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Nikki Mitchell -
Brandy Thomas
IRON RIVER—The Wishing Shelf Book Awards recently named ‘Season of Dragons’ by Nikki Mitchell a finalist in the children’s audiobook category. The audiobook was performed by Brandy Thomas.
Mitchell and Thomas are both Upper Peninsula residents and connected through the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA).
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards is a multi-genre, international award highlighting books by authors all over the world. It is recognized by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).
To be considered as a finalist in the awards, the children’s books and audiobooks are sent to primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom where they are listened to by students and scored. To become a finalist in the audiobook category, a score of 30/40 must be achieved. This year, 10 schools participated in the judging of the youth categories.
Audiobooks are scored for editing, theme (is the book interesting, original, exciting), style, narrator performance, sound quality, music and sound effects.
‘Season of Dragons’ is the first book in the Magic Shoebox Adventure series. The book follows Ichabod as he finds a dragon egg at his bus stop and is transported to a magical land where dragons are disrupting the seasons, leaving the town of Hasir in panic. The Magic Shoebox Adventures have ADHD representation and short chapters to engage even the most reluctant reader.
“The main character is from Wisconsin, so having the narration done by someone who understands midwestern lingo and can bring a bit of an accent to Ichabod’s story was important to me,” Mitchell said. “Brandy was the perfect voice and I look forward to working with her on my other books in the series as well. She really brought the book to life in audiobook format.”
This is the second book by Nikki Mitchell that has been recognized by the Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Her debut middle-grade novel, ‘Nightshade Forest’ was awarded a red ribbon award in 2023.
Brandy Thomas has been an audiobook narrator for the past four years and has worked in audio production in various forms for over 20 years.
Winners will be announced on April 1. For more information about the awards, visit thewsa.co.uk. ‘Season of Dragons’ audiobook is available wherever audiobooks are sold, including Audible, Spotify and more.