The Barn and the Book

By: Melinda Johnson

Narrated by: Melinda Johnson

Length: 1 hr and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Sam wants to know if animals (especially Saucer!) can speak at midnight on Christmas Eve. Grace and Macrina are competing to write a story, and Elias is losing his patience. Meanwhile, Sister Anna hopes God will rescue her from teaching Sunday school. Christmas is coming, but hearts are full of secrets and frustrations.

The Barn and the Book is a story about the traps we build when we try to see in the dark. We tumble into trouble and confusion on our own, but God can steer us clear of our traps and shine his kindly light into our darkness.

A chapter audiobook for ages seven to 12.

©2018 Melinda Johnson (P)2018 Melinda Johnson

Fantastic Listening for the Whole Family

When you start an audiobook and your children immediately pay attention, listening raptly to the story being told, you know you’ve found a good one. It may help that they had already heard “Sam and Saucer,” the first book in the series (I’ve heard a 3rd one is coming), and that they know the author’s voice and associate Melinda Johnson with the story of Sam and the sweet, energetic little Corgi, Saucer, but whatever the reason, the peaceful, happy car ride was worth it.

I enjoyed listening to this book, and I found that it more richly developed the characters introduced in the first story, but did so in a manner that the book also stands alone. I loved the depth of this book and appreciated hearing the characters’ struggles and successes in relationships with one another and with their faith. The stories-within-the-story also led to some creative thinking by my children, as they each talked about what they might write if they were the children in the book.

We appreciated the scene from Christmas, and while the children felt for Sam, they were also overjoyed at the ending, when Sam revealed that while he’d initially been disappointed, he’d learned to look at the situation from a different perspective, one that allowed him to see things from a lens of developing faith.

Another thing that the author did well was to depict the very real struggle of one of the nuns; one that many of us face in our day to day lives: That of comparing ourselves to others. Sister Anna goes so far as to “place a fleece” in order to hear from God, and she’s wisely redirected by the abbess. I felt that it was a good depiction to my children of the fact that not only do children struggle, but adults do, too, and that we’re all learning and growing in faith and love together.

My children and I all look forward to hearing what comes next!

My eyes might have leaked a little!

This is a cute, engaging book with a great lesson (one I needed to hear) and a bit of a surprise ending. This was well-written, well-narrated, and enjoyed by all in my car at the time (myself, my 8 year-old daughter, and my 18 year-old daughter). We are all looking forward to whatever adventures are in store for Sam, Saucer, and gang next!!

a delight

(audio version) Melinda Johnson, author and narrator, does great work with her writing and reading of the Barn and the Book. My kids, ages 9, 7, 5, and 3 were all interested in the book and enjoyed hearing the narrator's reading of her story. My 5 year old is a busy boy who often doesn't care to listen to audio books, but with this audio book he was bringing the tablet to me and requesting a listen. It's a middle reader book that is just perfect in story plot and length to keep more reluctant listeners engaged while still entertaining those voracious readers/listeners that might be budding in your home.

The Barn and the Book, a sweet sequel to Barn and the Book

My almost 4 year old and I have loved listening to Melinda Johnson’s reading of “The Barn and the Book.” Her extremely adorable inflection and perfectly emphasized punctuation was a joy to listen to on a long drive. My preschooler followed along very easily and continues to ask to listen to “the story about the boy, the dog and the monastery.” I think this book I’m general is a great addition to your child’s library, and is a wonderful audio book for children of (almost) all ages. Many moments of laughter are sure to follow!