who hope to rid it of all things written is certain to entertain fans of fantasy. Based in Petrarch’s Library during present times, young and old travel through magical archways in hopes of finding the powerful missing vials and Petrarch’s precious star. If they don’t, the future will be altered and countless lives will be lost. Popular travel locations in this tome include 1912AD England and 339BC Athens. 
     There are a myriad of characters in Jen Swann Downey’s book Sword in the Stacks, the second in her The Ninja Librarians series. The youngest character is in her single digits, while the oldest is nearing 100. The vast number of characters would intimidate most narrators, but this reviewer suspects narrator Laurel Merlington thought nothing of the challenge. Her ability to quickly personify each character, regardless of age or dialect, in this ever-changing cast was superb. British, American, and Grecian accents soared, as did appropriate emotional portrayals of both genders. The librarians’ time traveling exploits didn’t slow Merlington down, either.  Merlington, an Audie Award nominee, has narrated more than 200 audiobooks for listeners of all ages. Lisa Arnold

Reviewer  Lisa Arnold spends her days teaching English to middle school students, her evenings working as a library clerk, and her nights reading under the covers.

​http://soundcommentary.com/issue-printer/november-2016

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3 Comments
Ginger McCarthy link
11/8/2016 10:24:04 am

"Every Good Book Deserves Fame!" xo

Reply
Denice Brooks link
11/6/2018 09:32:46 pm

The best thing really happens when you read a blog review you kinda imagine what it looks like or how the character deal with the situation. Yours is wonderful. I should have my own copy of this audiobook.

Reply
Brian Gutierrez link
10/18/2022 05:23:28 pm

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