Narrator Eric Mok strikes just the right tone as 11-year-old Danny Chung in this sweet middle-grade audiobook. Danny's parents spring a surprise on him: His grandmother from China, whom he's never met, arrives to live with them in England. She's going to be sharing Danny's room, and they can barely communicate with each other. Mok delivers Nai Nai's mix of Chinese and English and captures Danny's frustration at being on Nai Nai duty when he'd rather be drawing comics with his best friend, Ravi. But the more misadventures Danny and Nai Nai get up to together, the more he comes to appreciate his grandmother, who turns out to be, among other things, a whiz at bingo. It's a satisfying intergenerational story that balances the silly and the serious.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798212379649
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The plot, performances, and production are funny and engaging and make Pedro’s world feel vibrant and full.
This full cast audio rendition of a graphic memoir conveys the energy and brightness of that visual medium. The story recounts Pedro’s challenging but hopeful and humorous childhood as a migrant farmworker in the U.S., growing up with dreams of a life in the arts. Sound effects and musical interludes punctuate the narrative. Plates rattle as an earthquake shakes a restaurant, and birds sing in the bushes on a berry farm as Pedro’s family works. The animated performances by this large cast, especially the boyish voice of Oscar Emmanuel Fabela as Pedro, are perfect to hook preteen listeners—and adults, too.
The plot, performances, and production are funny and engaging and make Pedro’s world feel vibrant and full. (Graphic memoir. 10-16)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 38 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217349708
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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