Digging a hole five feet deep and five feet across is a formidable task. Digging innumerable holes under the Texas summer sun in a dry lake bed infested with rattlesnakes, scorpions and poisonous yellow-spotted lizards is meant to challenge one's instinct for survival. When Stanley Yelnats, wrongfully convicted of theft, is sentenced to time at Camp Green Lake Juvenile Correctional Facility, his focus is endurance, but his lessons extend to family history and the great wheel of justice. Kerry Beyer's smooth narration draws the reader into Stanley's unfortunate experience without theatrics. As a result of Beyer's unvarnished delivery, the listener believes in Stanley's unlikely existence, and Sachar's improbable cast of secondary characters is individualized in entertaining fashion. An admirable reading of the 1999 Newbery Award novel.
(Fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1999
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Arserio perfectly captures Hafsa’s boldness as she fights for herself and others.
Narrator Shiromi Arserio establishes a determined voice for Hafsa, a Pakistani village girl who longs to attend a summer science camp focused on medicine in the city to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. At first, her parents firmly reject the idea, but after her sister’s husband insists that Hafsa could stay with them, her father relents. Arserio beautifully portrays Hafsa’s disappointment when she learns that the camp’s topic is climate change instead of medicine, and her resilience when she makes the most of it anyway. When Hafsa takes up the cause of finding a new home with better conditions for an elephant at the local zoo, Arserio’s energetic narration brings the story to life.
Arserio perfectly captures Hafsa’s boldness as she fights for herself and others. (Fiction. 9-13)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 24 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217280414
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: April 10, 2026
A heartfelt audiobook for the entire family to enjoy.
With a youthful voice, Jeff Ebner brings much emotion to this realistic middle-grade novel. Ten-year-old Nathan Savage is consumed with worry that the gigantic pile of trash across the street from his home is about to collapse. He’s even more worried that his father, who works at the top of said pile, is in extreme danger. It’s up to Nathan to devise a flawless plan to save the day. Ebner’s fast-paced, energetic narration moves the action along, engaging young listeners to the very last word.
A heartfelt audiobook for the entire family to enjoy. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217280445
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: April 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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