Narrator Bahni Turpin perfectly captures 10-year-old Octobia May, who's sent to live with her Aunt Shuma in her boardinghouse after she suffers a heart ailment at birth. Turpin portrays each of the personable boarders, skillfully re-creating men and women—Jewish, black, and white—as independent and distinct individuals. Feisty Octobia has a freedom seldom enjoyed by other "colored" girls in Eisenhower's America. She's convinced Mr. Davenport, one of the boarders, is a vampire. When she and her friend, Jonah, try to prove it, they have a thrilling adventure and learn that things aren't always what they seem. Officer O'Malley is Turpin's standout character—his accent and personality are pure Irish-American cop! In addition to enjoying an exciting mystery, young listeners will learn about 1950s America.
(. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Past and present come together seamlessly.
Casey Holloway and Emily Eiden perform alternating chapters of this audiobook about two girls connected through time. In the present day, 13-year-old Penny Marks is angry and resentful about her parents’ decision to move their family to Paris for her mother’s museum job. In 1943, 13-year-old Marie Bonnet and her sister live alone in Nazi-occupied Paris. Holloway depicts the curious, determined, artistic Penny, who pursues the mystery of a painting hidden in a wall and a letter written 80 years earlier. With an accented narration, Eiden reveals Marie’s entry into the French Resistance and her commitment to hiding French art from the Germans.
Past and present come together seamlessly. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063321816
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
Contemporary Brooklyn is home to a diverse group of characters voiced by Nikki Massoud in this middle-grade mystery with a slight fantasy twist. In this second installment, amateur sleuths Roya and Amin are approached by their neighbor and fellow classmate, 12-year-old Thea, to find the treasure left in their building by her estranged grandfather. Showcasing her skills, Massoud interweaves vibrant characters and periodic Iranian words. Roya and Amin are given energetic and confident voices, while Thea's breathy voice portrays a more reserved and introverted personality. Massoud captures three generations of characters ranging from tired parents and grandparents to boisterous children.
(Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217157068
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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