Cisco Fernandez narrates this futuristic dystopian audiobook with an appropriately childlike reverence for the story's gravity. Leandro is a member of the Cascabeles, a Spanish-speaking group that is oppressed by the Pocatelans, the ruling class. When Leandro's sister is caught stealing fruit, Leandro takes the fall and ends up having his essence placed inside an ancient bird... Read More
This ode to the berry-rich land by Tlingit author and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade finds its ideal narrator in Erin Tripp, who is Lingít Deisheetaan. Tripp's skill with the Tlingit language is matched by her feeling for the ebb and flow of Goade's English text. The audiobook opens with a recitation of the many different berries of Sitka, Alaska, in both Lingít and English... Read More
Narrator Alan Crookham exuberantly takes to the baseball field with a team of 11-year-old boys and girls. Listeners join Luis, who's moved from Texas to Ohio, where he shyly joins the Manatees, led by popular Coach Joe. Everyone is surprised when Coach announces the team will have a new captain--reluctant Luis. Crookham shines as each kid shares why they enjoy baseball. The... Read More
Listeners will find author/narrator Carmen Agra Deedy's retelling of this folktale a delightful treat. Upbeat Caribbean music introduces listeners to the beautiful but gluttonous feline, Carina. She goes around town hilariously eating whatever she wants: crackers, a florist, a bride, and a boy. However, she meets her match when a pair of crabs help everyone escape her belly.... Read More
Music and sound effects are beautifully paired with January LaVoy's inviting narration of this adaptation of Coretta Scott King's autobiography for adults. Hymns and soft lyrical strains play in the background as LaVoy describes King's church-based, family-strong youth. Her narration becomes agitated when Coretta asks about the prejudice surrounding her. The music and narration... Read More
Narrator Jacob McNatt has to get a bit cranky for this picture book featuring a crane named Cranky who builds a bridge with his friends, Zippy, Wheezy, and Dump Chuck. Automotive wordplay adds a sense of fun to this story of Cranky's sour mood. McNatt captures Cranky's disposition at once as he testily snaps at the merry morning greetings of his friends. During lunch break,... Read More
Laura Knight Keating brings this Stonewall Award winner, a Norwegian import, to English-speaking listeners. "Seventh grade sucks," observes Tuva as she struggles to navigate both changing friendships and her growing same-sex attraction to a new classmate. She pours out her feelings to her diary, writing and illustrating moments both sweet and painful. Keating's expertly pitched... Read More
Narrator Cassandra Morris creates a youthful and energetic voice for Chance, a dog who lives in a shelter called Dogtown that houses both living dogs and robotic dogs. Chance befriends one of the robot dogs, named Metal Head. As they both hope to find better lives, Morris captures Chance's upbeat attitude, even as she reveals the tragic events that brought her to Dogtown in the... Read More
Narrator Reena Dutt creates an energetic and determined voice for 13-year-old Pakistani American Deena, an aspiring artist who wishes to pursue her art despite the pressure from her mom to focus on a more practical future career path. Deena's mom is always worried about money, and her stress affects Deena as well. Dutt captures Deena's tumultuous emotions as she tries to... Read More
In apprehensive tones, André Santana artfully conveys the concerns of tween Eli as he mourns the sudden loss of his mother, a professional chef, due to the pandemic. At the same time, he is adjusting to life in New York City after a move from Minnesota. When Eli stumbles upon an archive of cooking videos made by his mother, Santana taps into Eli's grief with a falling... Read More
Ethan Hawke delivers a spectacular performance of Dave Eggers's 2024 Newbery Medal-winning middle-grade animal story in which Eggers assures us, ". . . the dogs are dogs, the birds are birds, goats are goats, the bison bison." Hawke is more than up to the task of interpreting the rich, complex language describing creatures who, along with three penned bison, maintain the... Read More
Joshua Wichard is phenomenal at narrating this endearing novel, which captures a poignant time in a teenager's life. Thirteen-year-old Houston lives with his single mom and younger brother, Robbie, who has cystic fibrosis. The boys share a dream of traveling to the moon one day, just like their estranged grandpa. Hard work pays off, and Houston is accepted to the Junior... Read More
