Victoria Villarreal's lilting tones highlight 12-year-old Lula's sunny disposition in the face of her challenges as the daughter of a migrant farm worker in the 1960s. Villarreal's heartfelt performance captures what Lula sees: the terrible living and working conditions of migrant farm workers, including women and children. Villarreal sensitively conveys Lula and her sister's vulnerability from predatory supervisors. There's power in Villarreal's narration, especially when Lula has mysteriously lost her voice and when she finds a place for herself among labor rights activists as they fight against oppression. The author adds to the poignant and compelling elements of this story with her own narration of the closing notes. An important listen and springboard for discussion for young teens.
(Verse historical fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593588079
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
It's 1975, and eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, a Hmong girl, is living in the highlands of Laos in a one-room house with her family. Then they are forced to flee. Narrator Robyn Morales lends a soft, feminine huskiness to the protagonist's voice as she describes the family's journey to a refugee camp, to gentle and thoughtful effect. The listener is transported alongside Gao Sheng to a new world as she reflects on memory, gender, and family relations in her culture; the events that change her life; and conditions in the refugee camp. An afterword provides context about the author's family's real-life experience. Morales' narration is comforting, even as she describes the difficult circumstances of refugees.
(Verse historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217080861
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Guy Lockard narrates the final episode in the Track series. This time the story focuses on the formative years of Coach, who's been central to the young runners in the previous titles. Back in the day, Coach was Otie Brody, a 12-year-old sprinter who longed for two things: to be like Carl Lewis and to have a pair of Jordans. Problems small and big enter his life: First, Otie accidentally shaves his forehead and eyebrows bloody; then his dad disappears due to a drug problem. Lockard balances lights and darks, humor and drama, authentic dialogues and evocative images in this fast-moving audiobook. His tour-de-force narration matches the power of a tough coming-of-age story that illuminates the compassion and caring of the man known as Coach.
(Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668150566
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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