by Dashka Slater ; read by Ariel Blake ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 22, 2023
Ariel Blake's measured narration steadies an audio account of an intense event that took place in 2017. Blake neutrally recounts the facts surrounding a popularity-seeking high school junior who copied racist, sexist social media and memes. His posts grew to dominate his liberal California high school, and the ugly situation spread to the shocked community. Blake's straightforward narration delivers emotionally raw interviews with targeted girls, the remorse of those who did the targeting, school records, court records, and other documents. The audiobook brings to light the power of social dynamics, questions the role of personal responsibility, and examines the fallout that occurred long after the event, affecting all involved for years.
(Nonfiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2023
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250892065
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
by Avi ; read by Alexandra O'Karma ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
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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by Jacinda Ardern ; adapted by Ruby Shamir ; read by Jacinda Ardern ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2026
Listeners will be inspired by this principled prime minister who tackled her country’s biggest challenges with...
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Aspiring leaders, take note! In her Kiwi accent, Jacinda Ardern narrates this heartfelt and sincere adaptation of her memoir A Different Kind of Power, eliciting chuckles with amusing anecdotes and tears over tragedies. Ardern recounts her modest childhood, her unlikely path to politics, and her rise to New Zealand’s highest office as a young, pregnant, unmarried woman—armed with empathy, intelligence, faith, supportive loved ones, and a desire to serve. She shepherded her country through a volcanic eruption, Covid-19, and a mass shooting. Her heartrending narration of the shooting switches to steely resolve as she works to ban assault rifles.
Listeners will be inspired by this principled prime minister who tackled her country’s biggest challenges with kindness. (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217342044
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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