Em Grosland narrates this story of a school-picture day gone wrong. Andrew is a worrier, and today he has more than enough to worry about. Besides his best friend's new friends, his mom's new job, and his grandmother's worsening Alzheimer's, he has to spend his day dodging bullies, basketballs, ketchup rockets, and getting his photograph taken. Grosland expertly blends Andrew's wry sense of humor with his forthright explanations of his struggles with anxiety and obsessive behaviors. As the pressure builds inside Andrew, Grosland subtly increases their pitch and speed to mimic the sensations being described. The audio production effectively uses sound effects, lively music, and Grosland's exaggerated tones to stand in for the illustrated panels included in the print edition.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593945896
Publisher: Listening Library
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: today
Together, author and narrator create a three-dimensional character to root for.
Sunny Lu’s soft and youthful voice is perfect for April, a 12-year-old theater geek who happens to need a tracheostomy tube to help her breathe. April believes that her audition for the school play went so well that she’s sure to get the lead, so she’s devastated when she is confined to a backstage role because of her disability. Lu adapts her tone to each supporting character—April’s Chinese American parents; her best friend, Ruby, who lives by tarot cards; school bully Graham; and Zahra, whose activist mother wants to see more Muslims on the stage. April’s underhanded strategy to grab back the lead role sows discord until she finds a solution.
Together, author and narrator create a three-dimensional character to root for. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217295906
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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