With outstanding performances, Lee Osorio and Max Meyers illuminate the rich and complicated inner lives of New Jersey high schoolers Sebastian Villeda and Sandro Miceli. Listeners immediately understand that these two young men are much more than outward appearances and stereotypes. Meyers and Osorio make them both feel messy, endearing, and real. "Bash the Flash" is a track star whose outsized personality masks his struggles. Sandro feels ignored and belittled by his big, busy Italian family. He's closeted, but he plans to let himself be out when he goes to college. Bash and Sandro make an unexpected connection the summer before senior year that turns into a deeply meaningful, transformative relationship. This beautifully written and narrated Stonewall Honor novel is funny, painful, ribald, and fresh.
(Fiction. 15-18)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781488218026
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In 1832 thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is sailing from Liverpool to Rhode Island to rejoin her family. Shocked to discover that the families who were to have been both guardians and companions will not accompany her, Charlotte embarks on a journey filled with terror and swashbuckling adventure. The first-person narrative makes this Newbery Honor book a wonderful choice for recording. O'Karma's reading, with its hint of cross-gender differentiation, allows the listener to feel as if Charlotte Doyle herself were relating the tale. This story should be particularly alluring to adolescent girls although the fast-paced action and the nautical setting will also appeal to male listeners. Ages 12-adult.
Ages 12+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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