Horrid Henry and the Ice Cream Dream

I’ll admit, I approached *Horrid Henry and the Ice Cream Dream* skeptical that a 13-minute audiobook could leave much of an impression. Boy, was I wrong. This is the kind of hyper-specific, high-energy storytelling that *demands* a full-cast performance, and the narrators deliver. Henry’s voice—equal parts whiny and cunning—is so distinct you’ll recognize it in a crowded room, while his parents’ exhausted exasperation feels painfully real. The standout? The ice cream vendor’s smarmy, over-the-top sales pitch, which had me laughing out loud. It’s a reminder that great audiobooks for kids don’t need celebrity voices; they need *character*, and this cast nails it. That said, the brevity is a double-edged sword. The story barrels forward with no fat, which is great for holding attention spans but leaves little room to savor the absurdity. I wanted *more*—more of Henry’s increasingly ridiculous schemes, more of the background chaos (the sibling rivalry with Perfect Peter is criminally underused here). And while the sound effects are clever, they’re sparse; a few more ambient touches (like the sticky, sloppy sounds of a melting cone) could’ve deepened the immersion. Still, as a snapshot of childhood defiance, it’s brilliant. If your kid loves *Diary of a Wimpy Kid* but wishes Greg Heffley had *less* self-awareness and *more* sugar-fueled delusions of grandeur, this is their jam. Just don’t blame me if they start negotiating for dessert like a tiny, tyrannical CEO.