Cassandra Morris’s beautifully fluid narration highlights the themes of identity and friendship in this heartwarming story. Julia just wants to be like the other girls. Unlike Avery and Becca, her Chinese “sisters”—who were both adopted from the same orphanage that she was—Julia wants to forget all about China and adoption. With her youthful voice, Morris embodies Julia, capturing the turmoil and mortification of a girl who is struggling to accept her identity while also trying to fit in with the cliques at her summer camp. Morris’s performance is touching. Her lively modulations and giggles convey the high, excited tones of girls as they laugh and bicker, while strained whispers capture the quiet, heartfelt moments as secrets are shared and loyalties betrayed.
Ages 8+Pub Date: April 1, 2016
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781520005959
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ken Coleman's expertise as a baseball announcer enriches this history of the Boston Red Sox since the sale of Babe Ruth to the N.Y. Yankees. He leads off with a grim account of this transaction, which started the curse that has plagued the Red Sox ever since. The sermon-like tone will amuse non-believers and comfort listeners who are certain the team is cursed. Like the ups and downs of Boston's play through the years, the narrator's voice fluctuates--exuberant and then despondent--in tone and tempo accurately reflecting the mood of any given baseball season. The narrator is very successful at conveying the emotional roller coaster ride Red Sox fans have endured as a result of the curse of the Bambino.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A relatable and heartwarming story given an extra kick by Meskimen’s fine performance.
Taylor Meskimen perfectly captures the sweet, confused teen at the center of this novel. Grace is laser focused on winning “Eighth-Grade Top Scholar,” and she gets a bit lost when she misses by the smallest of margins. She spends the summer plowing through a to-do list she develops with her sister and cousin: Make a new friend, take a writing class, run with a boy she likes, babysit her father’s girlfriend’s young son. Nothing goes to plan but all prove to be opportunities to find her place in the world. Meskimen’s narration expresses the joy of a first kiss, the angst of being misunderstood, and the physical pain of shin splints.
A relatable and heartwarming story given an extra kick by Meskimen’s fine performance. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 29 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217409839
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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