Schrefer’s nonfiction audiobook for teens is fascinating, frank, funny, and, above all, compassionate. Joel Froomkin performs the main narration, and it’s easy to imagine that his voice is the author’s, though he does make the curious choice to narrate chapter titles in an officious British accent. Dustin Ballard, Hope Newhouse, and Neo Cihi narrate interludes (illustrated in the print book) and Q&A interviews with scientists. Listeners will learn about the wide and varied spectrum of animal sexuality—and about how biases in scientific research have often hidden or omitted this variety. Schrefer is open about his own identity as a gay man, and he writes, "This is partly a book for lonely eleven-year-old Eliot.” Indeed, LGBTQIAP+ teens especially may find this to be an illuminating and comforting listen. J.M.D. 2023 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
(Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 24, 2022
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063069527
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A dog's metamorphosis changes his family and his town for the better.
High schooler Emma creates a formula meant to prolong the lives of fruit flies. When her beloved golden retriever, Hudson, becomes critically ill, Emma uses the untested (on dogs) formula, and Hudson turns into a human teenager. His speed and agility impress Emma's football-coach father, who then recruits this unknown boy for his team. Narrator Cassidy Brown makes listeners laugh out loud as she expresses Hudson’s simplicity and joy as he runs free, eats human food, and gets into misadventures. Brown also instills her performance with Emma’s palpable fear of discovery.
A dog's metamorphosis changes his family and his town for the better. (Speculative fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668183762
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
Saddle up with narrators Rachel Jacobs and Tristan Wright as they take listeners to the Texas panhandle for a heartfelt cowboy romance. Nineteen-year-old bull rider Case Michaels is trying to keep it together after the death of his best friend, Walker. Walker left Case a list of things to accomplish. One of those tasks is befriending Winnie Sutton, a sassy ranch hand who works for Case's family. Jacobs's expressive tone and fluid cadence capture Winnie's hardworking spirit, while Wright's warm Southern drawl conveys Case's vulnerability and charisma. Both Jacobs and Wright create the perfect amount of tension, longing, and love to keep listeners smiling.
(Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2024
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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