Narrator Kate Simses’s portrayal of 12-year-old Emma is youthful, spunky, and, at times, tinged with the sadness of “the Big Empty,” a feeling that began with the recent death of Emma’s mother. Simses’s Southern accents give a sense of Black Bird Hollow and the Boneyard Café, owned by Emma’s tattooed, motorcycle-riding Granny Blue. Doing great justice to Lloyd’s colorful descriptions and flights of fancy, Simses skips through unique similes, heightens the tension of the haunted graveyard, and bursts into the songs embedded in the story. Her expression of the magical words and situations is as strong as her voicing of Emma’s confusion about the Destiny Dream that will steer her future.
(Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780545910323
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A listen that will work best as a companion to the print book.
Cindy Kay narrates this first in a planned series. The story unfolds with the first meeting of the Skeleton and the Cat. The friendly Cat disturbs the Skeleton's solitary, peaceful home life, hoping to make a friend. Kay employs a perky, lighthearted voice for the Cat. He tries jokes, food, and dancing to make friends with the Skeleton, who does not joke, eat, or dance. She is aloof but never sounds unkind or impatient. As opposites often do, they become friends. Kay's narration is quiet, slow, and comforting, but unfortunately, some of the humor is visual and doesn’t translate to the audiobook.
A listen that will work best as a companion to the print book. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
Duration: 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063577213
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Together, author and narrator create a three-dimensional character to root for.
Sunny Lu’s soft and youthful voice is perfect for April, a 12-year-old theater geek who happens to need a tracheostomy tube to help her breathe. April believes that her audition for the school play went so well that she’s sure to get the lead, so she’s devastated when she is confined to a backstage role because of her disability. Lu adapts her tone to each supporting character—April’s Chinese American parents; her best friend, Ruby, who lives by tarot cards; school bully Graham; and Zahra, whose activist mother wants to see more Muslims on the stage. April’s underhanded strategy to grab back the lead role sows discord until she finds a solution.
Together, author and narrator create a three-dimensional character to root for. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217295906
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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