Narrator Jax Jackson quickly convinces listeners of Bug's determination to acquire a sense of self before middle school. There are several reasons for this: his beloved Uncle Roddy's death, a ghostly presence that haunts his dreams, and viewpoints he holds that don't jibe with friends' interests. Jackson's delivery also conveys the deeper uncertainty this 11-year-old is facing. By exploring Uncle Roddy's open gayness and past--he was a drag queen--Bug begins to understand his transgender identity. He finally concludes, "I've never recognized myself before, but now I do." Jackson gives a realistic representation of grief, friendship, and coming out for a middle grade audience, along with a dose of ghost story. The production includes a contextual afterword by the author.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 20, 2021
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593346303
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Smith’s spunky delivery keeps this quirky friendship story plausible.
Ina-Marie Smith’s charming performance captures the sweetly bewitching story of Greta, the only human member of her family, and Agnes, her new human neighbor. Greta lives in a haunted castle with parents who are dragons and brothers who are a ghost, a vampire, and a zombie, respectively—and they all get humorous voices from Smith. Greta longs for a friend and decides to audition Agnes for the job. However, her gift to Agnes—a monster ferret—puts their budding friendship to the test. Amusing wordplay and fairy tale references are upbeat, not scary, and a glimpse of Greta’s monster family out shopping and encountering “normal people” is moving.
Smith’s spunky delivery keeps this quirky friendship story plausible. (Fantasy. 7-11)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9781547617371
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
Solid middle-grade horror.
Kaipo Schwab performs this fourth outing in the Tales From Cabin 23 series. In this entry, a Lipan Apache middle schooler finds himself trapped in a house that’s slowly falling into the ocean off coastal Massachusetts. Sean’s been uprooted from his Texas home to live temporarily with his cousin, Zeke, and Schwab convincingly captures his hesitancy and earnestness. Little Badger’s story is propulsive, and Schwab matches its pacing easily. His characterizations also include brash and confident Zeke as well as lonely schoolmate Jenny and “Many Names,” a monster who’s as displaced as Sean—and very hungry. Each character comes alive for listeners as Sean desperately works to rescue himself, his cousin, and their new friend from both Many Names and the Atlantic.
Solid middle-grade horror. (Horror. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063298286
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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