An engaging, emotionally intelligent coming-of-age adventure rendered with authenticity.
Noah Keawekane’s warm narration makes this tale of 13-year-old Nohea Alapaʻi, a Hawaiian boy who’s descended on his absent father’s side from the shark king Kāmohoaliʻi, feel grounded and utterly believable. Thanks to his mom’s and grandmother’s perpetual fear of his “sharking out”—going berserk and chomping on someone—Nohea is growing up home-schooled and vegetarian. A surfing contest with a desperately needed cash prize launches him on a journey of connection and self-discovery. Keawekane’s smooth delivery shifts easily through different emotional registers, amplifying Nohea’s struggles with sharklike physical changes that mirror the chaos of puberty, exciting Hawaiian mythology, and touching scenes among family and friends.
An engaging, emotionally intelligent coming-of-age adventure rendered with authenticity.(Fantasy. 10-14)
Pub Date: May 5, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 57 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217341986
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 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
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community.
In June 2023, an unknown person abandoned four pet rabbits in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Heights Park. Over the following weeks, neighbors of all ages came together to track and trap the bunnies. Narrator Amy Jensen seamlessly blends humor with a more serious tone as she guides listeners through the extensive rescue operation as well as the origins of the park, the history of rabbit domestication, and the backgrounds of the folks who spent long, tiring days crawling through ivy and scrub to bring the rabbits to safety. Jensen’s cheerful, child-friendly tones are informative and straightforward, including when she details the highs and lows of animal rescue beyond the immediate thrill of success.
A thoughtful and surprisingly exciting real-life adventure tale about survival and community. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 20 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668659199
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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