Narrator Dylan Moore's slow, even pacing gives voice to 12-year-old Nova, a nonverbal foster child on the autism spectrum who is counting down the days to the promised return of her runaway sister, Bridget, on the day of the space shuttle CHALLENGER's launch. In flashbacks, listeners hear Bridget's fierce, protective love for Nova in her tough tone, which is sharp with the anger of someone who is forced to grow up too quickly. Moore gives memorably distinct voices to each of the students in Nova's special needs classroom, as well as to Nova's new foster family. Moore's portrayal of Nova is wonderfully nuanced, realistically voicing her attempts at speech, her happiness as she begins to thrive in her foster home, and her mounting unease as the story moves toward its heartrending climax.
(Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781984884701
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant.
Samara Naeymi beautifully narrates this middle-grade novel about an Iranian American girl. Bullied by her classmates for her frizzy hair and thick eyebrows and criticized by her mother for her weight, Yasmin struggles to be her authentic self in a world that tells her she's not good enough. There are many different perspectives in this story, and Naeymi is true to each: Yasmin’s judgmental mother, with her Persian accent and steely belief in her own harsh parenting; the ruthless teenagers whose hurtful comments cause emotional harm; the younger brother concerned for his sister's unhappiness; and the tried-and-true best friend.
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9798349114861
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
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