- Title:
-
The Children of the King (MP3)
- Written by:
-
Sonya Hartnett
- Read by:
-
Jennifer Vuletic
- Format:
-
Unabridged MP3 CD Audio Book
- Number of CDs:
-
1
- Duration:
-
7 hours
- MP3 size:
-
312 MB
- Published:
-
July 01 2012
- Available Date:
-
February 28 2013
- Age Category:
-
Children (8+)
- ISBN:
-
9781743119655
- Genres:
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Fiction; Australian Fiction; Children's Fiction; Historical Fiction
- Publisher:
-
ABC Audio
Qty
Format
Price
Bolinda price
Winner AudioFile Earphones Award 2013
"[a] wonderful book from a superlative storyteller."
Readings
A hauntingly beautiful story set in England during World War II from one of Australia's most acclaimed writers for children.
Three children have been sent to live in the countryside, safe from the war in London. When they find two boys hiding in a castle, the past and future come together to make an extraordinary adventure.
"Hartnett deftly interweaves dark, eerie passages with episodes of domestic realism - either of the banalities of English village life, or of juvenile squabbles at Heron Hall.
The result is a sustained ventriloquism. Remarkably, Hartnett has reproduced the tone and voice of a girls' own adventure story from the 1940s and has channelled it through the emotional consciousness of an upper-class pre-teen who's a bit of a ninny. And yet, it works.
The Children of the King is a wise and elegant exploration of growing up. If that's ''mere'' children's lit, then I want more."
The Sydney Morning Herald
"As the wealthy Lockwood family flees London during the Blitz of WWII, they decide to take in an evacuee. Twelve-year-old Cecily chooses May Bright to join them at remote Heron Hall. Narrator Jennifer Vuletic is sublime; the two girls are vastly different, and hearing their voices adds tremendously to listener interest. She also captures 14-year-old Jeremy Lockwood’s feeling of helplessness towards the distant war. Through their voices, we can almost SEE their cold mother and charming but disappointing father. Every night Uncle Peregrine (and Vuletic) splendidly regales the children with tales about nearby Snow Castle. The lyrical story illustrates how everyone in society is affected by war and the misuse of power. An epilogue allows listeners to follow the characters long after the war."
AudioFile Magazine