It's 1930, the beginning of the Great Depression in Chicago, when 10-year-old Esther and her family move from the city to a farm in Wisconsin. Laural Merlington performs this lovely, heartrending story of love, superstition, and determination to persevere in the face of bad luck and difficult days. Esther and Violet are portrayed with light, childlike voices, Ma with heavy Russian accents, and Pa with subtle German-accented tones. Told from Esther's perspective, the story is full of hope and friendship, with Ma's superstitious beliefs guiding the family member's lives. Merlington's expert narration transports listeners from Chicago, where jobs are scarce, to a hardscrabble Wisconsin farm that lacks electricity and running water. The audiobook is perfect for preteen listeners, and adults will be charmed as well.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2015
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781681413990
Publisher: Dreamscape
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
A sensitive performance.
Deepa is a precocious 12-year-old girl in remission from leukemia. Under the tutelage of her uncle, a house call doctor, she becomes involved in solving teen tennis player Taio's puzzling medical mystery. Deepa is unsure of herself, but she’s ready to get back to middle school after a year away for treatment. Narrator Soneela Nankani depicts Deepa's desire to be more than the "sick kid" while navigating her youthful insecurities and the social challenges of middle school. Nankani also ably portrays Deepa's growing confidence in herself as she uses her own experience with illness to help figure out what’s wrong with Taio.
A sensitive performance. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 32 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668182833
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
