The Magical 12th Birthday

An Adventure to Grandpa's Secret Land

De: Charlie Tripp

Narrado por: Brandon Essig

What would you do if your grandpa had left you a secret map for your 12th birthday before he passed away?

Would you be scared of it? Or would you embark on a journey to a land nobody thought existed? Well, here is what Verocity did on her 12th birthday!

Inside this amazing adventure book, you’ll discover an unbelievable story about a girl named Verocity who was living with her grandparents. Her grandpa passed away, but he left her a secret letter she was supposed to receive on her 12th birthday from Grandpa himself, but because he is no longer with them, her grandma had to do it, even though she didn’t want to.

What is written in that secret letter? Why did Grandpa pass it to Verocity on her 12th birthday? And why is it so important for her to read this letter and follow the instructions inside?

Prepare yourself for an extraordinary journey because you are about to find out exactly what happened during Verocity’s magical 12th birthday.

This is a perfect book for every child who loves awesome adventures and stories that keep them engaged and interested for hours and hours. It’s also great to listen to for children and their parents–an opportunity to spend time together and dive into fantasy and magic everyone has in their own mind.

©2022 Charlie Tripp (P)2023 Charlie Tripp

Fun and Engaging

I enjoyed this book as much as my son did. All of the characters were well written, each with their own unique but realistic personality. Even minor characters who appeared in the story had fleshed-out backstories that added depth to their interactions with the lead characters. I’m used to background characters being fairly neglected and lifeless, so that was really refreshing, especially in a chapter book.

On another note, the author’s overall descriptiveness throughout the story made it easy to relate to the characters and to get caught up in their search for adventure. From the female lead's everyday life in the village with grandma to her journey with friends, every scene was alive with detail. That really helped to ground the story in reality and allow the magic of the tale to feel even more inviting.

A touching story on a Grandfather’s legacy

The story didn’t waste any time beginning. The story speaks about death and the grandfathers passing but makes the topic easy to relate to. Heart warming and emotionally connected, the story has left me feeling a little closer to those who I’ve lost.

An Adventure That Sparks the Imagination

Verocity’s quest was a joy to experience. The combination of a secret map and a magical land was beautifully executed, and the plot kept us guessing. Brandon Essig’s narration added a wonderful layer of excitement. Perfect for family road trips or bedtime listening!

Such an engaging story!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It’s magical, adventurous, and exciting with a hint of mystery all rolled into one. Jack and Freddie and the rest of the characters were very well written. If you are looking for something exciting to read, you’ve found the right book. With humor and adventure, you can’t go wrong!

Sweetest Story

This book came to me at a really emotional time. I truly enjoyed listening to this!

The story of a child still able to connect with their grandparent is just amazing! I love how the topic of grief is gently covered in its own way. This book is perfect for helping understand the hurt and sadness while keeping the love and connection completely alive.

I also enjoyed that you had to believe to get to Grandpa's secret. It keeps everyone on their toes as the story continues!

A truly well written and narrated story to share with others!

Fell in love with Veracity

I could not help but to fall in love with the courage and determination of Veracity. Overall, the story was an easy listen and very enjoyable, It was very easy to differentiate between multiple characters. My daughter and I cannot wait to for more stories about the brave, Veracity!

A decent start for a series

I felt "The Magical 12th Birthday" was a good listen and especially would be something appropriate for children with the story, subject matter, and overall readability. I think that Veracity (spelled Verocity in the book description, so I'm pretty sure that's a typo) is a great character who embodies good virtues for children to follow and model themselves after. The supporting characters of Jack, Freddy, and the grandmother all seem to have fleshed out personalities. Personally, I think Jack might have been the least developed compared to his much more outspoken cousin, Freddy. This didn't do much to deter from any of the characters though.

I felt their dialogue sounded off though. This might be partially the diction of narrator, but I think it's also the writing. It just didn't sound like how children would talk. On the note of the narrator, I think Brandon Essig does a terrific job; however, I think that this book might have been better narrated by a woman since the main character is a girl, but that's a very minor nitpick.

Overall, I feel like this is a good start as long as the author can develop this into a full-fledged series. I thought the journey into the mystical land was cut way too short. There wasn't really any ongoing narrative conflict that got resolved throughout the entirety of the story. And the tertiary characters seemed out of place. They brought context to the main cast, but maybe they could've been done away with in favor of telling a more cohesive story which centered on journeying to this magical land.

However, all those things can be further fleshed out in subsequent novels. I'd still greatly recommend this to young readers!

This book was creative and very fun to read.

I Loved the attention to detail in this book.
The storyline is great as well and I love how it’s suitable for all ages. I Love mystical and adventure themed books so this one really peaked my interests.
The way the book is, makes it very suitable for young children to understand and relate to this book. (which I absolutely loved)
All the characters have their own personalities and the relationships between them are amazing.
I really enjoyed this whole book and whenever I read it I could imagine and picture everything perfectly! It’s genuinely now a favorite of mine.
I’d DEFINITELY show this book to my family and their kids!

Action-packed adventure, with a strong female lead

This book was a lot of fun to listen to on audible, the voice actor's performance kept me entertained with a variation of voices that they created for the characters in this book.

The story explores themes of grief and family values through a fun lens of magic, talking animals, and creative problem-solving. Our main character is a strong female lead who is freshly 12 years old. She sets out on an adventure with friends and her trustworthy German Shepard to find a magical land that her deceased grandfather was researching after finding his notes.

A perfect lighthearted story with important themes for kids and their families this holiday season. I was entertained and inspired by the author's note at the end of the book that expresses the 'why' behind his writing journey and how he hopes to inspire children to follow their dreams and choose kindness in a post-pandemic world.

Enchanting and Full of Wonder

This audiobook captured my daughter’s imagination from the first minute! The magical land, the secret map, and Verocity’s adventurous spirit made this a compelling story. Perfect for kids who love adventure, and the narration by Brandon Essig was excellent.