Iris, a 12-year-old deaf girl, prefers American Sign Language to speech, but listeners can still hear her every thought and sign. This is thanks to Abigail Revasch, who expressively narrates Iris's ASL conversations and mental musings. Iris struggles as a deaf girl in a mainstream school, often feeling isolated. When she learns of Blue 55, an unusual whale that sings at a frequency unrecognizable to other whales, Iris empathizes with his plight and devises a way to use technology to help him. Revasch captures Iris's frustration and anger as she furiously signs her displeasure to her parents, who refuse to let her participate in the Blue 55 tracking expedition, which takes place three thousand miles from her home. Other times, Revasch conveys the linguistic beauty of ASL in this insightful glimpse of deaf culture.
(Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781984832702
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A fabulous family listen.
Shannon Nicole Locke presents the innocence and timidity of Kitty, a formerly feral feline who’s adopted by a boy named Max. Kitty attempts to be perfect to win Max’s love and avoid a return to the shelter. Locke narrates both human and animal characters with a strength that brings alive a home haunted by the recent mysterious death of Licorice, Max’s first cat. Particularly notable is Locke’s portrayal of the parrot, Duchess, whose erudite, authoritarian tones are both commanding and chilling. Gradually, however, the truth becomes clear, and Kitty’s devotion to Max triumphs. Adults will marvel at this retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca while children will enjoy a spooky yet safe introduction to the gothic genre.
A fabulous family listen. (Animal fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225078904
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2026
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature.
Maxwell Glick narrates this nonfiction book about eels and scientific exploration with audible amusement and enthusiasm. Glick is humorously upbeat as he reveals how little we actually know about the threatened but once-ubiquitous eel. Young listeners will be able to imagine that they are eels and may be surprised to learn that for many years, people believed Aristotle’s theory that eels sprang spontaneously from mud. Author Day shares interesting tidbits, such as the fact that all American and European eels originate from and eventually return to the Sargasso Sea. But perhaps the most humbling fact is that scientists still don't know everything—especially when it comes to eels.
Glick's animated delivery is a great match for this unique peek at a common but surprisingly enigmatic creature. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217352708
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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