Cassandra Morris’s youthful voice is perfect for spunky Gloriana. Glory is looking forward to summer days of swimming in the community pool and celebrating her twelfth birthday. But the year is 1964, and the place is Hanging Moss, Mississippi. With the arrival of Northerners who plan to run a clinic, friendships, politics, and values are about to change. In a slight Southern accent, Morris makes Glory sound believably indignant when her sister chooses her cosmetics over a game of “junk” poker. Morris also captures Glory’s mixed emotions as she looks back on her decision to share secrets. Supporting characters, especially thoughtful housekeeper Emma and spiteful Mrs. Simpson, are memorable, with Morris’s portrayals adding to the story’s verisimilitude. An afterword by the author completes the production.
(Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780545788809
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator P.J. Ochlan embraces this spirited novel, documenting 11-year-old Rocco Zaccaro's adventures with such gusto and spunk that you'd swear you'd traveled back in time to 1887. The story begins with Rocco's removal from his home in Italy and his subsequent arrival in New York City, where he is to work as a street musician for his new padrone, Signor Ancarola. Ochlan paints a vivid picture of immigrant life and the trials Rocco undergoes trying to escape the horrible living conditions under his padrone. Capturing the characters' voices perfectly, Ochlan delivers Rocco's animated storytelling, the slang of his newfound gang of pickpockets, and the accents of the city's many immigrants, whether Irish, Scottish, German, English, or Italian. Historical notes, including a pickpocket's glossary, complete this excellent production.
(Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780147521477
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
John McDonough tells the oddball story of Prince Roger and his misbegotten quest for self-identity and true love. The story is amusing and at times inspiring as it follows Prince Roger on a three-year sojourn through the Forever Forest and across the Dastardly Divide as he seeks to transcend his clownish nature and find his destined love, Princess Petulia. Younger listeners will be enchanted by the whimsy and fantasy elements of this fairy tale and by McDonough's gentle style, while adults will enjoy Feiffer's tongue-in-cheek writing, metafictional asides, and profound insights about destiny, identity, and living happily ever after.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2001
Duration: 4 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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