Jorjeanne Marie narrates the contemporary first-person story of 16-year-old Ivy, flavoring her narration with a mild Texas accent. Stronger than the accent are the emotions Marie projects as a teen who's become pregnant in a town of megachurches. Ivy's shame and distress at unjust accusations are balanced by the wry humor peppered throughout the story. Marie presents Lorenzo, Ivy's steadying boyfriend, with a gravelly voice that makes him seem more solid as the two travel to Oregon for a legal abortion. En route, the pair see extraordinary sites and meet four women who counter the repressive texts and calls coming from Texas. The narration and writing give good dimension to the characters in a story that offers perspectives on women's choices, illustrating rather than preaching.
(Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593746325
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Muñoz’s narration allows glints of humor and family love to balance the horrors of trauma.
Narrator Javier Muñoz’s voice is light, almost giddy, as he describes the loving, joyful, book-filled family life of 17-year-old Mexican American twins Emma and CheChe. The story is told from the perspective of CheChe, who relishes his good life. After CheChe’s El Paso high school is attacked and he is shot and loses a leg, Muñoz’s narration changes dramatically. Sounding slower, subdued, and saddened, CheChe tries to comprehend the shattering of his idyllic life. Listeners will be struck by the sweetness of CheChe’s developing relationship with Placido, his first boyfriend, and the evolution of his path to healing.
Muñoz’s narration allows glints of humor and family love to balance the horrors of trauma. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: today
Duration: 10 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668185834
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: today
Eloquent and hauntingly spare.
Freeman performs her novel in verse with a sensitivity to lines and rhythms, carefully conveying the immense spectrum of feelings in this poignant audiobook. The unnamed narrator, in her junior year of high school, is counting the days until she can escape a fragmented family where she feels invisible. The concise writing accentuates the rapid-fire drama as her parents take her allocated tuition funds to support her brother in rehab. Freeman expresses the desperation and despair that drive the heroine to apply for and receive a scholarship to study in Norway, even though she knows none of the country’s culture or language. Freeman describes a caring Norwegian family, a first love, and the places and people that help the protagonist discover true belonging.
Eloquent and hauntingly spare. (Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 33 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668184332
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: today
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