Cherry Jones's expertise shines in a short novel that's long on emotions. Her narration emphasizes 10-year-old Ferris's fundamental belief that "every story is a love story." Jones's nuanced delivery captures the affection of Ferris's large family; listeners will feel the many facets of their love. Central to the story is Charisse, Ferris's beloved grandmother. Each time Jones... Read More
Ramón de Ocampo offers a charming performance of this middle-grade fiction with a touch of science fiction. Michael and his crush, Gibby, run into Ridge, a strange boy who soon reveals he's visiting from the future. The year is 1999, and with the threat of Y2K brewing, the kids come together and bond through their doomsday planning. De Ocampo's flexible narration moves between... Read More
James Murtha dynamically narrates this horror story set in the Adirondacks. Listeners meet Frederick, a clever 11-year-old with autism who is desperately trying to win back his former best friend, Cindy, a Bigfoot skeptic. Fred gamely delivers a school report on Bigfoot while enduring his classmates' mockery. Effective sound effects add to the well-rendered atmosphere during... Read More
Josephine Huang and Cassandra Morris join forces to deliver the captivating story of best friends in this exceptional middle-grade audiobook. Helen, voiced by Huang, and Gracie, portrayed by Morris, are known for their mischievous antics. Their latest escapade leads them to join the Community Action Club, currently dedicated to promoting period equity. Morris's dynamic... Read More
André Santana artfully re-creates Brazil in the 1920s as he introduces capoeira, a blend of martial arts, dance, acrobatics, music, and spirituality. Listeners meet Salvador Bimba, who advocated for capoeira. Santana enthusiastically delivers lyrical descriptions accompanied by spirited background music, with Indigenous and Portuguese words adding atmosphere. Heartbreaking... Read More
Dalia Ramahi narrates this companion to Aya Khalil's picture book THE ARABIC QUILT. Egyptian American Kanzi walks proudly past her quilt as she leads her classmates to the library. But the display of diverse books there is now empty: They've been banned. Ramahi captures the dismay of both children and educators, with plaintive music underscoring their shock. Back in the... Read More
Shaun Taylor-Corbett movingly narrates this sequel to HEALER OF THE WATER MONSTER. Brian Young's use of his own family history and Navajo spiritual figures brings added dimension to this story. First, listeners meet Nathan, the new guardian of Dew, a young water monster who is learning traditional songs to create water for parched Phoenix. Taylor-Corbett perfectly contrasts the... Read More
Jane Yolen's poems, delivered by Cassandra Campbell, celebrate relatable childhood experiences with nature, school, and sports. Short musical interludes group thematically related works together. Campbell's clear voice matches the mood of the whimsical and wistful lines. The audio is perfect for inspiration in English class or for short car rides to school. It lets listeners... Read More
Anishinaabe performer Jennifer Bobiwash returns as Jo Jo Makoons, an ebullient Ojibwe first grader. Jo Jo's class is studying healthy foods, but when a snowstorm closes school, Jo Jo and her reservation friends get to celebrate their first snow day. Jo Jo tells her tale in the first person, and Bobiwash infuses her performance with just the right combination of childish... Read More
Author and narrator Antwan Eady creates a tender first-person story of a boy who helps his Papa harvest, transport, and sell goods at his local farm stand each weekend. Eady speaks slowly and clearly in the cadence of poetry. His lengthy pauses often serve to highlight the colorful imagery and alliteration found in the community--black hands, gray hair, yellow sun, white eggs,... Read More
E.M. Wylde is perfect at narrating this middle-school fantasy novel, the first in a series. Isaac discovers a chest full of glowing glass balls in the attic. He inadvertently drops one, releasing a faery who must perform three tasks in order to become free. Wylde captures the wonder and joy of a boy with unlimited power and, sadly, a lack of thought about consequences. Soon,... Read More
Narrator Jennifer Sun Bell deftly portrays a believable grieving family through the voice of seventh grader Freya June Sun. Bell's brisk pacing matches the short, active chapters recounting the events that take place after the recent death of Freya's father. Freya, a talented violist, adheres strictly to her father's Chinese superstitions and is constantly seeking signs or... Read More
