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The Silver Arrow Audiobook
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Publisher Description
"I loved every page. This is middle grade fiction at its best."-- Ann Patchett
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians comes a must-read, wholly original middle-grade debut perfect for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl.
Dear Uncle Herbert,
You've never met me, but I'm your niece Kate, and since it is my birthday tomorrow and you are super-rich could you please send me a present?
Kate and her younger brother Tom lead dull, uninteresting lives. And if their dull, uninteresting parents are anything to go by, they don't have much to look forward to. Why can't Kate have thrilling adventures and save the world the way people do in books? Even her 11th birthday is shaping up to be mundane -- that is, until her mysterious and highly irresponsible Uncle Herbert, whom she's never even met before, surprises her with the most unexpected, exhilarating, inappropriate birthday present of all time: a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow.
Kate and Tom's parents want to send it right back where it came from. But Kate and Tom have other ideas -- and so does the Silver Arrow -- and soon they're off to distant lands along magical rail lines in the company of an assortment of exotic animals who, it turns out, can talk. With only curiosity, excitement, their own resourcefulness and the thrill of the unknown to guide them, Kate and Tom are on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and who knows? They just might end up saving the world after all.
This thrilling fantasy adventure will not only entertain young readers but inspire them to see the beautiful, exciting, and precious world around them with new eyes.
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“Blending elements of conservation and magic, Grossman crafts a timeless-feeling, Travers-tinged adventure…While learning to run the train and solve problems on their own, the siblings bond with myriad passengers and begin to understand global issues surrounding endangered and invasive species, habitat loss, and environmental stewardship….Certain to draw young readers.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“Vivid and amusing…It’s a world all its own.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“Both cozy and inspiring, this eco-fable conveys both grim truths and a defiant call to action.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Completely unpredictable and completely charming. A perfect book to cuddle up with and savor—and even better to read aloud with someone you love.”
— Adam Gidwitz, New York Times bestselling author -
“Acclaimed narrator Simon Vance brings his special blend of magic and cheek to Lev Grossman’s middle-grade debut…Vance’s character voices are perfect for the young train conductors, and his choices for the animals are exceptional. They include a burly porcupine, a kindly, wise heron, and many others—all of whom have deft accents that indicate their national habitats.”
— AudioFile -
Fans of classic talking-animal tales such as the Chronicles of Narnia will want to pick up a copy.
— BCCB -
I loved every page. This is middle grade fiction at its best.
— Ann Patchett -
*"Both cozy and inspiring, this eco-fable conveys both grim truths and a defiant call to action.
— Kirkus, starred review -
*"Grossman's gorgeous middle-grade debut is vivid and amusing... it's a world all its own.
— Booklist, starred review -
...whimsical details and well-wrought moments of adventure are nevertheless certain to draw young readers.
— Publishers Weekly -
...one that's sure to become a classic all its own.
— Barnes & Noble Reads -
[A] scrumptious fantasy confection.
— Horn Book
Awards
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month
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About Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman is a senior writer and book critic for Time magazine. His books have been New York Times bestsellers, and in 2011, he was awarded the John W. Campbell Award from the World Science Fiction Society. A graduate of Harvard and Yale, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.