Schmidt’s sparse writing sings with rhythms and repetitions that soften this story’s difficult subject matter. Narrator Christopher Gebauer maximizes the author’s lyrical style as his pacing and pauses enhance the story’s poignancy. In the voice of Gebauer, 12-year-old Jack’s first-person narrative is filled with wonder as his innocence is sometimes sparked and sometimes strained by the arrival of his 14-year-old foster brother, Joseph. Gebauer emphasizes Joseph’s clipped speech, depicting the defensiveness that shields his vulnerability. The portrayals of Jack’s parents dramatize their belief in Joseph, who has been abused by his father, suffered the death of the one girl who loved him, and faced the cruelties of a social system that has failed him dismally. This audiobook is short in length, long on heartbreak.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2015
Duration: 3 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781490681139
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
First love, community, and self-discovery triumph over secrecy and confusion.
With a gifted narration, Brenda Arteaga-Walsh shifts between Spanish and English to portray the changing thoughts and emotions of 17-year-old Ezzie Ramos. On the precipice of college choices, Ezzie discovers a surprising letter of resignation written by her biologist father shortly before his death. Determined to uncover truths hidden by the silence of her Mami and Abuelita, she volunteers at the nonprofit garden he started. Arteaga-Walsh expresses Ezzie’s increasing passion for art and writing, which conflict with her family’s view that she should enter the sciences, and traces Ezzie's developing relationship with the once-hated Gabe McCallister. When Gabe shows himself to be loving and eager to help, Ezzie finally opens up.
First love, community, and self-discovery triumph over secrecy and confusion. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 31 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063071919
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
Words and phrases are often repeated in this verse format, but Adams is able to deepen the feeling with each repetition.
Adams narrates her debut novel in verse chronicling the life of 17-year-old Native Hawaiian Aouli Smith. At odds with her sister, failing to fulfill her parents' dreams for her, unable to relate to shallow teen boys, and feeling unconnected to the religion she's been raised in, Aouli floats through life. Then she learns an unsettling truth about her father and meets Nalu, a teen with whom she makes a connection. Adams immerses listeners in Hawaiian culture, traditions, and foods, but it’s the raw emotion that makes the audiobook captivating.
Words and phrases are often repeated in this verse format, but Adams is able to deepen the feeling with each repetition. (Verse fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 19, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063417984
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
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