Narrator Debi Hawkins grew up in Africa and still lives there, so it's not surprising that she's so fluent in portraying both the Xhosa-speaking young Joshua and his mother, as well as the Afrikaans language of white South Africans. She brings realism and character distinction to this story of a boy who learns to fight South Africa's apartheid system in 1976. Speaking in the present tense, Hawkins captures the haughty orders given by Afrikaner Mrs. Malherbes; the joviality of Joshua, which dims as he ages; the clicking warning used by Joshua's mother in times of danger; and the urgent whispers of black revolutionaries and their white coconspirators. Warman's novel shows the complex relationships that existed between whites and blacks as they struggled for and against apartheid.
(Historical fiction. 11-16)Pub Date: April 25, 2017
Duration: 4 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Desean Terry delivers a touching performance of this reimagining of "The Great Gatsby," in which the protagonists are gay Black prep school students. Aspiring journalist Nick Carrington leaves Oklahoma to begin school at Harlem's West Egg Academy. Out of his element, Nick keeps his gay identity a closely held secret, but love interest Jay Gatsby Jr.--the academy founder's son--openly embraces his own gay identity. As they write letters to each other, each more daring and affectionate than the last, they receive threats that their budding relationship will be exposed in the school newspaper. Terry clearly presents every piece of dialogue that warrants an emotional charge and adds subtle suspense to his straightforward tone when needed. Terry's narration is always on the money.
(Historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063312517
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners will be drawn in by Stevens’ skilled narration.
Eileen Stevens delivers an exceptional telling of this story of fatal curses, sea creatures, and what it takes to protect one’s family. Nineteen-year-old heroine Annie lives in the city of Kirkrell, where her family runs a whaling company. She must race to save her family’s legacy from the ancient finfolk who live in the dark waters surrounding Kirkrell and menace the sailors hunting magical whales. Unbeknownst to her, Annie’s fiancé August has an evil plan to take over her parents’ lifework, and the more he tries to help and comfort her, the more she learns about his deception.
Listeners will be drawn in by Stevens’ skilled narration. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250415752
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: today
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