A few flubbed words here and there, but overall a cozy vibe to listen or read along to. I love Gildart Jackson's dedication to the costume, play acting, and character voices. His reading has all the energy of a grand theatrical performance in the comfort of a grandparent's living room. The warm dim glow of the set is really calming and sweet.

The thing I found most curious was the seemingly deliberate decision to alter one word in the second to last chapter. I suppose whoever made that call thought the mention of "slaves" popping up in the middle of a cozy fireside Christmas story would be a downer for the kids listening, so they changed it to "servants" but then left all of the surrounding context in that scene untouched. Bit of an odd choice, but it is better than a completely "clean" and censored version being passed off as the original.

And this story sure is something alright. Was it all a fever dream? A child's dying delirium? A desperate escapist fantasy as the one feasible act of rebellion a 7-year-old could manage against an oppressive imagination-throttling environment trying to force her into a "proper" adulthood so early? Or truly some fantastical adventure about the powerful magic of believing in what the eyes do not see and the reward for staying true to your principles. You decide!