Narrator Elizabeth Wiley superbly brings this extraordinary historical fiction to life. It's the start of summer vacation, 1953; the McCarthy Hearings are in full swing. Wiley uses a somber voice to narrate from the historical record. Her voice for 13-year-old Richard is full of curiosity, confusion, and a few cracks as he tries to navigate his world. With masterful intonation and pacing, she brings personality to Richard's overprotective mother, his troubled father, his precocious younger sister, and his neighbors, who are new immigrants. Richard finds a soul mate in the son, Vlad, and the world these neighbors expose him to forces him to examine what America means. This is a powerful cautionary tale, with lessons we still need to learn today.
(Historical fiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781538429877
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A poignant portrait of bravery.
Graham Halstead’s narration contains layers of emotion that fully reveal the character and growth of 13-year-old Lucas Dubois, an orphan living in 1944 occupied France. Halstead shows Lucas’ compassion as he rescues newborn kittens from being drowned. Lucas’ tenderness extends to a teen mother kept at the Lebensborn, a Nazi maternity home dedicated to producing soldiers-to-be. Lucas delivers groceries and conveys underground messages. Halstead also reveals the prickly nature of Alice, an older teen protecting her horse from being captured by Nazis. Halstead’s performance matches the breakneck pacing when Lucas stands up to German soldiers and confronts his own sense of insecurity.
A poignant portrait of bravery. (Historical fiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250433039
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 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
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