This second book in Wiles’s Sixties Trilogy focuses on the Freedom Summer of 1964. A documentary fiction format that tells the story of three young people of Mississippi is interspersed with sound clips and re-enactments of real events. The cast performs ably, and the story is compelling, but the audiobook struggles with its format. A sixteen-minute prologue (a sound montage that takes the listener back to the sixties) leads to the story of Gillette, Sunny, and Raymond (kids—two white and one black), which is interwoven with more extended historical interludes between chapters. With such a busy structure, the story fails to flow. This is a book that works better in print, a medium that allows the reader to both control the pace and examine the documents of the era while experiencing the story. N.E.M. 2015 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
(Historical fiction. 11-15)Pub Date: July 8, 2014
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780553395259
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Author Daniel Nayeri voices his story of a grandmother who is guiding her grandchild through the steps of weaving a traditional Persian rug. The eager child tells the story with an eye toward creating the perfect rug, but Grandma encourages her young assistant to recognize that perfection is not the goal. Instead, the rug needs to be right for its purpose. Young listeners unfamiliar with Persian rug designs who read the print edition alongside this audiobook will benefit from seeing its vivid watercolor illustrations. But all listeners will hear what Nayeri's warm tones clearly convey. This sweet family story is told with Nayeri's affection for his culture and its intergenerational traditions.
(Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 25, 2025
Duration: 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217156924
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
