Narrator Kyla Garcia deftly creates a middle school, its ethnically diverse students, and their eclectic encounters. To start, listeners will join baseball player Lupe Wong, who's chagrined to learn that her PE class will require square dancing. Garcia's Lupe is a determined girl who strongly resists the gym assignment and persuades her classmates to join her in protest. Listeners hear the square dance calls as the kids practice. Garcia shines at portraying Niles, a special needs student, and snaggletoothed Gordon, whose enthusiasm for square dancing makes up for the reluctance of his classmates. Most engaging is a family dinner with Lupe's Chinese and Mexican grandparents--the lively conversation is priceless. The multiple accents throughout the story are well done. This spirited story promotes friendship and collaboration.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781662039904
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ken Coleman's expertise as a baseball announcer enriches this history of the Boston Red Sox since the sale of Babe Ruth to the N.Y. Yankees. He leads off with a grim account of this transaction, which started the curse that has plagued the Red Sox ever since. The sermon-like tone will amuse non-believers and comfort listeners who are certain the team is cursed. Like the ups and downs of Boston's play through the years, the narrator's voice fluctuates--exuberant and then despondent--in tone and tempo accurately reflecting the mood of any given baseball season. The narrator is very successful at conveying the emotional roller coaster ride Red Sox fans have endured as a result of the curse of the Bambino.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Though the premise is fantastical, Naudus makes it believable, creating a kind, confident protagonist.
Natalie Naudus narrates this middle-grade mystery set in a remote family camp in northwestern Ontario. Hayley Rilko and her cousins decide to break the Toronto Maple Leafs’ losing streak by contacting the ghost of their great-grandfather, a Leafs star whose body was never found after his plane crashed. Hayley’s family is cursed, and members are forced to quit playing hockey when they come of age. The arrival of her period is a salient point in this coming-of-age story. There is a huge cast of relatives at camp, but Naudus successfully focuses on creating credible family interactions rather than distinctive character voices.
Though the premise is fantastical, Naudus makes it believable, creating a kind, confident protagonist. (Fiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 39 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217342211
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
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