Neither artistic Kai nor wealthy Phoenix, portrayed by Ewan Chung and Christina Ho, feels at home in Hong Kong. Phoenix spent several years in the U.S. and Kai lived in Shanghai. Now both teens struggle with Hong Kong's Cantonese dialect, a plot point clearly made in audio. Resigned and bitter, Kai is enrolled in the police academy by his estranged father and becomes an informant during the protests of 2019. Phoenix joins the protest movement despite parental pressure to return to the U.S. to attend an Ivy League college. Joy and flirtation emerge when the teens meet and begin dating. The narrators' deliveries of their evolving emotions match the intensifying pace of the story. The depiction of secondary characters consistently also fits the narrative of this unflinching production.
(Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: June 20, 2023
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668628881
Publisher: Hachette 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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