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AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS |
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh |
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Tara Sands excels in her narration of this story of pain, loss, and hope. Now aged out of foster care and group homes, Victoria must try to make a new life for herself. She supports herself by designing bouquets around the meanings of flowers, arrangements that seem almost magical, while at the same time she is haunted by the life she almost had. Sands captures perfectly the struggle of leaving a lost childhood to enter adulthood, of cautiously moving forward while being seared by the pain of the past.
– AudioFile
Narrator Tara Sands was perfect for this part. For one thing, she sounded age appropriate for Victoria, which is always something that worries me in audiobooks with young protagonists. More importantly, however, she was able to capture the contradictions in Victoria’s character, the fragility under her crusty veneer. For more information on the audio, please see my review for Audiofile Magazine. This was a beautiful book and an lovely audio production. Enjoy it in print or in audio! Highly recommended.
– devourerofbooks.com
Tara Sands is a perfect narrator for this story. Not only is her voice young enough for the character, she excels at portraying the world-weariness and suspicion, not to mention the heartache and longing, that is Victoria. It is as realistic a vocalization as one can experience, making the entire audiobook pure auditory pleasure.
– thatswhatsheread.net |
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The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan |
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Tara Sands takes over the narration in Gabry’s voice. Sands’s strength is her ability to capture everything it means to be a teenager—from the hurried pace of Gabry’s indecision and fear to the hesitation of her self-doubt and the excited tones of her romantic feelings—for two very different boys. The supporting characters help dramatize Gabry’s story of discovery, and each has a unique voice—from the childlike vulnerability of her best friend to the cool confidence of Elias, who is part of her newly discovered past.
– Audiofile - Earphones
Award Winner |
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“Sammy Keyes” 10 Book Audiobook Series by Wendelin Van Draanen |
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Actress Tara Sands is able to take on both Sammy’s precocity and the art community’s artificiality with her fast, lively, and totally engaging performance.
– AudioFile- Earphones
Award Winner
Youthful-sounding actress Sands adroitly steps into the high-tops of smart-mouthed seventh-grade sleuth Samantha "Sammy" Keyes in this crisp adaptation of Van Draanen's fast-paced Edgar-winning mystery.
– ©Publishers Weekly
…actress Tara Sands brings the irrepressible Sammy to life. She gets the phrasing and timing just right, and manages to sound like a 13-year-old girl without overdoing it. She conveys the other characters' voices well, too, especially the flamboyant Gina….
– School Library Journal
Sands makes Sammy easy to get hooked on--which is good news, since there are many more volumes in the series and many more mysteries for Sammy to solve.
– J.M.D. © AudioFile |
Tara Sands skillfully takes the characters beyond the mundane through her impressive ability to speak in many voices--supercilious, sarcastic, and sincere. While delivering nonstop action, she underscores the notion that strength and beauty of character are more than skin deep.
– ©AudioFile
With just the right early-adolescent exaggerated voice, Tara Sands builds suspense as Sammy pries deeper and deeper into facts that just don't add up. Sands moves the story along well, and her Sammy is right-on, as are her friends, Marissa and Dot.
– ©AudioFile
…Tara Sands gives perfect voice to Sammy's character in this reading of the 1999 Edgar Award for Best Children's Mystery (Knopf, 1998). The entire novel is told in the first person voice of Sammy Keyes, so it is appropriate that the narrator uses a single voice with some varied inflections to indicate comments made by other characters.
– Library Journal
Tara Sands brings a lively voice and brisk pace to the story of a determined 13-year- old detective, her three girlfriends, and the slew of quirky characters who populate this mystery. Van Draanen has written a solid mystery with suspense, humor, and heart; Tara Sands captures all three in an enjoyable dramatization.
– © AudioFile
Tara Sands's narration provides a realistically young voice for Sammy and adds emotion and shading to Van Draanen's well-rounded characters. This, Sammy's third outing, is a mystery suitable for the entire family.
– © AudioFile
Tara Sands captures the youthful energy of the young sleuth and her best friend, Marissa, as they try to find the boy's mother while avoiding "Snake Eyes"...Sands maintains momentum as she shifts from Sammy and her classmates to Hispanic gang members, from the ill-tempered Officer Borsch to prying Mrs. Wedgewood, Sammy Keyes is a keeper - that is, if she survives junior high.
– © AudioFile
Tara Sands employs an impressive vocal range that breathes life into every character. From Sammy's enthusiasm to archenemy Heather Acosta's superiority to the banter of the boys, listeners will recognize these kids. Sands's voice ages, and she becomes wise Grams, snooty "council queen" Cora Lee Lyons, and the elderly Mrs. Willawago. The ride to the dance in a Hummer limo, spiced up with the boys' pirate banter, is, by itself, worth a listen.
– © AudioFile
Actress Tara Sands is able to take on both Sammy's precocity and the art community's artificiality with her fast, lively, and totally engaging performance.
Tara Sands has an uncanny ability to slip into the voice of each character, from the teenaged Sammy and her classmates to the gruff Officer Borsch to the elderly Hudson Graham and the psycho Miss Kitty. Listeners will cheer Sammy as she outwits Heather and her gang, busts the cat burglar ring, and saves the cats.
– © AudioFile |
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Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot |
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Tara Sands’s perky, youthful voice is a perfect match for Cabot's preteen drama about dealing with bullies, the third installment in her Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series. Sands’s delivery totally registers Allie's confusion and growing resentment towards Cheyenne and their eventual confrontation. A thoroughly enjoyable audio experience.
– Audible
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Lucy Rose by Katy Kelly |
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Tara Sands sounds absolutely convincing as Lucy Rose. She also does the voices of family members and friends the way a child would, such as sounding absurdly deep voiced when quoting Pop.
- B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Memorial Library,Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Tara Sands captures Lucy's determined and urgent first-person point of view in delivering Lucy's every thought and plan as she shares art activities at the playground, navigates summer friendships, wages battle with squirrels who would like to eat her grandparents' apricots, counts down to her birthday, and goes on a special outing with her dad. Sands is a convincing, invincible, and egocentric charmer. Tenderly she helps Lucy acknowledge the one thing she would like most to plan--the reconciliation of her parents.
- © AudioFile
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Olivia Kidney 2 book series by Ellen Potter |
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With a clear voice and steady pace, Tara Sands leads the listener through Olivia's discoveries and developing friendships. Sands narrates Olivia as the young lady she is--with all the squeals, awe, and disbelief of a young person, while also providing distinguishing vocal traits for the supporting cast.
- (c) AudioFile
Tara Sands is a youthful and heartfelt Olivia--feisty and stubborn as a skateboarder, sad as she reminisces about her family's past, and plucky as she schemes to solve her latest mystery. Sands's accents for supporting characters are outstanding--whether precocious student, shoe-shopper, salsa dancer, or window-washer, she does it all!
- © AudioFile |
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