Andi and Alex live centuries apart, but their tormented parallel lives eventually intersect. Andi Alpers, 17, is on the edge of suicide after the death of her younger brother when she finds the eighteenth-century journal of Alexandrine Paradis. Alex is trying to save the doomed Prince Louis-Charles during the French Revolution. Each narrator has a range of emotions and expressions. Emily Janice Card catches the contemporary tones of Andi, veering from despair to sardonic humor and making much of the satirical lists that characterize the first-person narration. Emma Bering portrays a breezy, opportunistic Alex who soon becomes a tortured figure, haunting to Andi and to listeners. As if drawing on the story’s musical themes, the narrators deliver an accomplished audio duet.
Young AdultPub Date: Oct. 12, 2010
Duration: 15 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780307746221
Publisher: Listening Library
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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