The native New Zealand accent of narrator Tameka Sowman Vahatau brings the setting to life in this audiobook about a biracial--white and Samoan--girl. Through 12-year-old Sofia's first-person diary entries, listeners hear about the political unrest in 1970s New Zealand. When Sofia's brother joins the Polynesian Panthers, a group protesting government injustices against native Maori and immigrant Pacific Islanders, Sofia begins to develop a deeper awareness of civil rights in her community. Vahatau's friendly tone and lively pace make Sofia relatable as an ordinary teenager who loves fashion, music, and TV even though her accent, culture, and the time she lives in may be unfamiliar to listeners. Many words will also be unfamiliar, but a glossary at the end helps explain them.
(Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2021
Duration: 3 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781662083358
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lawrence enthusiastically portrays Cora and her friends in this fast-paced historical-fiction adventure.
Narrator Emily Lawrence creates a determined voice for Cora, who is desperately trying to survive the tragic 1906 earthquake in San Francisco with her two friends Chi and Oliver. Lawrence captures Cora’s tumultuous emotions as she and Chi are buried in rubble following the disaster and saved by her forbidden friend Oliver. Despite the bitter feud between their parents, Cora and Oliver work together to try to find her family as fire keeps spreading throughout their beloved city, all while running from bullies who are after Cora. Lawrence makes each character unique and adds a slight Irish accent for Oliver.
Lawrence enthusiastically portrays Cora and her friends in this fast-paced historical-fiction adventure. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225033521
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
Past and present come together seamlessly.
Casey Holloway and Emily Eiden perform alternating chapters of this audiobook about two girls connected through time. In the present day, 13-year-old Penny Marks is angry and resentful about her parents’ decision to move their family to Paris for her mother’s museum job. In 1943, 13-year-old Marie Bonnet and her sister live alone in Nazi-occupied Paris. Holloway depicts the curious, determined, artistic Penny, who pursues the mystery of a painting hidden in a wall and a letter written 80 years earlier. With an accented narration, Eiden reveals Marie’s entry into the French Resistance and her commitment to hiding French art from the Germans.
Past and present come together seamlessly. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063321816
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
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