ASTAL Guide for Evaluating Audio Books
Title:
Alchemy and Meggy
Swann
Author:
Karen Cushman
Book Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date:
October 25, 2011
Audio Publisher: Listening Library
Date:
April 13, 2010
Reader:
Katherine Kellgren
Length: 4 hours, 23 minutes
Audience:
Age
Level: 10 and up, Grade Level: 5 and up
Presentation:
Effectiveness of Readers Voice quality 5 4 3 2 1
Ability to capture characterizations 5 4 3 2 1
Provides clues to different characters 5 4 3 2 1
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Narration appropriate: Reader had British accent, book
is set in Elizabethan England
Multiple narrators or
ensemble of readers: The solo reader did a good job of differentiating
characters, so an ensemble was not necessary.
Content:
Overall effectiveness 5 4 3 2 1
True to the text 5 4 3 2 1
Easy to take an excerpt from 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction: No
introduction
Postscript: The postscript is the author’s note about Alchemy, Elizabethan England and the origins of the Theater. It was a terrific addition to the story as it answered questions listeners may have about the setting.
Technical:
Technical quality effective 54321
Sound effects 54321 NA
Cueing aids 54321 NA
Music 5 4 3 2 I NA
Volume/ Feedback: The CDs must be played at a loud volume to be clearly understood and it can become high pitched and annoying after long periods.
Overall rating: (average of all the scores) 4
Awards: Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults 2011
Notable Children's Recordings 2011
Odyssey Award Honor 2011
Strengths/
Weaknesses: The audio
book may not hold readers. The storyline
is slow and the audio quality can be grating at times. Although it ended well,
I barely made it that far.
Uses: This audiobook could be used to show the plight of children in Elizabethan England, or the "new" science of Alchemy. The book also takes place just prior to the advent of Shakespeare's works and could be used to introduce "players."
Listen Alikes: Anne of Green Gables (2007) Radio Theater, Midwife’s Apprentice (1996) Listening Library
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