Malcolm R. Campbell

Emily's Stories by Malcolm R. Campbell and Kelley Hazen (Narrator) is an audio book I requested and the review is voluntary. This book is a touching book about an extraordinary girl with paranormal gifts that she gets from her Grandmother. Her father doesn't know she has them. There are three stories that blend together. One is of a wise birds and spirits that teach her how to paint what she needs from imagination into reality. This comes in handy to prevent tragedy. She needs to find a way to prevent contractors from plowing up the wildlife and land behind their house. She wants to save the land and animals. She has unexpected help. In the last story, she finds out why an old tree is a favorite of her Grandmothers, a very touching story. I enjoyed them all. A book for teens, young adults, or anyone with a heart. The narration was perfect to go with this story also.… (més)

My original Emily's Stories audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Emily is an active smart fourteen-year-old with unique gifts. She can speak with animals and learn from them, visit with ghosts who simply want to sit and chat for a while, sometimes she can paint pictures that become real and sometimes, her dreams reveal her future. A map-maker and savior of the ancient forest, Emily shares three stories of her adventures during one summer.

Malcolm Campbell creates a collection of adventures and shares them in a simple yet authentic manner. He uses dialog and vivid descriptions playing on the memories we all have of our youthful summers. While the stories are short and sweet, they are packed with memories and childhood escapades. Each character is well developed and connected to the area sharing similar beliefs that Emily and her father share. Malcolm Campbell is a masterful story teller.

Kelley Hazen performs the narration in a solid voice that is exhilaratingly fresh and young and old sounding as appropriate. Her accent is accurate and captures the essence of each character perfectly. I found her voice mesmerizing and comforting at the same time.

My only complaint about this audiobook is that it is too short! I would love to hear more of Emily and her family but in longer pieces. But this is an excellent book for young adults and others who just want to reminisce.

There were no issues with the quality or audio production of this book.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.… (més)

Three sweet short stories evoke Florida’s summer heat, small town American values, big business vs real people, and a hint of myth and magic as a wise young teen, drawn to maps and images, follows her wise middle-aged structural engineer father. Old world and new blend pleasingly with leisurely descriptive prose, convincing teen view-point, and a wealth of information hidden in the mist of alluring short fiction.

Emily makes lists, draws maps, and rides an aging bike. When dozing, she listens to birds in her dreams. And when waking, she sets the world very gently and peaceably to rights. A lovely relationship is drawn between father and daughter, with pitch-perfect dialog, a pleasing sense of humor, and genuine respect. This respect is extended to relationships in the natural and supernatural realm, as a bird’s call reveals danger and history, or ghosts and pleasing mystery, and a girl rides her bike to learn more.

Riding, measuring distance and time, following her father’s interests with her grandmother’s sight, Emily is a great character and I’d love to read more of her stories. Meanwhile Emily’s Stories is a great book, beautifully written, and a loving reminder that big-city hype hasn’t yet taken over the world.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy to enjoy and review and I loved reading it!… (més)