Author Lois Lowry narrates a heartrending historical account of lives lost during the events of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima--all told in verse. Lowry details her childhood memories of growing up in Hawaii and later moving to Japan, including reverent depictions of sailors and citizens who perished during the horrendous events of WWII. Lowry's well-paced and gentle narration guides listeners through tragedy and hope, creating an approachable and immersive depiction that maintains emotional intensity. Her beautiful and sincere performance is intended for young listeners but doesn't require the illustrations in the print edition--although they would make an excellent companion to the audiobook.
(Memoir/poetry. 10-14)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
Duration: 38 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593151013
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A disappointment.
Narrator JJ Hawkins gives voice to the hurt and anger eighth grader Jasper, an autistic trans boy, feels when his older brother goes off to college while Jasper channels his emotions into digging for fossils in the backyard. It can’t be possible…but then a saber-toothed tiger speaks telepathically to Jasper from beneath the earth. What could be cooler? Unfortunately, Gow’s free verse poems emphasize Jasper’s roiling emotions over plotting and pacing, with the result that listeners spend more time hearing how Jasper feels than they do experiencing the suspense of discovery and the excitement that ensues. Hawkins does his best to lend Jasper some nuance, but his efforts can go only so far with a character who is written as an exposed raw nerve.
A disappointment. (Verse fiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798349108426
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Ho perfectly captures Mei Mei’s complex emotions as she endures the most difficult and painful experience of her life.
Narrator Catherine Ho creates a determined voice for 12-year-old Mei Mei, a Chinese American girl living in 1880s San Francisco. Her parents send her to live with her aunt and uncle in Eureka, California, so she can attend school. Ho expresses Mei Mei’s anguish when her aunt and uncle force her to work instead of attending school, as promised. When a co-worker offers to teach Mei Mei to read, it gives her a taste of the freedom she longs for. When violence breaks out in the city, forcing Chinese people to leave, Ho’s narration becomes dramatic and fast-paced, reflecting the intense moment.
Ho perfectly captures Mei Mei’s complex emotions as she endures the most difficult and painful experience of her life. (Verse historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798318537615
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
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