Golden Voice Soneela Nankani expertly channels her inner middle school child with her narration of this story about five children and their summer after sixth grade. Each is isolated in their own way. They meet at their local library and, soon after, decide to start a cookie-baking business. Nankani captures the inner lives of kids at that age: hiding uncomfortable truths, continually experiencing hurt feelings, and so desperately wanting other people to appreciate their true self. Her narration will bring all those feelings back to the listener, no matter their age. Her characterization of each child is deep and genuine. As the children become friends, they learn to rely on each other and carry each other past their daily burdens. Together, they become the chosen family that each child needs.
(Fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217157433
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Sunny Lu creates a passionate voice for seventh grader Luna in this coming-of-age realistic fiction. Luna leaves her introverted life behind when she becomes a bibliotherapist for her fellow classmates, recommending books to help them in times of need and eventually writing her own zines with the assistance of her best friend, Scott. Lu perfectly captures Luna's complex emotions as she abandons Scott and joins the popular group. Now rather than writing to help others, she starts to hurt others by writing about their faults and flaws in "fix-its." Listeners will relate to Luna's struggles as she loses her way and will cheer her on in hopes that she finds her way back.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217081578
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
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