Narrator Mark Sanderlin establishes a youthful voice for 12-year-old Drew, who is dreading a summer without his best friend, who has moved away from Half Moon Bay. Narrator Charley Flyte adds a mellow voice for 12-year-old Mia, who is also spending the summer in Half Moon Bay while her dad heads to Alaska to take care of her sick grandmother. Drew and Mia find solace in preparing for and running a big race later in summer. Sanderlin and Flyte both capture the feelings and emotions of Drew and Mia as their summers become even more tumultuous. Listeners will enjoy this realistic story about the importance of family and friendship, especially during difficult times.
(Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593740217
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
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant.
Samara Naeymi beautifully narrates this middle-grade novel about an Iranian American girl. Bullied by her classmates for her frizzy hair and thick eyebrows and criticized by her mother for her weight, Yasmin struggles to be her authentic self in a world that tells her she's not good enough. There are many different perspectives in this story, and Naeymi is true to each: Yasmin’s judgmental mother, with her Persian accent and steely belief in her own harsh parenting; the ruthless teenagers whose hurtful comments cause emotional harm; the younger brother concerned for his sister's unhappiness; and the tried-and-true best friend.
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9798349114861
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
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