Mike Chamberlain introduces Jonah's narration with a resigned tone. The 16-year-old has been abandoned by his mother with no food or money. His older brother's letters from Vietnam let Jonah know he must be responsible for his younger brother, Simon. When the teenaged boys decide to hitchhike across the Southwest desert to find their father in an Arizona prison, Chamberlain's narration becomes dramatic as soon as Mitch and Lilly pick them up. Stress between the brothers builds as they compete for Lilly's flirtatious attention. And tension mounts with Chamberlain's portrayal of Mitch, a murdering psychopath. At first, Mitch is prickly, but soon he turns menacing and then scary. Chamberlain expresses the boys' reactions as they move from annoyance to fear, and, finally, to determination to survive.
Young AdultPub Date: Sept. 22, 2009
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Listening Library
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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