In a style reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Isabel Allende takes listeners to an Amazon jungle that might well have come from the pages of AMAZING STORIES. Fifteen-year-old Alexander is sent to stay with a less than pleasant grandmother. Grandma is about to go off with the International Geographic to track down the elusive yeti, and Alexander is obliged to go along to the rainforest whether he wants to or not. He befriends a local girl named Nadia and shortly thereafter is kidnapped by Indians. As the story rockets from one adventure to the next, Blair Brown delivers a superb narration. Without her even, gentle inflection, this might well go off the scale of believability; however, her mellifluous voice is a pleasure to listen to, and she has a skillful knack for creating memorable characters that helps create credibility. Brown adds just what this story needs.
Ages 10+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Myths come to life through Bahni Turpin and Robin Miles's stellar narration of this young adult fantasy. Marisol and her mother left their home in the Caribbean to live in Brooklyn. Marisol hopes to leave their island traditions and her family's magic behind. Genevieve grew up listening to her white father's mythical stories from her unknown mother's homeland. When the teens' lives collide, both discover secrets that change their views of their worlds. It's no surprise that both Turpin and Miles are Golden Voice narrators. Their skills bring Genevieve's and Marisol's stories to life as they capture the teens' personalities. Miles exquisitely delivers Marisol's Caribbean accent, while Turpin channels Genevieve's frustrations with her family and her own health. Simply magical.
(Verse fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063395589
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This dark science-fiction story about three teens who participate in a doomed space mission is commendably narrated by Casey Holloway. Varied accents for the three teens—who are from France, Japan, and Norway—and strong pacing showcase Holloway’s talent as a narrator. As panic sets in among the astronauts and the teens find their adult companions to be unreliable, Holloway easily delivers the rising tension, and her quiet intensity draws listeners toward the story’s chilling conclusion. Harstad’s story will leave listeners contemplating the fate of humanity in the vast reaches of space.
(Science fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: April 17, 2012
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781611134094
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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