Kristen Ariza's warm and lively narration suits a sweet and funny story of a "patchwork family" that is learning to live together in Harlem. Eleven-year-old Bo loves her quiet life with her mother and is knocked for a loop when they move in with Mum's kindhearted boyfriend, Bill. Ariza captures the joyful voices of the many residents of Bill's brownstone: his overly enthusiastic daughter, Sunday; the lively twins, Lili and Lee; the twins' Jamaican-American parents, plus a whole menagerie of animals. Listeners will hear Bo's feelings of being overwhelmed as she struggles to find her place in her new family and puts a lot of pressure on herself to succeed. All will cheer as Bo and her sisters come together to create a fantastic block-party-concert-wedding celebration for Mum and Bill. Joyful family listening.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593505427
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
A sensitive performance.
Deepa is a precocious 12-year-old girl in remission from leukemia. Under the tutelage of her uncle, a house call doctor, she becomes involved in solving teen tennis player Taio's puzzling medical mystery. Deepa is unsure of herself, but she’s ready to get back to middle school after a year away for treatment. Narrator Soneela Nankani depicts Deepa's desire to be more than the "sick kid" while navigating her youthful insecurities and the social challenges of middle school. Nankani also ably portrays Deepa's growing confidence in herself as she uses her own experience with illness to help figure out what’s wrong with Taio.
A sensitive performance. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 32 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668182833
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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