The patron saint of audiobooks must surely have been watching over this production. It’s got colorful, carefully crafted characters, a cinematic story--a British youth, obsessed with saints, finds a cash bonanza--and a dazzling read by Simon Jones. Boyce’s story operates as a clever mystery, a parable about greed, a lesson in recovery from loss, and an example, like HUCKLEBERRY FINN, of a book about children that works for all ages. Narrator Jones’s strongest gift isn’t his array of British accents (which he does effortlessly) or his timing (which is impeccable); it is his empathy--an uncanny ability to put the listener inside the mind of a spiritually conflicted child. If you’re wondering what separates the good from the great in audiobook narration--check out this Golden Voice.
(Fiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2008
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780060858902
Publisher: Harper Audio
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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