In this dystopian world, Death-Cast notifies those who have only a day to live. Mateo and Rufus are two teens who get that early morning call. Michael Crouch and Robbie Daymond narrate first-person chapters that recount their feelings upon receiving the fateful news. Crouch animates Mateo, an anxious 18-year-old who regrets all the years his fears have stopped him from living. Daymond delivers 17-year-old Rufus's sarcasm, bitterness, and fatalism, which began when his whole family died in a car crash and he was sent to foster care. When the two find each other through the Last Friend app, Crouch and Daymond register their tenuous feelings, which soon turn to fondness and deepen into more. Bahni Turpin narrates short passages of third-person exposition that gives more context to Mateo and Rufus's world.
(Speculative fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062740694
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In 1832 thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is sailing from Liverpool to Rhode Island to rejoin her family. Shocked to discover that the families who were to have been both guardians and companions will not accompany her, Charlotte embarks on a journey filled with terror and swashbuckling adventure. The first-person narrative makes this Newbery Honor book a wonderful choice for recording. O'Karma's reading, with its hint of cross-gender differentiation, allows the listener to feel as if Charlotte Doyle herself were relating the tale. This story should be particularly alluring to adolescent girls although the fast-paced action and the nautical setting will also appeal to male listeners. Ages 12-adult.
Ages 12+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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