Jim Meskimen’s narration begins as quiet and contemplative, self-deprecating and snarky. As the story progresses and the deaf, overweight Wil Halpin makes a friend and tries to solve the mystery of a classmate’s murder, Meskimen gains a hint of joy in his voice. Meskimen makes it clear that although he may be the object of jokes, Halpin is not a victim. He is smart, witty, observant and a really good friend. He also handles the story’s climax, in which the murderer is accused in front of police, ring true. The interactions between Halpin and the hearing world are realistically portrayed and will leave listeners with a new understanding of the deaf. The interview with the author answers many questions about how Berk captured the world of a deaf teen so completely. This is not a book about deafness nor obesity but a good old-fashioned mystery in which sleuthing saves the day.
Young AdultPub Date: 2011
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780307916976
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Amanda Stribling's Southern accent evokes the Ozarks background of 17-year-old Dove Warner. Stribling also captures the horror Dove faces when she--like others affected by her family's curse--hears the bones of murdered people calling out for her to discover their burial places. Stribling's tone becomes calmer when Dove spends time with her best friend, Lo, until he expresses his own feelings of being haunted by those who have been killed. Dove manages to disregard the lurid tales of townsfolk until the killing increases. Stribling adds tension as Dove and Lo become more determined to learn who--or what--is responsible. Stribling's narration maximizes the atmospheric setting, lyrical writing, and many twists and turns of this audiobook.
(Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217017010
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A trio of narrators portray teens from different eras and settings. January LaVoy transitions smoothly from the accented dialogue of Hanna and Sophie, two Polish teens, to an unstressed voicing of their risk-taking amid Hitler's threats in 1939. Jeremy Carlisle Parker transitions listeners to 1980 West Berlin, where Jenny adjusts to her family's move from Dallas. Parker also portrays passionate, German-accented Lena, a queer punk rocker, whom Jenny comes to love. In addition, Parker delivers the softer storytelling tones of an older German woman. Major Curda communicates the growth of Brooklynite Miles, who solves the mysterious disappearances of two girls sixty years earlier. The trio heighten their narrations as the story's tension increases and connections become clear. Libba Bray cheerily reads her Author Note.
(Historical mystery. 13-18)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250353993
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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