A disease has killed everyone over age 12, and Lisa becomes the leader of the survivors, courageously facing countless challenges and problems. With soft overtones Dretzin nimbly moves from one preadolescent character to the next, varying voices through pitch and intensity. Her reading tone lightens during conversations, adding animation to these sections. She picks up the pace during exciting moments but also allows for short pauses to dramatize the importance of events. The long narrative passages tend to occasionally slow down the momentum but also allow the story's ideas to be heard. An interesting survival story is enhanced by Dretzin's skilled reading.
Ages 10+Pub Date: 1998
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Robb Moreira summons a mythic tone for this original spinoff of the Aztec creation story. In Higuera's story, the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl's lesser-known brother, Xolotl, recounts "what really happened." Xolo has a dog's head, paws, and, most importantly, a love of humankind. Moreira's declamatory tones suit the epic nature of the story but also sometimes flatten the nuances of Higuera's characterizations. Listeners who don't seek out the print edition to accompany the audiobook will miss illustrator Mariana Ruiz Johnson's strikingly stylized figures, colorfully lush design, and critical narrative detail that's often communicated only in the illustrations. Those who do read and listen will occasionally find themselves zooming past wordless sequences that demand close attention. Both otherworldly and sweet--and perhaps best enjoyed in print.
(Mythology. 7-10)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 1 hr
DD ISBN: 9798899735035
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A full cast dramatizes Janey's fourth-grade year, during which she's homeschooled aboard her parents' sailboat as they travel the Caribbean. There's much Janey likes about their peripatetic life, but she misses regular school, especially Rae, her best friend from third grade. But when they anchor in St. Thomas, she meets Astrid, a slightly older--and slightly dangerous--girl who lives aboard her family's boat. Terrific sound design immerses listeners in Janey's seagoing life, while solid casting creates fully realized characters. Ashley J. Hobbs and Rachel Jacobs, as Astrid and Rae, are good foils for Jesse Vilinsky's energetic Janey, who is growing more aware of the world around her. Based on the author's own experiences, the story is as messy and absorbing as real life.
(Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 2 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781546173632
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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