The plight of women in the Taliban-controlled mountains of Afghanistan moves women all over the world. Mozhan Marno narrates a gripping adventure story about two teenage girls who are abandoned by their traveling escort and left to journey on their own through mountain passes and across borders, with guns and bombs on every side. Marno brings Tamanna, who suffers from a limp, and British/Afghan Yasmine to life. Yasmine's well-educated parents can't seem to see that their very education makes the family a target for the Taliban. The use of Afghan words draws listeners in, anchoring us in time and place. American soldiers have a strong presence in the story, and Marno gives them sympathetic voices as they struggle with a culture that's thoroughly non-Western. With exuberance yet careful control, Marno invites us to see through the mesh of a burqa.
Young AdultPub Date: Jan. 25, 2011
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780307879707
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners follow Merry, the longbow girl, one of the best archers in her town. When she finds a magical portal in the forest that takes her back to sixteenth-century Wales, she must use her skills to win an archery contest in order to help her ancestors keep their land. While narrator Emily Wilden brings protagonist Merry to life with a rich Welsh accent, her narration seems uneven at times. All the period characters have accents that reflect the setting of the story and transport listeners to Wales. Listeners who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of fantasy will be charmed by this tale of determination, hope, and family.
Young AdultPub Date: N/A
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501916793
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In 1832 thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is sailing from Liverpool to Rhode Island to rejoin her family. Shocked to discover that the families who were to have been both guardians and companions will not accompany her, Charlotte embarks on a journey filled with terror and swashbuckling adventure. The first-person narrative makes this Newbery Honor book a wonderful choice for recording. O'Karma's reading, with its hint of cross-gender differentiation, allows the listener to feel as if Charlotte Doyle herself were relating the tale. This story should be particularly alluring to adolescent girls although the fast-paced action and the nautical setting will also appeal to male listeners. Ages 12-adult.
Ages 12+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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