Jacqueline Woodson renders her story's rhythms skillfully, emphasizing refrains that allow listeners to luxuriate in her words and linger in powerful details. Sage's father, a firefighter, died in a fire back in the "once was," but she thinks of him often. At the same time, her neighborhood has been experiencing so many mysterious fires that it's been renamed "The Matchbox." At 12, Sage is surrounded by friends, community, a loving mother, and continuous basketball games. But her world is changing. The fires are unsettling, and she falters when an older boy asks her, "What kind of girl are you?" Dialogue like this rings with authenticity and poignancy, deepening the characters' relationships. Woodson paints a picture of her beloved Brooklyn, creates memorable characters, and gives voice to a young person who is finding her true self.
(Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
Duration: 3 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593795149
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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