Hope Newhouse magically presents this fantasy replete with Greek mythology. Listeners meet brave, endearing Ava, whose encounter with a classmate prompts her parents to send her to a Venetian school founded by mythological gods to teach their descendants how to control their emotions. Newhouse colorfully introduces the prodigious cast, including some faculty bearing... Read More
Narrator Nina Yndis establishes a determined voice for 12-year-old Mika, an orphan in 1880 Sweden who learns of a murder when a baby girl is dropped off at her orphanage in the middle of the night. Now Mika is determined to use her skills to help the local detective identify the killer of the baby's mother. Yndis captures Mika's emotions as she deals with the dire living... Read More
A charming story and two narrators exuding energy and warmth knock it out of the park. Simon Vance is Olivetti, a typewriter who breaks the "typewriterly" code of silence to spill his tapestry of tales in order to find his missing owner. Vance brings a gentle, snarky tone to Olivetti as he dismisses books as "one-hit wonders" and the laptop as "a show-off," delivering his... Read More
At the start of this fantasy/mystery narrated by Nikki Massoud, teenager Marjan's father, a veterinarian, has recently been murdered. Marjan soon discovers that she is now the only remaining member of an ancient family with a gift for working with mythological creatures. As she investigates her father's murder and provides veterinary services for magical animals, she is forced... Read More
Soneela Nankani's talents are in full force in this monstrous and magical fantasy series. Serwa has trained her whole life as a slayer of Ghanaian vampires and monsters. Then she discovers her parents have a big secret--she's actually an obayifo, a vampire witch. Nankani's dynamic voice and boundless energy match all of the action and Serwa's roiling emotions. She's now in... Read More
Author/narrator Lucy Strange dazzles with her dynamic performance. Utilizing various English accents and tones, she delivers this story with impressive breadth. Six sisters live on a farm with their bitter father and loving granny. Their father, fearing the curse of the six sisters, betroths his oldest daughter, Grace. Not wanting to marry, Grace runs away. Willa, the second... Read More
Narrator Abigail Reno creates an energetic voice for 8-year-old genius Angeline, who despite her young age is entering the sixth grade. Her new teacher, Mrs. Hardlick, gives her a hard time, and she struggles to fit in with her classmates. Her only respite from class is her friendship with fifth-grader Gary and his teacher, Miss Turbone. Reno captures Angeline's frustration and... Read More
Magic, mystery, and history meet when the old-fashioned spectacles Winna's grandfather gives her grant wishes. Narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt depicts Winna's youth with a bright voice. Her slightly hesitant delivery is central to Winna's tone of intelligence tempered by having to be polite to a world of fools. Winna has enough worries with her mom being sick in the hospital and... Read More
Yu-Li Alice Shen portrays the tweens and adults who take part in the Boston-based Summertime Chinese Culture, Wellness, and Enrichment Experience. Sewing enthusiast Phoenny Fang is determined to make her last year at overnight camp the most epic one yet. But a cliquey group of newcomers forces Phoenny's squad to be split up, the boy she likes keeps flirting with her rival, and... Read More
Dana Wing Lau creates a youthful voice for 12-year-old Lily, who must help her parents save their Chinese school while also competing in a local film competition. Lily has a lot to balance with her friend groups and school obligations. She also struggles with coming in second to her archnemesis, Max, who always seems to be one step ahead of her. Lau adds drama and passion to... Read More
Middle-grade listeners who know narrator Ramón de Ocampo as Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley will be stunned by his display of versatility in this horror tale set in rainy New Rotterdam, a vortex of supernatural weirdness. When newcomer Emrys and two friends find a book with an eye that blinks and that talks, they're ushered into a fight against forces of evil. De Ocampo carries... Read More
Narrator Eunice Wong captures the beauty and pain of this magical coming-of-age story set on a Canadian island. Listeners meet 11-year-old Ava, who has been sent to her grandparents while her mother experiences a difficult pregnancy. Wong's sweet, sensitive Ava is worried despite her loving grandparents and the gorgeous setting of the island, replete with deer, birds, and water... Read More
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