Narrator Adam Gerber sets the scene in this hilarious yet poignant middle-grade novel. After his parents' divorce, TV-obsessed Jake Lightman feels like he plays two different parts in his life: He's "Yaakov" when he's with his Orthodox Jewish mother and "Jacob" when he's with his secular-minded father. Two friends he makes at his new school, Caleb and Tehilla, show him there's a third option--just being himself. Gerber shows his talent when navigating the names of various geographical locations and when pronouncing Hebrew and Yiddish words. His energy and inflections match the material well although he disregards descriptions of how dialogue should be delivered several times. Nonetheless, he delivers a charming show.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063248229
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant.
Samara Naeymi beautifully narrates this middle-grade novel about an Iranian American girl. Bullied by her classmates for her frizzy hair and thick eyebrows and criticized by her mother for her weight, Yasmin struggles to be her authentic self in a world that tells her she's not good enough. There are many different perspectives in this story, and Naeymi is true to each: Yasmin’s judgmental mother, with her Persian accent and steely belief in her own harsh parenting; the ruthless teenagers whose hurtful comments cause emotional harm; the younger brother concerned for his sister's unhappiness; and the tried-and-true best friend.
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9798349114861
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
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