Carla Corvo dances nimbly between languages in this verse novel about a Cuban immigrant girl who finds her voice in inglés with help from a Nobel laureate and an elephant family. In 1947, Oriol, 11, lives in Santa Barbara, California, where her parents, veterinarians, tend to Hollywood stars' exotic animals--and where Chilean poet, diplomat, and human rights activist Gabriela Mistral is her neighbor. "La poeta famosa" (the story's only historical figure) encourages Oriol's writing and her activism when an egotistical actor inflicts horrific abuse on a baby elephant. As is usually the case with poetry, there is a visual element to the placement of words that narration cannot capture. But Corvo's elephant vocalizations give the audio experience a sonorous depth, and her human characterizations are affecting.
(Verse historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
Duration: 2 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593589724
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A poignant portrait of bravery.
Graham Halstead’s narration contains layers of emotion that fully reveal the character and growth of 13-year-old Lucas Dubois, an orphan living in 1944 occupied France. Halstead shows Lucas’ compassion as he rescues newborn kittens from being drowned. Lucas’ tenderness extends to a teen mother kept at the Lebensborn, a Nazi maternity home dedicated to producing soldiers-to-be. Lucas delivers groceries and conveys underground messages. Halstead also reveals the prickly nature of Alice, an older teen protecting her horse from being captured by Nazis. Halstead’s performance matches the breakneck pacing when Lucas stands up to German soldiers and confronts his own sense of insecurity.
A poignant portrait of bravery. (Historical fiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250433039
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
It's 1975, and eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, a Hmong girl, is living in the highlands of Laos in a one-room house with her family. Then they are forced to flee. Narrator Robyn Morales lends a soft, feminine huskiness to the protagonist's voice as she describes the family's journey to a refugee camp, to gentle and thoughtful effect. The listener is transported alongside Gao Sheng to a new world as she reflects on memory, gender, and family relations in her culture; the events that change her life; and conditions in the refugee camp. An afterword provides context about the author's family's real-life experience. Morales' narration is comforting, even as she describes the difficult circumstances of refugees.
(Verse historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217080861
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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