Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Airborn by Kenneth Oppel - Available

Airborn

#1 in series

by Kenneth Oppel
David Kelly
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

An incredible swashbuckling adventure, set in a world where great airships ply the skies and there are unknown lands and strange creatures still to be discovered. You'll love the characters, and the story has the drive and verve of a Saturday morning serial with.

Reminiscent of Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs—with a touch of Robert Louis Stevenson—this is adventure writing at its finest. And with its cast of larger-than-life characters, it was just made for our full cast treatment.

This is the kind of classic writing that can be enjoyed by all ages.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Matt Cruse

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    June 5, 2007

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781934180495
      • File size: 310083 KB
      • Duration: 10:46:00

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 5.1
    • Lexile® Measure: 760
    • Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
    • Text Difficulty: 3-4

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This full-cast narration of a young adult science fiction adventure is, despite minor flaws, pure fun. Hero/narrator Matt (David Kelly), a cabin boy on a lighter-than-air liner in the book's Jules Vernesian world, finds adventure and romance among pirates and mysterious flying creatures on an uncharted island. Kelly's voice is irresistibly likable and engaging, though he does overact slightly. His narration frequently continues the tone of preceding speeches, especially questions. Some scenes call out for sound effects, and there are none. But these are quibbles. The original music is excellent; the story, if occasionally predictable, is well told and its world charming. The program as a whole is a nearly unalloyed pleasure. W.M. 2007 Audies Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 26, 2004
      In crisp, precise prose that gracefully conveys a wealth of detail, Oppel (the Silverwing Saga) imagines an alternate past where zeppelins crowd the skies over the Atlanticus and the Pacificus, and luxury liners travel the air rather than the sea (references to films by the Lumière "triplets" and various fashions suggest a very early 20th-century setting). Young Matt Cruse works aboard the elegant passenger airship Aurora
      , where his late father also worked. In an exciting opening sequence, Matt rescues an injured old man flying solo in a stranded hot air balloon; the man later dies, but not before telling Matt of "beautiful creatures" that he saw sailing through the air. Matt's curiosity about the man's dying words is piqued a year later when the fellow's granddaughter Kate arrives on board, bearing his journal. As other plot lines develop, pirates attack the Aurora
      , which crash-lands on an island that closely resembles a drawing in the old man's journal. There are minor, pleasing shades of the film Titanic
      throughout—the rich but overprotected girl, the poor but daring and lovable cabin boy, and the vessel itself, which is a sprawling and multifaceted character in its own right—but Oppel places the emphasis squarely on adventure rather than romance, keeping the pace brisk and the characters dynamic. The author's inviting new world will stoke readers' imaginations—and may leave them hoping for a sequel (those curious for a preview can log onto www.airborn.ca
      ). Ages 12-up.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 20, 2005
      "In crisp, precise prose, Oppel imagines an alternate past where zeppelins crowd the skies over the Atlanticus and the Pacificus, and luxury liners travel the air rather than the sea," wrote PW.
      "The author's inviting new world will stoke readers' imaginations." Ages 12-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.1
  • Lexile® Measure:760
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

Loading