New Reviews: Children

America's seventh president remains a controversial figure in our country's history. Narrator Pete Cross capably represents the dichotomy inherent in Jackson's personality and beliefs as the author offers a mixed but largely critical view of Jackson, particularly with regard to his inhumane treatment of Indians. Cross delivers a powerful recitation of Jackson's own words,... Read More

This audiobook of two middle-schoolers' adventure of a lifetime begins with their finding out that they are reincarnated Pandava brothers, straight out of the Hindu epic poem the MAHABHARATA. Narrator Soneela Nankani is given a wealth of material to mine. Aru, having been taunted into lighting a cursed lamp, awakens the Sleeper, a demon that will freeze the world if Aru,... Read More

Prepare to suspend modern beliefs and enter medieval France, 1350, a jubilee year for the Roman Catholic Church--a time steeped in pilgrimages, superstitions, and relic worship. Boy is a young, hunchbacked goatherd who is unexpectedly pressed into service by Secundus, a mysterious pilgrim. Tim Gerard Reynolds narrates Boy's account of his travels with the strange relic seeker.... Read More

Temple Grandin herself narrates her introduction, which explains the roots of her success: the single-mindedness and unique way of seeing that are part of autism and her childhood habit of "making things." If she had narrated the entire book, her voice might have begun to grate; not so with Ann Richardson's narration of Grandin's engaging, witty, thoughtful ideas. Richardson... Read More

Narrator January LaVoy shows off her many voices while portraying Elliot, the fact-loving new kid at school, and Uchenna, a free spirit with a sense of adventure. The two become fast friends during a field trip to the Pine Barrens. While there, they have a run-in with the mythical Jersey Devil, who follows them home and escapes soon after. To rescue the mythical creature, they... Read More

This wonderful children's audiobook is a satirical response to a book with a similar name "written by" Vice President Mike Pence's rabbit, Marlon Bundo. Jim Parsons, from "The Big Bang Theory," perfectly gives voice to a gay bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny he enjoys hopping with. But the mean old stink bug, portrayed by the always incredible John Lithgow, rules... Read More

Narrators Abby Craden and Robert Fass display a myriad of skills as they breathe life into a story set in German-occupied Krakow. Meet the dollmaker, Cyryl, and his creation, Karolina, and the Polish Jew, Joseph, and his daughter, Rena. As the Germans exercise their authority over the Poles, the dollmaker supports his friends. Magical elements include Karolina's ability to... Read More

This delightful audiobook companion to the charming picture book will have little listeners giggling and learning a made-up bug language. Youthful voices for kid bugs, the deeper voices of older insects, uplifting and dramatic music, and forest sounds will draw listeners into the story of a sprout near a fallen tree that grows into a beautiful flower. Kids will enjoy... Read More

Applegate's new fantasy series has a fascinating cast of characters, and narrator Lisa Flanagan does justice to each. Byx may be the last of her species. When she views the site of her family's slaughter by human soldiers, Flanagan portrays her shocked horror and palpable loneliness. But she gradually builds trust as an unlikely band of travelers becomes family. Flanagan aids... Read More

Narrator Adam Lazarre-White tackles the monumental task of giving voice to one of the best-known orators in American history in this wide-ranging biography of Frederick Douglass. The listener enters the story as Douglass is finding his voice both figuratively and literally, risking recapture into slavery to go on increasingly popular lecture tours to promote abolition.... Read More

Adenrele Ojo, Arthur Morey, Kimberly Farr, Erin Spencer, and, briefly, the authors themselves assist narrator Mark Bramhall in delivering a reasoned argument that the Constitution of the United States was designed for continual improvement and is currently in need of a few changes. Bramhall's conversational tone engages listeners, good-naturedly urging them to consider weighty... Read More

In the final story about boy-genius Frank Einstein, award-winning author Jon Scieszka and popular illustrator Brian Biggs narrate with kid-friendly warmth and humor. Frank, along with his human and robot friends, researches various concepts of science, technology, engineering, and math to study the universe and save Grandpa Al, who is stuck in another dimension. Meanwhile,... Read More

Taking listeners back to the fictional Town Around the Bend, singer and narrator Bill Harley shares stories about its residents, including Skeezy Boofer, Swing the Gate, Melody Rimshot, and many more. As Harley transitions between stories, listeners are treated to both musical interludes and sometimes entire songs that complement the tales. While the musical elements throughout... Read More

