Amielynn Abellera narrates the story of a tumultuous week in the lives of two middle schoolers. Deftly moving between their voices in alternating chapters, Abellera excels at capturing the nuanced emotions of Ben, age 11, and Charlotte, age 12, two smart kids who connect as long-distance online Scrabble competitors. Already facing middle school problems such as best friend troubles and social awkwardness, Ben and Charlotte also must grapple with divorce and the grave illness of a parent. Abellera captures the searing embarrassment kids feel in lunchrooms and hallways. Overall, she portrays Ben and Charlotte ars complex and believable, as are the voices of those around them, including the mean girls and mean boys they encounter. This tautly plotted story will engage a range of listeners well beyond middle schoolers.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062821409
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Powerful listening.
Four narrators personalize the tragedy of Houston’s 2017 Hurricane Harvey through the viewpoints of three struggling teens. Sunil Malhotra depicts Pakistani American Yasir’s many facets—his determination to succeed at soccer, his barely controlled rage about racism, his sadness about his father’s death, and his deep fear of drowning. Nikhaar Kashnani portrays South Asian American Mona. Weighed down by caring for her young brother, she loses herself in art and dreads her recurring nightmare about a flood. Josh Hurley renders Cody’s cruel, racist bullying as well as his fear of the dark, a result of being abused by his father. Christopher Salazar enthusiastically delivers interstitial news bulletins. When flooding from Harvey makes them face their worst fears, the resilient threesome’s separate stories come together and they support each other’s bravery.
Powerful listening.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063389557
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
A poignant portrait of bravery.
Graham Halstead’s narration contains layers of emotion that fully reveal the character and growth of 13-year-old Lucas Dubois, an orphan living in 1944 occupied France. Halstead shows Lucas’ compassion as he rescues newborn kittens from being drowned. Lucas’ tenderness extends to a teen mother kept at the Lebensborn, a Nazi maternity home dedicated to producing soldiers-to-be. Lucas delivers groceries and conveys underground messages. Halstead also reveals the prickly nature of Alice, an older teen protecting her horse from being captured by Nazis. Halstead’s performance matches the breakneck pacing when Lucas stands up to German soldiers and confronts his own sense of insecurity.
A poignant portrait of bravery. (Historical fiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250433039
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
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