Maestro Orpheus and The World Clock


Children - Audiobook
Audio Book
Reviewed on 02/08/2023
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Kayleigh Perumal for Readers' Favorite

Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock by Robert Pennee and Joanne Grodzinski is a wondrous tale. Ten-year-old Fred is spending the weekend at his grandfather’s old house when he finds himself unable to fall asleep one night. As he hears the clock in the hall announcing midnight, he realizes that it suddenly stopped after the sixth chime. To his amazement, he discovers that time has frozen at the witching hour. Afraid and concerned, he seeks out his grandfather in the shed, where he usually fixes his clocks. Much to his surprise, he does not find his grandfather, but Maestro Orpheus, who teaches Fred the necessity for time and music. He allows Fred to accompany him on his journey to wind up the World Clock. While they’re traveling down the Corridor of Time, Fred, Maestro Orpheus, and the melodic, magical lyre stop to listen to a few stories. However, Fred is unsettled by the desire to keep time at a standstill. Will Maestro Orpheus change his mind before it is too late?

Maestro Orpheus and the World Clock by Robert Pennee and Joanne Grodzinski is an audiobook primarily aimed at young children. Although it is only just over an hour long, the story is captivating and takes the listener on a phantasmagorical voyage. We accompany Fred as he learns about some composers and their childhoods, such as Leoš Janáček, Frédéric Chopin, Richard Strauss, and Joseph Haydn. The sound effects, quality, and ambiance in this audiobook are brilliant. It enables the listener to become truly immersed in Fred’s dream world. The use of Haydn’s Symphony No. 101, which the English Chamber Orchestra performs, acts as the story’s theme song and cements the motifs of music, time, and remembrance. The narrators, R.H. Thomson, Marshall Matson, B.J. McLellan, Leslie Marshall, and Scott Thomas, are also masterful in their delivery. I would listen to this again.