Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock by Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski
Frederick (or Fred, but never Freddy, please) couldn't sleep. A tune, rather like the ticking of a clock was playing over and over in his mind. It happened every time he came to visit his grandfather. He hadn't really wanted to come; after all, he's ten now and all those old clocks don't appeal to him anymore.
| Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock by Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A lively story which will appeal to the thoughtful pre-teen boy. The narration and musical accompaniment are superb. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 97/1h4m | Date: April 2022 |
| Publisher: Maestro Orpheus Productions | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-8425808370 | |
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Who needs old clocks anyway? All they do is tell the time. And time isn't good for anything...
And that was why he was looking at the clock beside the bed. It was nearly twelve o'clock but at midnight the clock chimed only six times. There was nothing for it but to go and find grandad - but where was he? And why had all the clocks stopped at twelve o'clock?
There was no sign of Grandad, even in the shed where he mended clocks, but that was when Fred met Maestro Orpheus and his magical lyre and they were soon on their way along the Corridor of Time to wind The World Clock. Only, as with all good quests, there were distractions along the way and Fred is introduced to some of the great classical composers, when they were, like him, just ten years old.
What a great character Fred is! He's at that great age when he's beginning to have his own opinions and wants them to be heard. He's still polite and respectful but you can imagine the man he's going to become. If I have one quibble with the book, it's that it is going to appeal predominantly to boys - and that's a pity. There are only two mentions of female characters and one of those is a musical instrument. The other's Fred's mother.
Normally, I feel that audiobooks should only be used sparingly with children. I like reading, physically reading a book, to become an ingrained habit. An audiobook can seem like the easy way out - you get the content without putting in the effort. But - there's always an exception to such rules and Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock is one of the exceptions. I've listened to the audiobook and I've read the digital version. They're not exactly the same in terms of wording: the story is the same but with the audiobook, you get a massive bonus in the form of short excerpts of some great classical music. It's lively. It's engaging and it might just pique a young child's interest at an age when pop music can push its way to the forefront.
Production values on the audiobook are superb. The music is good to listen to, which isn't always the case on audiobooks and I was impressed by the narrators, R H Thomson, Marshall Matson, B J MacLellan, Leslie Marshall and Scott Thomas. The pacing was excellent and I felt as though I was listening to a play with music rather than a 'reading'. Well done, Maestro Orpheus Productions - I'd like to thank them for letting Bookbag have a free download in exchange for an honest review.
We read an introduction to music in The School of Music by Meurig Bowen, Rachel Bowen and Daniel Frost but we think Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock is better.
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You could get a free audio download of Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock by Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski with a 30-day Audible free trial at Amazon.co.uk.
You can read more book reviews or buy Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock by Robert Penee and Joanne Grodzinski at Amazon.com.
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