Skulduggery Pleasant

I just finished listening to a wonderful little audio book, Skulduggery Pleasant.

Now, there are audio books and there are audio books. How the book is read is very important. I've listened to some which have put me to sleep simply because of the boring delivery. And I've listened to others which make my head hurt because grown-up readers seem to think that all children have whiny, screechy voices.

And then there are those which are perfectly read. Perfectly performed. This is one of those books. I doubt if I would have had as much fun with this book if I had read it myself instead of listening to it, but by all means, read away if you can't get a hold of the audio book version. You won't be disappointed. My kids would have loved this book when they were younger (they are both in college now). Actually, they might even like it now.

Stephanie's eccentric uncle dies and leaves her his house, his possessions, and one big fat problem involving a friend of his, who happens to be a skeleton. Oh, and the little, eensy feat of saving the world - with magic.

Stephanie's only twelve, but she's got enough spunk to face everything that rises against her with an open mind, and, when necessary, a closed fist and a well-placed kick. Can she and Skulduggery work together to retrieve the incredibly powerful Scepter of the Ancients from her uncle's hiding place? Or will the evil Nefarian Serpine get there first and use it to rule the world?

It's incredibly fun finding out which it will be.