From the moment Glory O’Brien and her friend, Ellie, drink beer mixed with petrified bat ashes, an incredible transformation occurs. “We could see the future. We could see the past. We could see everything.” Narrator Christine Lakin makes the magical sound reasonable. When Glory was 4, her mother committed suicide. Now, with high school graduation near, Glory is listless, with no plans for her future. Lakin delivers Glory’s first-person narration with all her teenaged poignancy and pathos in place. Glory foresees a dystopian future, a rigid, restrictive nightmare in which a misogynistic government is in power, young women are sold, and women have few rights. Glory writes it all down, determined to awaken society from its lethargy. Lakin’s sincere, intelligent performance makes it believable.
(Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478902461
Publisher: Hachette 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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