James Chen’s narration captures the life-changing school year of Danny Cheng—a Chinese-American teen who is living in Cupertino, California. Danny is overflowing with both youthful optimism and the anxiety of his upcoming high school graduation. Like most teens, Danny sees his friends as his world. Chen's heartfelt narration will make listeners feel a part of his group of overachieving teens who are still reeling from a past traumatic event. When Danny’s parents uproot him, he goes searching for family secrets and confides in his best friend, Harry. Chen highlights the unspoken feelings and moments that define their slowly changing friendship. He also captures Danny’s secretive but loving immigrant parents and believably delivers the omniscient narrator’s depiction of a past best forgotten.
(Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Dreamscape
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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