The authors have collaborated on a timely story about first-generation immigrants finding their place as they navigate the challenges of middle school. Nikhaar Kishani is the voice of Sara, daughter of Pakistani immigrants and recent transfer from a small Islamic academy to a huge public middle school. Kishani gives Sara a believable voice as she struggles with feelings of loneliness, anger, and otherness. Kishani uses a subtle accent for Sara's parents and for Pakistani words to add realism. Elizabeth, who has a British mother and a Jewish father, is given a believable teen voice by Caitlin Kelly. She easily communicates Elizabeth's excitement for the cooking club, willingness to build new friendships, and worry over her mother's sadness. This is an audiobook to share and discuss.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2020
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780358343554
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Powerful listening.
Four narrators personalize the tragedy of Houston’s 2017 Hurricane Harvey through the viewpoints of three struggling teens. Sunil Malhotra depicts Pakistani American Yasir’s many facets—his determination to succeed at soccer, his barely controlled rage about racism, his sadness about his father’s death, and his deep fear of drowning. Nikhaar Kashnani portrays South Asian American Mona. Weighed down by caring for her young brother, she loses herself in art and dreads her recurring nightmare about a flood. Josh Hurley renders Cody’s cruel, racist bullying as well as his fear of the dark, a result of being abused by his father. Christopher Salazar enthusiastically delivers interstitial news bulletins. When flooding from Harvey makes them face their worst fears, the resilient threesome’s separate stories come together and they support each other’s bravery.
Powerful listening.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063389557
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
Narrator Sunny Lu creates a passionate voice for seventh grader Luna in this coming-of-age realistic fiction. Luna leaves her introverted life behind when she becomes a bibliotherapist for her fellow classmates, recommending books to help them in times of need and eventually writing her own zines with the assistance of her best friend, Scott. Lu perfectly captures Luna's complex emotions as she abandons Scott and joins the popular group. Now rather than writing to help others, she starts to hurt others by writing about their faults and flaws in "fix-its." Listeners will relate to Luna's struggles as she loses her way and will cheer her on in hopes that she finds her way back.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217081578
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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