In this lyrical historical novel about America before and during the Civil War, we follow 15-year-old Tilly Pruit of Illinois as she pursues her errant young brother, who has run off to enlist in the Union Army. Tilly is accompanied by Delphine, a lovely young visitor up from New Orleans. As we and Tilly discover, Delphine is not what she appears. Daniel Passer begins the book, speaking to us in the voice of Tilly's grandson, taken in 1916 to meet his grandmother for the first time. He has a pleasant, easy voice and a fine sense of a boy's pacing as he tells his part of the story. Lina Patel also excels with the many characters and the emotional complexities of the plot. Her Northern country people are plain without being caricatures, and her Southerners convince without too many drippy drawls. This personal story of the great national schism involves us in all ways. A.C.S. 2005 YALSA Selection © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
Ages 8+Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2004
Duration: 3 hrs, 30 mins
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
Powerful and affirming.
Narrator Erin Tripp’s melodious voice cradles listeners of this celebration of the unbreakable ties between Indigenous families and the land they walk on. In turn, the audiobook’s young protagonist reflects on wisdom learned from grandparents, parents, little sister, and community. Nature-based metaphors and similes reinforce the reciprocal relationship between the child and the land. “You are the land,” the child learns. “You are the sea...mountains…sky.” Tripp, whose heritage is Lingít, invests each iteration of “You are” with a gentle firmness that underscores the web of connections among child, family, community, and land. Littlebird’s tribes are Atfalati Kalapuya and Clatsop Chinook, and listeners who seek out the print edition will enjoy illustrations that present the lush glory of her people’s Oregon homelands.
Powerful and affirming. (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 4 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217280407
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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