Narrator Laurence Bouvard has the voice of surfer-girl Anise down pat. The summer before her senior year finds her looking forward to surfing, partying, and hanging out with her friends on the beach--until a family emergency sends her and her father to Nebraska to help out when her aunt is seriously injured. Anise sounds confident and self-absorbed yet often unable to be honest and open with friends and family. She has the singsong voice girls of that age use, making everything seem sooo important and exciting. Most of the other characters' voices are appropriate to their ages and cultures, except Lincoln, who sounds much older than a recent high school graduate. The overuse of expletives cheapens the story.
(Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 9, 2017
Duration: 9 hrs
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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