Heirloom Audio Productions - Captain Bailey's Heir {TOS REVIEW}

We absolutely love all of the audio CD's we have from Heirloom Audio Productions. The latest did not change that opinion Captains Bailey's Heir was a fantastic audio book and we all loved it. As soon as we hit play my kids comment how much they love Brian Blessed as G A Henty!

If you haven't listened to any of these adventures yet you are missing out! They are awesome for car journeys.


The story starts in England the hero of the adventure Frank is a great example of character. He lives with his Uncle, cousin and another girl that in the story is called his cousin - they are not related. At the beginning of the story Frank saves a dog from drowning in the ice. The dog belongs to a boy who can't walk and they become friends. He even finds the mother of the boy a job in his uncles household. We also learn at the beginning of the story that the Uncle lost touch with his daughter many years before due to a disagreement. Although the uncle tries to be happy the kids know that he is suffering not knowing what has happened to his daughter.

Frank and his friends from school are a little boisterous and get into a spot of trouble. Frank gets into a fight and breaks someone's nose. The man threatens to get his expelled from his exclusive boarding school unless he pays ten pounds. Of course this story is set long enough ago that ten pounds is more that a young student can get his hands on in less than twenty four hours. So even after asking his friends for a loan - Frank is six pounds short to pay the bribe. However, then an envelope containing a note and a ten pound note turns up just in time. Crazily Frank pays the bribe and of course is found out. Very soon we find out that the Headmaster knows about the bribe, that Frank paid him off but to make the situation worse the Headmaster had a ten pound note stolen, and he thinks Frank took it. All of his friends were interviewed and the evidence doesn't look good. Frank is going to be expelled and disgraced in front of the whole school! He sends a note to his uncle telling him he's innocent and asking for his support and trust. Unfortunately, he doesn't receive a reply. Frank (encouraged by his cousin) decides to run away to America.

Apart from the obvious sadness of leaving all he knows behind he thinks that no one believes that he is innocent. Despite this Frank doesn't let this experience change him. He stays true to his character, helps others and has great adventures in America. His experiences all make him a better person. Luckily he meets some excellent characters that help him on his quest to secure his fortune and eventually clear his name. There is a side story that I haven't given the details too - which is the story of what became of Franks uncle's daughter. You will just have to listen to the story to find that out!

As well as the CD set I was also given access to the Live the Adventure website. On this website there is a lot of bonus material to go with this CD as there always is with each of the productions. There is an e-book that has been designed specifically for this release. This is a very eye catching book and is perfect for anyone who wants to read the full length Henty book. Captain and Jam are both going to read this! Then of course is the MP3 of the soundtrack. This is another favorite of Captain's he loves the music, and has it downloaded to him MP3 player! We have never downloaded the posters but there are two available for printing. My favorite part of the online material is the downloadable study guide.

The study guide is split up into different sections similar to the other guides. I really like this as it's easy to find your way around when you have used them before. The questions are split up into

Listening Well, Thinking Further, and Defining Words

Since we listen to these while driving, I don't spend a lot of time with the "Listening Well" section. However, if we were using this during the school day you could give your children the list and get them to make a note of the answers as they listened.

The "Thinking Further" questions actually led to some good discussion with my older children. Particularly about religion. In the beginning of the story there is a part where Frank mentions that Alice is a Christian and he isn't. He explains that Alice thinks this is a problem. It led to a conversation about being equally yoked and why it makes it easier when couples have the same beliefs. I will have to listen to this story again when I'm not driving. There were so many excellent quotes I need to write down! The answer given when Frank said that he would never be good enough for God was perfect! In fact the whole story has some excellent quotes!

Each track has it's own set of "Listening Well", "Thinking Further", and "Defining Words" it makes it very easy to break the story down. This would be a good idea with younger children to help them understand. Or after listening to the story for fun, it could be broken down for older children to use for writing assignments or other study options. Our favorite part of the study guide is the section that reviews old fashioned British money. It was actually funny because this was a question my kids asked while we were listening and so when we got home I pulled open the study guide and looked through. I assumed there would be something there and I wasn't disappointed! It also linked to a website where my kids could read it for themselves.

If your kids love the wild west, or you are studying American History, or you just love G. A Henty then this audio adventure is for you. We love them, my daughter mentioned while listening to this story how she loves the importance of faith that is brought out in every story. That character, responsibility, honesty and integrity are valued and shown to be so. Definitely an uplifting story.

Check out what the rest of the crew thought of this production by clicking on the link below!

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