In a stirring narration, Miles Harvey brings to life an American story that is chillingly familiar. When 12-year-old Jerome is killed by a police officer, he becomes a "ghost boy" alongside Emmett Till and other boys killed due to racial injustice. Jerome's perspective shifts between being dead and alive, though in both states he's a careful observer of life and the living.... Read More

Author and narrator Colin Meloy reads his poem for folk singer and activist Pete Seeger with a welcoming rhythm and warmth. Children and their parents and grandparents listening along will delight in hearing Meloy recount details of Pete's family and childhood, music, dedication to civil rights, and legacy. Meloy's love for and appreciation of Seeger are apparent in his words... Read More

Cassandra Morris invites listeners into a world of magic and wonder with her beautiful narration of Anderson's latest story. Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets is a Granter, a fairy who has the revered job of making human wishes come true. Morris's youthful voice paints a confident and ambitious Ophelia, whose obligation to follow the rules often stifles her heart's inner voice. On... Read More

Listeners will be fascinated by these original stories from Hans Christian Andersen--no Disney adaptations here. They're richly voiced by F. Murray Abraham and enlivened by a cast of acclaimed narrators who add playful differentiation to the many characters. The tales range from the familiar "Thumbelina," "The Little Mermaid," and "The Princess and the Pea" to those less well... Read More

Narrator Marisa Calin invites listeners on a journey with Odo and Eleanor. The pair find themselves swept up in a quest that involves an enchanted sword named Biter and a knight named Odo. Odo, unlike Eleanor, has no great dreams of knighthood, but it was Odo who pulled the very haughty Biter from the dried-up riverbed, where he had lain for 300 years. Calin effectively... Read More

Narrator Kathleen McInerney sets the perfect tone in this unique gem, which addresses common questions adolescents face: how to be an original without being antisocial, how to be self-aware without becoming self-conscious, and how to be friends with one's sibling. Eleven-year-old Frances calls herself Figgrotten--she just likes how that sounds. Left to her own devices, she... Read More

From the opening remarks to the closing invitation to seek further information, narrator Jim Weiss's interest in the stories he tells is contagious as he tells stories of famous Americans and their inspirations. Nellie Bly sets off on her trip around the world, George Gershwin's flair for improvisation yields "Rhapsody in Blue," songwriter Yip Harburg's love of poetry and... Read More

Since the age of 2, Ignatius Peck has been enthralled with creating structures using any available building material--coconut pie and pancakes included. But his second-grade teacher deems architecture study superfluous to her curriculum. In the narrator role, Andrea Beaty balances animated reporting, a mother's dismay, a teacher's disdain, and the author's sympathy for the... Read More

Listening to Junot Díaz's narration is like having a story read to you by your uncle who can do all the best voices. Lola's class is full of kids from around the world, and her teacher asks them to draw pictures of their first country. But Lola left "The Island" as a baby, and Díaz's voice reflects her anxiety over not remembering her brief time there. Lola asks her neighbors... Read More

Chloe Cannon's narration of a family's escape from a tornado has the perfect mixture of anxiety and fear. When a tornado destroys Ivy Aberdeen's home, the 12-year-old manages to save her notebook in which she journals by drawing her deepest secrets. After her family is relocated to a temporary shelter and Ivy's notebook goes missing, she tries to discover who took it and is... Read More

Herrera is at once a wise teacher and an anxious new U.S. poet laureate. The listener must write a poem, he thinks. Herrera is eager to help while he walks his dog, Lotus, and heads to DC's Library of Congress. This is no passive listen--it's an experience! There are sound effects as you learn to jabberwalk. Herrera's excitement guides the jabberwalking--gathering inspiration... Read More

Narrator John McDonough's resonant voice eloquently expands the observations that award-winning author Cynthia Rylant shares with young listeners in her tribute to the natural world. Listeners will hear about the small beginnings of life, the myriad things to love and protect in every habitat on earth, the circular nature of life, and the importance of waking up and embracing... Read More

Narrator Dion Graham draws listeners into this quirky tale set in the mysteriously off-kilter town of Carousel. Eggers tries his hand at engaging younger listeners, and Graham aids him greatly in that effort, breathing life into the central character, Gran (short for Granite), and his new pal, Catalina, who enter a secret underground world and seek to shore up Carousel. Graham... Read More

Narrator Channie Waites turns Tami Charles's protagonist into a flesh-and-blood teen full of doubts, humor, and grace. In New Jersey, in 1983, Vanessa is a wallflower who dreams of following in the footprints of Vanessa Williams, the first black Miss America. She enters a pageant at her middle school--despite feeling too fat, too dark, and too shy--and compares the cost of... Read More

