Euan Morton, who narrated the first in this duology, concludes it with the strength it deserves. Story and narration find new depth as 13-year-old Max, a German Jew trained by British spies, returns to Berlin amid the horrors of the Nazi regime. His official mission? Infiltrate the heart of radio propaganda. His personal mission? Find his parents. Morton's narration has an almost visual quality. One can see the snide, smug smiles of German officers; the despairing heartbreak of a gay man recalling his past; and the impishness of two teasing spirits who perch on Max's shoulders, informing and guiding him. Pacing is remarkable, varying quickly from Max's scary spying to the jibing of his invisible companions. Morton's depictions are flawless and his tones on target. The story's well-woven themes are elegantly rendered.
(Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217019038
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lawrence enthusiastically portrays Cora and her friends in this fast-paced historical-fiction adventure.
Narrator Emily Lawrence creates a determined voice for Cora, who is desperately trying to survive the tragic 1906 earthquake in San Francisco with her two friends Chi and Oliver. Lawrence captures Cora’s tumultuous emotions as she and Chi are buried in rubble following the disaster and saved by her forbidden friend Oliver. Despite the bitter feud between their parents, Cora and Oliver work together to try to find her family as fire keeps spreading throughout their beloved city, all while running from bullies who are after Cora. Lawrence makes each character unique and adds a slight Irish accent for Oliver.
Lawrence enthusiastically portrays Cora and her friends in this fast-paced historical-fiction adventure. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225033521
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
Past and present come together seamlessly.
Casey Holloway and Emily Eiden perform alternating chapters of this audiobook about two girls connected through time. In the present day, 13-year-old Penny Marks is angry and resentful about her parents’ decision to move their family to Paris for her mother’s museum job. In 1943, 13-year-old Marie Bonnet and her sister live alone in Nazi-occupied Paris. Holloway depicts the curious, determined, artistic Penny, who pursues the mystery of a painting hidden in a wall and a letter written 80 years earlier. With an accented narration, Eiden reveals Marie’s entry into the French Resistance and her commitment to hiding French art from the Germans.
Past and present come together seamlessly. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063321816
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
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