It's a testament to John Green's writing and Kate Rudd's narration that, in a book about teenagers with cancer, there are still plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Green's teens are precocious and clever, and Rudd sells it, delivering every "or whatever" with perfect teenage inflection and fully inhabiting protagonist Hazel as she navigates the world with lungs ravaged by cancer. When Hazel has trouble breathing, we hear it in the way Rudd gasps and pants between words. It's a sad, funny, smart, beautiful book—listeners won't be able to help speculating about what's coming and may even wish they could fast-forward to find out, even as they hang on every word. J.M.D. 2013 Audies Winner, 2013 Odyssey Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Ages 12+Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2012
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781455869909
Publisher: Brilliance 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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