A relatable and heartwarming story given an extra kick by Meskimen’s fine performance.
Taylor Meskimen perfectly captures the sweet, confused teen at the center of this novel. Grace is laser focused on winning “Eighth-Grade Top Scholar,” and she gets a bit lost when she misses by the smallest of margins. She spends the summer plowing through a to-do list she develops with her sister and cousin: Make a new friend, take a writing class, run with a boy she likes, babysit her father’s girlfriend’s young son. Nothing goes to plan but all prove to be opportunities to find her place in the world. Meskimen’s narration expresses the joy of a first kiss, the angst of being misunderstood, and the physical pain of shin splints.
A relatable and heartwarming story given an extra kick by Meskimen’s fine performance. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 29 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217409839
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
A mismatch between performer and text.
Fleischman’s 1987 Newbery-winning classic comes to listeners in a new edition read by Ralph Lister. Appropriately for this story of injustice—the title character’s function is to receive the punishments richly earned by the aptly nicknamed Prince Brat—Lister leans into British class-coded accents for his interpretation. Using a vaguely northern lilt for the third-person narration, Lister voices whipping boy Jemmy with a cockney twang and Prince Brat with hoity-toity upper-crust nasality. Unfortunately, for neither boy does the gravelly voiced performer attempt any youthful lightness, and Jemmy’s twang often makes him sound whinier than Prince Brat. The story is fast-paced and broadly comedic but not without nuance; however, Lister’s forceful delivery threatens to overwhelm its quieter, more contemplative moments.
A mismatch between performer and text. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
Duration: 1 hr, 47 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063511934
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2026
Hartsough is well cast in this middle-grade novel.
Sixth grader Margot Stafford is navigating school, family, and a burgeoning interest in art. The perceptive Margot carefully observes those around her and worries about her mom, who suffers from depression and has a concerning new boyfriend. In Eevin Hartsough’s depiction, Margot sounds youthful and reflective, as befits an artistic and caring 12-year-old who is struggling with math as well as with shifting friendships, but who finds new direction working at an art gallery in town. Hartsough capably portrays a full cast of characters, including a vaguely accented teacher; Margot's older brother, Eli; her mom; and a stern neighbor, among others.
Hartsough is well cast in this middle-grade novel. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 28 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898858520
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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