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
Through Andromeda’s story, young listeners will learn more about the justice system and their rights.
Fifth grader Andromeda Diaz is concerned about her friend, Benji, who has been accused of stealing a valuable watch and is now facing charges. Andi, the daughter of two public defenders, doesn’t believe he committed the crime, and she works to figure out what really happened. Author Almanza, who was herself a public defender, performs her own work enthusiastically. Her narration style is casual, at times not quite nailing the rhythm of the text. While she’s not a professional narrator, her knowledge of the legal process shines through.
Through Andromeda’s story, young listeners will learn more about the justice system and their rights. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 11 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217352364
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
Strange brings the dramatic tension in her narration of this mysterious tale.
Faye Fitzgerald is not very happy about being sent to a boarding school on an island. She knows she did something bad, but she can’t recall what it was, so she doesn’t know why she’s being sent away. With a British accent, author Strange emotively narrates her own work, chronicling Faye and her friends' attempts to figure out what happened and how they can escape. Strange enhances the intrigue with accented voices for the assorted characters. An author's note includes information on the inspiration for and background of the story.
Strange brings the dramatic tension in her narration of this mysterious tale. (Historical thriller. 8-12)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225074463
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2026
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