In a lilting voice, narrator Christopher Hampton captures the hope and curiosity of Will, a young Black boy who is hoping to claim land during the Oklahoma Land Rush. Will's companions include his stern father and their mule, Belle, and later the gentle but wizened ex-Union soldier, Caesar. Southern accents, including Will's, and twangy cowboy voices enhance the historic setting. Northern characters are more neutral, but moments of racial tension are full of anger and stress. Throughout the harrowing story, Will is anguished during a fight, Pa falters in fearful moments, and Caesar strains when he is badly injured. As he nears Oklahoma, Will's confidence grows, as does his father's pride in him. Adventure abounds in this moving production.
(Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 4 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668647417
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
It's 1975, and eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, a Hmong girl, is living in the highlands of Laos in a one-room house with her family. Then they are forced to flee. Narrator Robyn Morales lends a soft, feminine huskiness to the protagonist's voice as she describes the family's journey to a refugee camp, to gentle and thoughtful effect. The listener is transported alongside Gao Sheng to a new world as she reflects on memory, gender, and family relations in her culture; the events that change her life; and conditions in the refugee camp. An afterword provides context about the author's family's real-life experience. Morales' narration is comforting, even as she describes the difficult circumstances of refugees.
(Verse historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217080861
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jesse Vilinsky narrates this thrilling historical novel with pizzazz. Thirteen-year-old Evie arrives at the 1936 Berlin Games with one goal in mind: a Gold Medal in gymnastics. Though she notices the tension in the air, it's not until she's drawn into a plot to steal Nazi gold from the German National Bank that she realizes the biggest stakes she's playing for. Vilinsky's portrayal of young Evie, who is both naïve about world events and world-weary from a life of Dust Bowl poverty, is the lynchpin in a breathless adventure that incorporates a detailed look at pre-war Nazi Germany and an exciting heist. Vilinsky conjures an array of believable voices for Evie's Team USA friends and new foreign acquaintances.
(Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798225000240
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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