Flash Reviews: Audiobooks

I've been working my way through the state book award lists over the past few months and luckily by library has lots of the nominated titles on audiobook. Here are some of my recent favorites from the state list in audiobook format:

 

                                Variant by Robinson Wells

 Rating: 4/5 Stars
When Benson gets a full scholarship to Maxfield Academy, he doesn't think twice about it. But once he arrives he realizes this is no ordinary school. A strange boarding school, no adults, and weird rules? I was sold from the start. The narrator does a great job of building the suspense and the author excels at keeping the reader (or listener in this case) guessing. It's a twisty mystery that was a blast to listen to. And trust me, there's an ending you'll never see coming and when you get there, you'll be scrambling for the sequel right away.

 



 

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Rory moves to London, attends a new boarding school, and gets caught up in "Rippermania" that is sweeping London. After an accident, she is able to see ghosts. This was the perfect blend of mystery, ghost story, humor, and light reading. Maureen Johnson balances all of this nicely into a very engaging package and I loved listening to it on audio because not only are the characters even more fun and engaging this way, but I loved the various accents! Secret socities, a bit of history, ghosts, and incredibly likable main character in Rory made me fall in love with this book. Perfect for readers who think ghost stories aren't for them-this one is just so fun and mysterious you can't help but keep listening.



Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Rating: 4/5 Stars

It's prom night and Perry just wants to make it to his band concert in New York City. But he's stuck taking his family's exchange student to prom. But when they arrive in NYC on Gobi's last night in the US, Perry is in for a night of surprises-and Gobi is not who Perry thought she was. This book is the perfect example of an audiobook making all the difference. Everyone kept telling me this book was awesome, but when I tried to read it, I just couldn't get into it. Then I attended the BFYA Teen Feedback session at ALA Midwinter and a teen mentioned how much she enjoyed this book on audio. I gave it a try and I have to agree-audio is the way to go. It's a hilarious, high stakes romp that reminded me a bit of the TV show Chuck. A nerd, a kickbutt spy/assasin girl, and a crazy night in New York City-what could be more fun? The narrator really makes Perry's conflicting emotions real and ups the adventure through his narration. It's a fun romp that I was glad I gave a second chance.