Echo Brown is an excellent narrator of her semiautobiographical story about a young girl wizard from the East Side. Echo, the protagonist, splits her time between two worlds. Brown uses the metaphor of magic and wizardry to explore black womanhood and the freedoms and dangers of leaving the place that "made you." The audiobook sings with complexity and themes that are a step above many YA novels, and has a narration to match. Echo grapples with the complexities of black oppression and how it differs by gender, something rarely discussed in literature. Structurally, Brown intercuts certain scenes, which is very cinematic and hard to pull off in audiobook form, yet she masters it skillfully. Themes of mother-daughter connection, forgiveness, and both biological and created family make for a moving, vital story.
(Magical realism. 15-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250248572
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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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