Listeners will delight in this fun debut, the first installment in a planned series. Leonora is an 11-year-old Tejano girl who has recently discovered that her family's tradition of baking is rooted in brujería--witchcraft. Narrator Kyla Garcia switches deftly from an English narration to a Spanish recitation of the magical recipes in Leo's family's old cookbook. Leo isn't... Read More

Joshua Manning narrates the medieval Scottish tale of the fierce, young heroine Drest, who must rescue her family from a castle prison after they're taken by knights. To get herself to the castle, she takes along a young knight, who at first is her captive. Drest has to muster her courage and use the abilities that her war-band family has taught her along the way. When she... Read More

Pollution and other serious themes dominate this contemplative middle-grade novel. Obe Devlin wishes for the days before the new housing development destroyed the places he loved to play, before his best friend became his enemy, before his family lost their land. Kirby Heyborne narrates with a quiet deliberateness well suited to Obe's thoughtful personality, but his narration... Read More

Ana Isabel's youthful narration creates a convincing picture of innocent 12-year-old Lucy. At 8, Lucy was struck by lightning and transformed into a math genius and germaphobe, but she's far from gifted in the ways of friendship. Aside from her uncle and grandmother, she prefers virtual relationships. Narrator Isabel affects an older, caring voice for Nana, who has raised and... Read More

In this audiobook, author-narrator Martin Luther King III (Marty) conveys his pride in his renowned father to young listeners. In a calm, even tone, he recounts personal stories of growing up during the Civil Rights movement when segregation was a constant obstacle for African-Americans. In particular, King tells of how he longed to go to Funtown but couldn't because blacks... Read More

In 1947, political and religious upheaval divided India. Millions of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs crossed the border into what is now Pakistan, fleeing sectarian violence. Narrator Priya Ayyar's Indian accent adds authenticity to this historical story in which Nisha and her Hindu family must leave their home in Pakistan due to the unrest. Ayyar's modulation changes little but... Read More

Join author and narrator Jane Yolen as she walks up and down Bird Hill. Freshly and crisply she describes what she sees--first a tree and then a trunk, a branch, a twig, a bird, and finally an egg-filled nest. She piques listeners' curiosity with additional tidbits culminating in the hatching of the egg. Yolen's voice suggests genuine pleasure in her ramblings and excitement... Read More

Kate Rudd's narration embraces the longing of 11-year-old Gusta. In 1941, her German-born father, a union organizer, has fled government agents, and her mother has gone to work in New York City, leaving Gusta is in the care of a grandmother she's never known. Rudd expresses the pride and cruelty of the people, young and old, in the small Maine town where Gusta's grandmother... Read More

Listening to these poems written in the style of beloved poets and inspired by their lives will bring out smiles. Ron Butler reads the poems written by Kwame Alexander; MacLeod Andrews, the ones written by Chris Colderley; and Erin Bennett, the ones written by Marjory Wentworth. Butler especially connects with the selections he narrates, and his delivery exudes the joy that... Read More

Penderwick fans will be saddened yet satisfied by Susan Denaker's narration of the series' final book. The crispness of her narration conveys the old-fashioned feeling of the close-knit family's reminiscences. All the siblings and many other characters return, but the focus is primarily on 11-year-old Lydia, the youngest. She is a first-time visitor at Arundel, the estate in... Read More

Narrator Kirby Heyborne brings verve and wonder to the story of a coyote pup who from the moment of his birth has had a propensity for exploration. Trouble's wandering spins out of control when a vehicle is involved, and he finds himself alone in New York City. Without being able to see the North Star, how will he find his way back to his family? Heyborne maintains the tension... Read More

Young Charlie has just lost his father, and narrator Ron Butler clearly conveys his anger and vulnerability. Fans of Kwame Alexander's THE CROSSOVER will quickly recognize Charlie as a teen version of Chuck "Da Man" Bell of the earlier book. It's fun to note signs of the teasing, loving father Charlie becomes, but Butler mainly focuses on depicting Charlie's emotional growth in... Read More

Hotshot football star and notorious middle school bully Chase Ambrose awakens from a coma after an accidental fall. His memory is gone. As Chase, Jonathan Todd Ross delivers a thoughtful narration, moving from confusion and bewilderment to growing awareness. While Chase navigates the now unfamiliar terrain of home and school, his parents and classmates, including those who had... Read More

Narrator Zehra Naqvi begins with the glossary of the Bengali words used in this audiobook. Listeners may want to return to these, but the story moves along fine without them. Naqvi engages listeners quickly with her portrayal of the sometimes-impulsive, always-caring 10-year-old Naima. Naqvi's accents and emotions convey the Bangladeshi girl's artistic talents, worries about... Read More

