The Green Ember

By: S. D. Smith

Narrated by: Joel Clarkson

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

Kings fall, and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend, and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?

©2015 S. D. Smith (P)2015 Story Warren

Not Just for The Elementary Age Group

Any additional comments?

I saw a friend recommend this on her blog - she has younger children, I have teens - so I thought I'd download this for me to listen through since we often get asked for recommendations for younger years books. (We home educate and are voracious readers.)
The story line is so engaging I wanted to share it with the rest of the family.
It's not just a story to read to children in the elementary years - it's one that will have appeal to a very wide age range.
For those that enjoy the Narnia Series, Watership Down, The Hobbit - tones of those are in this story.
Recommending this as an, easy, engaging car time/ road trip listen.

109 of 119 people found this review helpful

Adventurous, fun story

I listened to this book with my 11, 10, 7 and 5 year old. My older 2 children loved it, some parts were a little hard to follow for the 7 and 5 year olds, but it was simple to stop and explain when they didn't understand. We all really enjoyed this story, as well as the many voices of the narrator. Highly recommended by myself and my children!

84 of 92 people found this review helpful

Heavy

A little too heavy for my 6 & 9 year old. The story dragged and the imagery was just too dark.

30 of 33 people found this review helpful

Amazing!

Where does The Green Ember rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of our favorites

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Green Ember?

There were too many to list just one. Picket's achievement definitely stands out!

What about Joel Clarkson’s performance did you like?

He did a great job with the various voices and carried the story along really well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES!!

Any additional comments?

It is really nice to find good, high quality books for our kids to listen to. They are very reminiscent of the Chronicles of Narnia, and the message and morals within them are extremely refreshing. We can't wait to see what Mr. Smith has next.

45 of 50 people found this review helpful

Slow and Tedious

We listened to this on a road trip and I have to say: it was boring and tedious.

The plot was slow to evolve, and the characters development was contrived and just "too much".

It just didn't engage.

27 of 30 people found this review helpful

Had high hopes

Had such high hopes for this. Listened to it on a family car trip. It was my turn to drive in the middle and it got very slow... It was ok, kids enjoyed it, but it wasn't magical for us. Narration- the voices were AMAZING, but the reading/narration part was without inflection to me- not so interesting with texture for my ear. Overall, I give it a solid 3 stars. I'd have done a 4 or 5 if the boring middle part was about 1/4 as long.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Nothing new...

I wanted to like this audiobook. It sounded like the kind of fantasy that is very much up my alley but it quickly turned into a clone of the inheritance cycle, hunger games, with a touch of lord of the rings. Very boring and does not feel fresh to me. I doubt I will continue listening and buying additional books.

27 of 31 people found this review helpful

It IS just a kids' book.

This is billed as a kids’ book but many reviewers commented about how it would be enjoyed by adults too. I disagree. This book isn’t even in the same league as the Harry Potter books, which I did enjoy.

The story never drew me in. The first two hours or so consisted of action scenes as Heather and Picket tried to escape from multiple attacks with no explanation about the reason for the attacks. The prologue had hinted at a fallen kingdom, but by the third hour of this eight-hour book there had still been no real history given to explain the goal behind the story. It became too boring to continue and I gave up.

I think that some of the attack scenes early in the book might be a bit too scary for some children. If you’re a parent I recommend listening to the first hour or so before you let your young child hear this book.

The narrator’s style wasn’t to my taste either. I admit that it might be a good style for reading to children, but I didn’t care for it.

– Loren

27 of 31 people found this review helpful

Highly recommended!!

What a great story! A rabbit tale with a much kinder worldview than Watership Down. S. D. Smith has created a wonderful world with a rich history. An exciting story great for kids and adults alike. We listened to it going to and from soccer games and hated to turn off the car when we arrived! The audio performance was excellent as well.

32 of 37 people found this review helpful

Kind of lackluster

The premise is old and tired. The characters are not very vivid or striking. I was hoping to enjoy this book as it was listed as a best seller, but I'm coming away disappointed. Don't waste your time on this book unless you are purchasing it for your children. And even then I think there are better choices.

26 of 31 people found this review helpful

A Classic Is Born

If you live in perpetual hope of finding Narnia, if you enjoy Second Breakfast and wonder where on earth your Hogwart's acceptance letter is... this is the next story for you. More than just another sweet story, though, this is an epic tale - masterfully woven together with emotions that grow alongside the rabbits within. Rabbits with swords, Lords of prey, epic battles, face offs with wolves and a captivating, sweeping yarn that will enchant both young and old.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful