Narrator Adam Verner commendably recounts the life of German Lutheran minister and former pacifist Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was one of the first people to alert the world to the diabolical activities of Adolf Hitler. A skillfully rendered timeline of Nazism will keep young listeners engaged, and sometimes appalled. When Bonhoeffer becomes deeply involved in plans to assassinate Hitler, revealing explanations of how his religious views permit such behavior are offered. Bonhoeffer believed that silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Verner's comforting voice is necessary when he imparts details of Bonhoeffer's death, particularly since his parents learn of it from the radio. Audio is the ideal way to become aware of this less-well-known but important historical figure.
(Biography. 11-14)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
Duration: 2 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062570246
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ken Coleman's expertise as a baseball announcer enriches this history of the Boston Red Sox since the sale of Babe Ruth to the N.Y. Yankees. He leads off with a grim account of this transaction, which started the curse that has plagued the Red Sox ever since. The sermon-like tone will amuse non-believers and comfort listeners who are certain the team is cursed. Like the ups and downs of Boston's play through the years, the narrator's voice fluctuates--exuberant and then despondent--in tone and tempo accurately reflecting the mood of any given baseball season. The narrator is very successful at conveying the emotional roller coaster ride Red Sox fans have endured as a result of the curse of the Bambino.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A perfect portrayal.
Nickel reads her imaginative picture-book biography of Hans Christian Andersen in a fairy-tale tone. She weaves the facts of the famous storyteller’s life together with a sense of whimsy, stressing rhythms and repetitions that captivate. It’s as if she embodies the storytelling spirit of the poor shoemaker’s son who possessed a nose “two times as long” and a heart “two times as tender” as everyone else around him. Nickel’s narration and writing are as inventive as Andersen, who, when rejected by theaters, dance studios, and choirs, created cut-paper characters while he told children his tales. The man who saw himself as an ugly duckling is finally admired as “the most beautiful swan of all.”
A perfect portrayal. (Picture-book biography. 5-7)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 6 mins
DD ISBN: 9798898851132
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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