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Catherine Ho's straightforward style adds to the haunting quality of this unique coming-of-age novel. Teen Ren Yu is a competitive swimmer whose life revolves around training. But she's keeping a secret from her family, friends, and coach: She believes she's a mermaid. Ho's voice is melodic yet edgy; all of Ren's determination, anger, and pain come through in her brash... Read More

Imani Parks's enthusiastic, animated voice fits lovable Ruby, the baby elephant introduced in THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN. Parks's convincing narration quickly has listeners experiencing Ruby's playful nature and imagining the joy of mud fun and pond play. Parks also articulates Ruby's dislike of her nickname, "Tusky," and her apprehension about her Tuskday celebration speech. As... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks is delightful in a story that emphasizes magic and baking--with recipes. At the age of 12, Kyana Turner learns she's a witch. Black Kyana lives with her hardworking mother and Creole grandmother, Memaw, who suffers from Alzheimer's. Enticing descriptions of the luscious food that the Memaw and Kyana prepare are mouthwatering. Parks's Kyana is endearing and... Read More

Karl T. Wright takes the mic, supported by Imani Parks and P.J. Ochlan, in this tale of a haven turned hellscape. For teen protagonist Jay and the other resident workers—mostly people of color—the Karloff Country theme park and resort has been an oasis from the destabilizing effects of climate change. Wright expertly evokes Jay’s growing horror, shared by listeners, as he... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks establishes a determined voice for 13-year-old Amari in this adventure-filled sequel. After witnessing a time freeze that disrupts the political system, she must figure out who is responsible and make it right. She and Dylan, her fellow magician turned rival, must battle to see who will lead the League of Magicians in a magical competition, The Great Game.... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks takes the listener on a roller-coaster ride in this moving middle-grade story. Joy is sick of the changes in her life. She doesn't like having to share a room with her little sister now that her family has moved out of their house. She doesn't like the way she can hear her parents fighting all the time in their new apartment. Parks flawlessly captures Joy's... Read More

An all-star cast of narrators and bestselling authors come together for a summery treat. Six interlocking short stories tell of young Black love during one night of a New York City blackout. Joniece Abbott-Pratt’s compelling voice transports listeners through the five acts of “The Long Walk,” Tiffany D. Jackson’s story, which interweaves between the others to chronicle two exes... Read More

In a Southern drawl, narrator Imani Parks puts listeners right in the heart of rural South Carolina in the 1960s. After the death of their beloved grandmother, 11-year-old twins Jez and Jay begin to train in root work, the African American folk medicine their family has always made for the people on their island. The twins' understanding of their family's ability to conjure... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks brings vibrancy to her narration of this outstanding fantasy audiobook. Amari is worried. Her older brother, Quinton, is missing, and it feels like her world is falling apart. Then she receives a mysterious package and discovers that Quinton is an MIA special agent in a supernatural world. Parks's youthful voice is best at bringing the curious and defensive... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks vibrantly portrays the challenges and triumphs of the preteen years in this gentle middle-grade audiobook. Serena St. John longs to be a student reporter and a successful vlogger but often finds herself in the shadow of her exuberant best friend, JC. When JC suddenly becomes closer to new girl Leilani, Serena must find her own path forward. Parks skillfully... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini and Imani Parks unevenly narrate this high-fantasy adventure. Father-and-daughter Jeffy and Amity are living a peaceful life when Spooky Ed comes and entrusts Jeffy with a device that allows travel between parallel universes. That's when their lives take a turn for the worse. The various plot threads of this work can be bewildering, but Ballerini's strong... Read More

Narrators Prentice Onayemi and Imani Parks swap chapters in this chronicle of Detroit in the years 1938-1968, when Black workers streamed into the city looking for work in the car plants. Onayemi creates the voice of Joseph "Ziggy" Johnson, nightclub emcee at The Flame and The Driftwood Lodge and gossip columnist covering the celebrated Detroit neighborhood of Black Bottom.... Read More

A dynamic cast of narrators portrays the faithful and tight-lipped congregation of a Southside Chicago Church after a senseless murder leaves a child without a mother. Young congregant Ruby King is now at the mercy of her troubled father, Lebanon. He is voiced in a stunning performance by Adam Lazarre-White, whose smooth, deep baritone has an undercurrent as volatile as the... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks guides listeners deep into the heart of a creepy ghost story that explores America's segregated past. Iris is the captain of her school's step team, and Parks gives her a light, youthful voice perfectly suited for her wide-eyed eagerness. After Iris and her friend Daniel uncover the name "Avery Moore" on a tombstone in an abandoned cemetery, the ghost of... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks introduces listeners to Makeda, an 11-year-old black girl who was adopted by a white family as an infant. We listen to the challenges Makeda faces as her life is uprooted and she has to leave behind her best friend, Lena, the only other adopted black girl she knows, and also the only person who Makeda feels fully understands her. Things become more... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks creates a youthful voice for 13-year-old Leah, who will be spending summer at home rather than at camp due to a family tragedy that slowly reveals itself. When Leah finds a new friend, Jasper, who has set off on her own due to a rough family life, she starts to face the past and find a new way forward. Now she must find a way to help Jasper in return. Parks... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks delivers this teen romance with a vein of science fiction. High school has just ended, and Eden couldn't feel more alone. Her best friend won't give her the time of day. Her mom is hiding a secret that could destroy her family. The only person Eden can talk to is her longtime crush, Will--the same Will who died a few weeks ago. Before he died, Will donated... Read More

Narrators Imani Parks and Cassandra Morris capture the attitudes of two 12-year-olds who begin an email friendship as their fathers form a relationship. Parks voices the personality of Bett, a self-confident, risk-taking California surfer girl. Morris’s portrayal of Avery is tentative, fearful, and bookish. Both narrators reflect the girls’ awareness that their fathers have... Read More

With youthful immediacy, Imani Parks narrates this slice-of-life story about a smart, well-behaved seventh-grader named Shayla. Shay hopes to avoid trouble as she navigates typical middle school rites of passage such as first crushes and shifting social dynamics. But after attending a Black Lives Matter protest with her family, she begins to consider her African-American... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks brings a gentle and compassionate voice to the tender story of recovery following the sudden death of Fiona's dad. How can she; her younger brother, Finn; and their mother recover? It takes a village--in this case, the patients of the late Declan; neighbors, each touched by the words that Declan shared with them; and the staff and dogs at the local animal... Read More

Narrator Imani Parks portrays an African-American teen named Claudia who is learning-challenged. At school, Claudia has always been buoyed by her best friend, Monday Charles, but now, at the beginning of a new school year, Monday is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. In a story that contains many time shifts, Parks's emotive narration aids the transitions that recall... Read More

This audiobook introduces Taja, a teen who wrestles with religion and family expectations. As Taja ages from preteen to near college-age student chapter by chapter, narrator Imani Parks's voice doesn't mature accordingly; consequently, she sounds too juvenile for Taja's later experiences. This might be narrating inexperience by Parks, though her acting chops are present as she... Read More

Narrators Michael Curran-Dorsano, Imani Parks, and Macleod Andrews deliver an intimate story of friendship told from three perspectives. Jeremy, Mira, and Sebby, each recovering from past traumas, develop a bond during their sophomore year. The shifting perspectives are seamless, allowing the characters to develop within each chapter. As Jeremy, the shy outcast, Curran-Dorsano... Read More