The last thing Julia Marks wants to do is audition with her little brother for a production of THE WIZARD OF OZ. Nevertheless, she's selected to to play a munchkin because of her diminutive size. Narrator Tara Sands has Julia's precocious-little-girl voice down pat. Sands also makes quick and smooth transitions to suit Julia's mercurial moods. She projects Julia's sadness over her dog's death, her calculated whining and sarcasm, and her youthful bravado when interacting with the play's adult cast members. As the play nears completion, Sands delivers Julia's anxiety and elation. Sands also creates believable adults in director Shawn Barr and Olive, an adult "little person" who shows Julia that there's more to people than their size.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524750299
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A powerful listen.
Richardson’s picture book celebrates the gift of literacy through the voices of third grader Jewel and her grandparents and neighbors. Susan Bennett’s accent and performance transport listeners to Kentucky’s hill country as eager Moonlighters walk miles to school on moonlit nights for a chance to finally learn to read. Mamaw and Papaw’s determination and love are heard in every line they speak. Jewel, an eager tutor, bursts with pride as her community gathers for graduation. Regional Appalachian turns of phrase add to the ambiance. An author’s note shares more about Cora Wilson Stewart, founder of the Moonlight Schools and advocate for adult literacy programs in the early 20th century.
A powerful listen. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Duration: 16 mins
DD ISBN: 9798899749995
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2026
A mismatch between performer and text.
Fleischman’s 1987 Newbery-winning classic comes to listeners in a new edition read by Ralph Lister. Appropriately for this story of injustice—the title character’s function is to receive the punishments richly earned by the aptly nicknamed Prince Brat—Lister leans into British class-coded accents for his interpretation. Using a vaguely northern lilt for the third-person narration, Lister voices whipping boy Jemmy with a cockney twang and Prince Brat with hoity-toity upper-crust nasality. Unfortunately, for neither boy does the gravelly voiced performer attempt any youthful lightness, and Jemmy’s twang often makes him sound whinier than Prince Brat. The story is fast-paced and broadly comedic but not without nuance; however, Lister’s forceful delivery threatens to overwhelm its quieter, more contemplative moments.
A mismatch between performer and text. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
Duration: 1 hr, 47 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063511934
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
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