Burg and Brome take a violent place and time in American history—1960s Mississippi—and create the realistic but joyful story of Addie Ann Pickett. We follow Addie Ann's family during these dark days, when her adored brother disappears due to a misunderstanding and her beloved Uncle Bump is arrested for taking on local racists who are trying to cheat the black community. All of this occurs as the assassinated civil rights worker Medgar Evers is mourned by black America. Narrator Kenya Brome gives Addie Ann a wink in her voice. Brome also perfectly captures Addie Ann's spirited mother and her town’s redneck sheriff. Author Burg begins and ends the book with a chronology of events and injustices occurring even today. This story is perfect for those of all ages.
Ages 10+Pub Date: June 10, 2008
Duration: 8 hrs
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
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant.
Samara Naeymi beautifully narrates this middle-grade novel about an Iranian American girl. Bullied by her classmates for her frizzy hair and thick eyebrows and criticized by her mother for her weight, Yasmin struggles to be her authentic self in a world that tells her she's not good enough. There are many different perspectives in this story, and Naeymi is true to each: Yasmin’s judgmental mother, with her Persian accent and steely belief in her own harsh parenting; the ruthless teenagers whose hurtful comments cause emotional harm; the younger brother concerned for his sister's unhappiness; and the tried-and-true best friend.
Naeymi’s narration is both raw and triumphant. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9798349114861
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
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