Returning to narrate the third installment of the Finding Langston trilogy, Dion Graham once again brings historical fiction for kids to life. Feeling the aftershocks of his father's death in the Port Chicago disaster, Clem is growing up in the shadow of a man he barely remembers. As his family adjusts to their new normal, Clem struggles with fear, bravery, and finding his place in his family. Listeners will feel like they are in Chicago in the year 1944 as they are treated to Graham's exceptional performances of the people in Clem's world. Soft-spoken Momma, bossy big sisters and aunts, bullying--and bullied--classmates are all captured by Graham as he infuses his performance with the emotional depth it deserves.
(Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2021
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781662086151
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
It's 1975, and eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, a Hmong girl, is living in the highlands of Laos in a one-room house with her family. Then they are forced to flee. Narrator Robyn Morales lends a soft, feminine huskiness to the protagonist's voice as she describes the family's journey to a refugee camp, to gentle and thoughtful effect. The listener is transported alongside Gao Sheng to a new world as she reflects on memory, gender, and family relations in her culture; the events that change her life; and conditions in the refugee camp. An afterword provides context about the author's family's real-life experience. Morales' narration is comforting, even as she describes the difficult circumstances of refugees.
(Verse historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217080861
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Guy Lockard narrates the final episode in the Track series. This time the story focuses on the formative years of Coach, who's been central to the young runners in the previous titles. Back in the day, Coach was Otie Brody, a 12-year-old sprinter who longed for two things: to be like Carl Lewis and to have a pair of Jordans. Problems small and big enter his life: First, Otie accidentally shaves his forehead and eyebrows bloody; then his dad disappears due to a drug problem. Lockard balances lights and darks, humor and drama, authentic dialogues and evocative images in this fast-moving audiobook. His tour-de-force narration matches the power of a tough coming-of-age story that illuminates the compassion and caring of the man known as Coach.
(Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668150566
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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