A cast of narrators gives voices to the 18 students in Miss Hill's fifth- grade class. As they write daily poems over the course of the school year, a picture emerges of each personality and of the pros and cons of keeping the run-down school open or replacing it. Over the course of the year, thanks to Miss Hill, the students come to understand the power of the First Amendment and find their own voices. Listeners get to know the students as individuals through their poems. One student is reticent to commit to paper, another is sharing a home with a sick grandfather, another is a twin with an unwelcome nickname, and yet another the class president. By year's end, one senses the coming together of the whole group. The narrators shine at expressing the emotions in the poems.
(Verse novel. 8-12)Pub Date: July 15, 2016
Duration: 3 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501925566
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lemony Snicket, who became known for challenging listeners’ vocabularies in his Series of Unfortunate Events, chooses 13 seemingly random words and arranges them into the story of a “despondent” bird and a dog who tries to cheer his friend by visiting a “haberdashery” to buy a hat with “panache.” Michael Emerson’s intonations and phrasing allow listeners to picture characters and settings even without Maira Kalman's illustrations. He encourages listeners to savor the sounds of words as the author intended. Who wouldn’t buy a hat from a breathy sales-baby who describes “panache” as “a kind of verve or swagger”? In an amazing artistic interpretation, Snicket’s final word, “mezzo-soprano,” becomes an opera of the book, created by real-life composer Nico Muhly.
Ages 8+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2010
Duration: 6 mins
DD ISBN: 9781443404433
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Author and narrator Enrique Flores-Galbis is a master of duality in this nuanced story of the Cuban revolution. His writing and narration are superb. In both, his humble style of storytelling is arresting. When revolution comes to Cuba, Julian is just a boy. He doesn’t even know what a revolution is. In leaving Cuba and losing his family, Julian finds new ways in which he’s both vulnerable and strong. Flores-Galbis’s voice embodies the contradictions of Julian’s experience. We hear that vulnerability in a soft, almost hesitant, voice; underneath is a quiet confidence. The pacing ebbs and flows as naturally as the tide between Havana and Miami as Julian figures out what is right and determines to do his part to help.
Ages 10+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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