What if Joey Pigza were forced to spend the summer with his dad and his grandma? What if his dad took him off his meds? And what if Jack Gantos hadn't written this sequel? What if Listening Library hadn't decided to record it? What if Jack Gantos hadn't been asked to read it? What if? What if? What if? It's the question that fills Joey's head and spews from his mouth as he zips along the pothole-riddled highway with his mom on the way to spend an enforced summer vacation with his errant dad. With the same brilliance that characterized his reading of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Gantos captures Joey's frantic pace, his breathless questioning, his terror at losing the control he has finally gained on medication. This sequel, more somber and chilling than the first volume, is a must-hear follow-up to the story of a boy we have all grown to love.
Ages 10+Pub Date: May 26, 2009
Duration: 4 hrs
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Much has been written on Jackie Robinson's groundbreaking career and legacy, but it's nice to see a well-done synopsis covering the highlights of his life for young people. Narrator JD Jackson carries the story as he conveys the importance of Robinson's life without overdramatization. It covers Robinson's growing up, time in the Army, and deliberate recruitment for the purpose of breaking Major League baseball's color barrier. Jackson gives various players, coaches, and individuals--including Robinson's wife, Rachel--slight accents. His steady, animated narration reflects the well-researched book and is sure to hold the attention of both young and older listeners.
(Biography. 10-13)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 2 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrators John Lithgow and Kate Mulgrew alternately share poems and songs created by Fred Rogers for his long-standing television show. Rogers's messages affirm children and give voice to the myriad feelings, good and bad, that all people feel from time to time. Wonder, joy, questions, exploration, outsides and insides, a new baby, one-of-a-kindness, needs emotional and material are examples of the breadth of Rogers's words. Lithgow's voice has its own richness, reminiscent of Rogers's own. His tone is firm and straightforward. When his voice expresses the anger of a poem, for example, he soon becomes calm as the anger fades. Kate Mulgrew is equally genuine and sets a pace for children's consideration of each message.
(Poetry. 3-8)Pub Date: March 19, 2019
Duration: 1 hr, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781683691808
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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