Tugs Button is one observant and determined 12-year-old. When the summer of 1929 takes a new turn with the arrival of a stranger in Goodhue, Iowa, it’s Tugs who persists in discovering what Mr. Moore is all about. As she collects information, she’s aided by loyal cousin Ned and surprisingly unsnobbish Aggie Milhouse. Laura Hamilton’s narration makes the quirky Button family and the citizens of Goodhue shine. There are many Button relations, and each has a distinctive voice; notable are perky, high-pitched Granny, who wonders how to “drive one of these dang things [a car],” and bossy, shrill Aunt Mina. As Tugs, Hamilton blurts out her ideas and slows or abruptly stops as Tugs thinks about what she’s said. As the slick Mr. Moore, Hamilton further enlivens his multiple skills and schemes.
Ages 8+Pub Date: 2011
Duration: 3 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781611065008
Publisher: Brilliance Audio/ Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date:
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Cousins Avery and Jax don't have much in common, including their feelings about a summer at their family's crumbling island vacation home. She thinks it's a great adventure, and he'd rather be anywhere else. Narrator Kate Coventry embodies Avery's open, exuberant, and sometimes thoughtless behavior, while Pete Cross makes clear to listeners how much quiet Jax is impacted by his father's overbearing nature. As they help clean the place up to sell it, they find pages torn from a diary that may uncover what drove their parents away from the island and each other years before. Cassandra Morris's brief narration of the mysterious diarist is compelling in its simplicity. Narrators Kate Coventry and Pete Cross provide vivacity to this exploration of family history and regrets.
(Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225027049
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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