Julia Whelan and MacLeod Andrews narrate a collection of letters from authors to their teen selves, with Whelan reading those of female authorship, Andrews those of males. Most letters are about 4 minutes, but a few are over 12 minutes. The material illustrates that while the experience of being a teenager is universal, there are infinite incarnations of the specific pains and longings, losses and victories. In particular, hearing Whelan recount such a wide variety of girls having issues with body image and eating disorders brings the commonalities alive while leaving the listener feeling not so alone. The magic of the production, however, lies in keeping each story and character fresh and distinct, a feat in the face of so many stories told in such compact form.
(Nonfiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2012
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781469252995
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Al-Kaisi’s performance reflects Asad’s gradual transformation, making his growth and his hopeful next steps...
Seventeen-year-old Asad is the eldest of seven children living and working in a Gazan refugee camp. Asad’s father is in prison, and the family lives in poverty with no possibility of relief. This audiobook’s power lies in Asad’s poignant inner monologues. Fajer Al-Kaisi’s narration immerses listeners in Asad’s desolation and overwhelming sense of responsibility. Al-Kaisi’s renderings of Asad’s conversations with Um Fawzi, a frank and wise elderly woman, depict both her caring and the vividness of her journeys beyond Gaza. Houriya is an erudite young woman who expands Asad’s worldview with well-chosen books.
Al-Kaisi’s performance reflects Asad’s gradual transformation, making his growth and his hopeful next steps believable. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898852153
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
Listeners will be inspired by this principled prime minister who tackled her country’s biggest challenges with...
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: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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