Narrators Kathleen McInerney and Grover Gardner hold listeners in the palms of their hands. Their spot-on kid voices make listeners feel they are being told this adventure/quest/travelogue story by the very children who are in it. In the narrator role, McInerney brings urgency, fast pacing, and precise diction to bear as 11-year-old Samantha and her younger brother, Nipper,... Read More

Consummate narrator Jim Dale brings this story of kindness and empathy to life for little listeners. Every day, like clockwork, Amos McGee takes the 6:00 a.m. bus to the zoo to visit his animal friends. He knows exactly what each animal needs--whether it's a race with the tortoise or quiet companionship with a shy penguin. When Amos gets sick with a cold, his animal friends... Read More

Christopher Gebauer narrates this charming yet heartbreaking story about the lighter side of death and dying. When 12-year-old Stanly finds a finger bone in his backyard, he's delighted to think he may win the Young Discoverer's Competition and make his absentee father proud enough of him to return. But as the bone grows into a full-fledged skeleton--which appears in some... Read More

Kirby Heyborne, the perfect choice to narrate this timely, heart-wrenching story, embodies the voice Jason D, born in America to an Afghani mother and an Afghani journalist father killed while working for the Americans during the war. Heyborne's ability to get inside the the head of Jason and sound like a twelve-year-old boy brings this story to life. When Jason witnesses his... Read More

Narrator Kelly Marie Tran delivers a strong performance that makes these characters memorable to listeners regardless of their familiarity with the Star Wars works. Every voice that Tran uses draws listeners further into this world. The emotion she puts into each character reflects the tone of the story and leaves a lasting impression. The familiar music and sound effects are... Read More

Sunny is the third winning character in Jason Reynolds's Track series. Sunny has always seemed to have a bright disposition, that is, until the day he inexplicably gives up on winning a track race. The move isn't inexplicable to listeners, for narrator Guy Lockard reveals Sunny's true thoughts and feelings as written in his journal. Lockard's voice clouds as Sunny recounts how... Read More

Author and narrator Jeffrey Kluger is passionate about NASA's 1968 Apollo 8 mission to circle the moon and about sharing this feat with listeners. The result is a captivating audiobook featuring lead astronaut Frank Borman and his fellow astronauts, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. Listeners will hear about the tension of preceding the Russian cosmonauts on this route, the myriad... Read More

Rosalyn Landor's meticulous and energetic narration sets the mood for a mystery-filled train trip. Sisters Jaundice and Kale Bland are whisked off by magician Magique (a.k.a. Aunt Shallot) to assist in her next evening of magic. Little do they know that they'll become detectives for the train's many mysteries, including the disappearance of Mademoiselle Magique herself. As the... Read More

For the second time, narrator Christopher Gebauer animates the character Waylon, a fourth grader who is sensitive and "science-y." The sequel begins soon after the first audiobook ends. Waylon is struggling to save "Dumpster Eddy," the stray dog he's come to love. To prevent Eddy from being sent to a distant shelter in just 10 days, Waylon enlists the help of his classmate,... Read More

In this sequel to THE WILD ROBOT, robot Roz wakes up on a farm far from the wild island she calls home. The audiobook follows her adventures as she attempts to escape and reunite with her family and friends. Narrator Kathleen McInerney delivers the story with a smile in her voice, echoing the novel's tone, which remains gentle even as danger mounts. Roz's robotic voice... Read More

Narrator Lia Frederick deftly tells this tale based on a real-life Angus cow that wandered the Connecticut countryside for five months in 2011. On a hot July afternoon, 800-pound Wilhelmina, feeling uncomfortable and unloved by her owner, decides to join a nearby herd of deer. Frederick warmly renders Wilhelmina and her new companions' innocent voices as well as the picturesque... Read More

Kirby Heyborne narrates the story of Ozzy, a 14-year-old boy who has lived on his own since he was 7, when his parents were kidnapped. Now, with the help of a wizard whose ad he sees, he thinks he can, maybe, find them. The story follows Ozzy; his robotic-talking raven, Clark; and the self-proclaimed wizard, Rin, on a quest to find the answers Ozzy has been looking for his... Read More

Amielynn Abellera narrates the story of a tumultuous week in the lives of two middle schoolers. Deftly moving between their voices in alternating chapters, Abellera excels at capturing the nuanced emotions of Ben, age 11, and Charlotte, age 12, two smart kids who connect as long-distance online Scrabble competitors. Already facing middle school problems such as best friend... Read More