Five very different students misidentified as “Mexicanos” find commonality in a superb audio adaptation of this graphic novel. While the full cast and production are all outstanding, the narrators portraying the diverse students give especially animated performances, conveying unique personalities and moving flawlessly between English and Spanish. Andrés Hinspeter-Seda is the unassuming Puerto Rican, George; Sarah Tie portrays the lone Mexican, Sara; Christian Barillas is the rich Venezuelan, Nico; Noah Rico plays the Dominicano, Miguel; and Lisset Díaz plays the tough Cuban, Dayara. All of them find a common purpose in helping a homeless woman and her daughter. This is an immersive language experience for middle schoolers. The production may ring a bell for fans of the 1985 movie THE BREAKFAST CLUB, which inspired this story.
Ages 10+Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2022
Duration: 1 hr, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781338852653
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In this fascinating coming-of-age portrait, Thomas Black Bull's journey from the child, Bear's Brother, to the fearsome rodeo rider, Killer Tom Black, is painted with compassion and insight. Forced to learn the White Man's ways, Tom reaches adulthood consumed by rage. Read with great vigor by Norman Dietz, the recording bursts with the energy of rodeo circuit and transports the listener to the southwest. The accurate portrayal of Tom's Ute ancestry and way of life, the sorrow and frustration of losing his heritage, and his angry retaliation at the world make this an excellent listening choice for adults and teenagers. It would also be a wonderful addition to high school units on the Native American experience.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
George S. Irving adopts Patrick McManus's characters with gusto. Sit back and listen to yarn after yarn. Irving relishes each story, whether it's fishing stories, such as "Claw of the Sea-Puss" or "To Filet or Not to Filet," or the escapades with McManus's wary but vulnerable neighbors. Irving has the jocular chuckle down pat, and the low comedy satire comes off without a hitch. Listeners can imagine Irving tipping back a chair at the country store swapping lies with cronies and entertaining any comers with these hilarious tales. His repertoire of more than eight collections of McManus stories encourages this kind of ownership!
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: DH Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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