This lively audio adaptation of Huda Fahmy’s hilarious graphic novel will delight listeners. Huda’s having a crisis. Her family’s just moved from a small town to Dearborn, Michigan, and suddenly her identity can no longer be “the hijabi girl” because she’s not the only one anymore. Fahmy’s wry narration captures the humor and the many ups and downs of her freshman year in a new school. She’s egged on by squeaky-voiced versions of herself, while her exacting mom, skillfully portrayed by Aixa Kay, pushes her further. A full cast of narrators, along with music and sound effects, helps tell Huda’s story as she bounces between cliques, bickers with her sisters, makes new friends, faces down bullies and Islamophobes, and survives a raucous year of school.
(Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: 2024
Duration: 53 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593948705
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ivan Mok, Quyen Ngo, and a full cast narrate this award-winning 2020 graphic novel. Mok portrays 13-year-old English-speaking Tien, and Ngo portrays his mother, Helen, a Vietnamese refugee. Mok shows Tien's confusion as he crushes on a male classmate. Ngo conveys Helen's despair at losing her own mother and her longing for the past. Mother and son have always bridged language differences and found connection by reading fairy tales together, so it makes perfect sense that these actors' on-target depictions are interwoven with dramatic, beautifully rendered scenes from stories that resemble "The Little Mermaid," "Tattercoats," and others. Throughout, well-cued sound effects aid in setting scenes, while a superb musical score differentiates contemporary and fantasy settings.
(Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 1 hr, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217072811
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A full cast, backed by sound effects and music, transform this queer adaptation of Jane Austen's EMMA from the graphic novel to an audiobook. High school senior and Instagram influencer Evan, a leader in his high school's LGBTQ+ student association, sees himself as Cupid and can't resist the opportunity to set up shy and dowdy newcomer Natalia--despite the warnings of his best friend, Davi. Mark Sanderlin's age-appropriate voice projects Evan's emotions. The subplots are helped by the other cast members' ease with portraying their characters. Examples include André Santana's capable depiction of Davi's growing frustration and Shannon Tyo's high-pitched, fast-paced presentation of the chatterbox Anika.
(Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: 2024
Duration: 1 hr, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668644126
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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