Julia Song, who has recently moved to Plainfield, Illinois, is slowly finding her way in her new life as she also discovers the ways that she is like and different from her Korean parents. Mina Kim brings a refreshing voice to Julia, whose teen angst is exacerbated by her concerns about being stereotyped as a Korean. Kim's tones mirror the contrasts of the bubbly child and the moody teen, the forced brightness of her smile and the uncertainty of her inner voice, the kindness she shows to Mr. Dixon and the impatience she has toward her younger brother. Further, Julia's conversations with author Park between the story chapters, telling the story of the story, are always right. They're delivered in the tones and petulant voice of a teenager who wants life, and her story, to go her way.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2005
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 307245373
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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