Peter Ganim’s dreamlike voice transports listeners to Oman, the home young Aref Al-Amri must leave in a week to go to Michigan, where his parents will attend a three-year doctoral program. Listeners will be reminded of their own experiences with change as Ganim applies the perfect blend of anxiety and misery to Aref as he stubbornly refuses to pack his suitcase. Ganim’s performance exceeds expectations by nailing the bond between Aref and his grandfather, Sidi, who helps his grandson create a pocket of courage to say goodbye to all he loves, including sea turtles, fresh apricots, and the deep blue Arabian sea. Sidi’s voice is full of love, wisdom, and a mischievous spirit, which imbue the pair’s last week together with magic.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
Duration: 4 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062345608
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Sunny Lu creates a passionate voice for seventh grader Luna in this coming-of-age realistic fiction. Luna leaves her introverted life behind when she becomes a bibliotherapist for her fellow classmates, recommending books to help them in times of need and eventually writing her own zines with the assistance of her best friend, Scott. Lu perfectly captures Luna's complex emotions as she abandons Scott and joins the popular group. Now rather than writing to help others, she starts to hurt others by writing about their faults and flaws in "fix-its." Listeners will relate to Luna's struggles as she loses her way and will cheer her on in hopes that she finds her way back.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217081578
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 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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