Jessica and Ruthie are the best of friends. They build towers, read together, share meals, and mirror each other’s feelings. The only problem, according to Jessica’s parents, is that Jessica is an imaginary friend. What will happen when Ruthie heads off to kindergarten? Katherine Kellgren crafts many voices. As narrator, she is direct and firm and sets a leisurely pace that slows even more for emphasis. As Ruthie, she’s childlike and confident in her friendship; as Ruthie’s parents, she’s flustered. For the many one-sided conversations that Ruthie has with Jessica, Kellgren narrates in a wonderful sotto voce. Background music and sound effects complement the story.
Ages 4-6Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2011
Duration: 7 mins
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Franklin wrote award-winning books, and her dedication to Australia’s unsung wild outback remains a lasting legacy.
This biographical novel celebrates a talented and mysterious Australian novelist. Under the name Miles Franklin, Stella Miles Franklin wrote the esteemed early-20th-century novel My Brilliant Career. Holly Lucas narrates with style, nicely shifting tone and tempo when switching between female and male characters and deftly capturing the plucky Aussie. Franklin went on to use other pen names, including Brent of Bin Bin, as well as work for the suffrage movement in Chicago, serve as a cook in Serbia during WWI, and do undercover work as a servant in London. She left a sizeable sum to fund what is now Australia’s most prestigious literary award.
Franklin wrote award-winning books, and her dedication to Australia’s unsung wild outback remains a lasting legacy.Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 13 hrs, 27 mins
DD ISBN: 9798889662235
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2026
In this fascinating coming-of-age portrait, Thomas Black Bull's journey from the child, Bear's Brother, to the fearsome rodeo rider, Killer Tom Black, is painted with compassion and insight. Forced to learn the White Man's ways, Tom reaches adulthood consumed by rage. Read with great vigor by Norman Dietz, the recording bursts with the energy of rodeo circuit and transports the listener to the southwest. The accurate portrayal of Tom's Ute ancestry and way of life, the sorrow and frustration of losing his heritage, and his angry retaliation at the world make this an excellent listening choice for adults and teenagers. It would also be a wonderful addition to high school units on the Native American experience.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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