Peering through brush in the starlight, Stella and her brother see hooded Klan figures burning a cross. They race home to bring the unwelcome news to their tightly knit North Carolina community, circa 1930. With an active KKK in town, the African-American residents are in danger. Narrator Heather Alicia Simms creates convincing character voices for Bumblebee's many residents who are struggling to overcome the segregated status quo—as well as for those who are working to preserve it. Stella struggles as a writer, trying to express her thoughts, a process that the listener hears as she writes and rewrites school assignments. Simms has a lovely voice for singing the hymns woven throughout the fabric of Stella's community, but her often cheerful narrative tone sometimes belies the gravity of Stella’s story. L.T. 2016 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Ages 10+Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781442380400
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lawrence enthusiastically portrays Cora and her friends in this fast-paced historical-fiction adventure.
Narrator Emily Lawrence creates a determined voice for Cora, who is desperately trying to survive the tragic 1906 earthquake in San Francisco with her two friends Chi and Oliver. Lawrence captures Cora’s tumultuous emotions as she and Chi are buried in rubble following the disaster and saved by her forbidden friend Oliver. Despite the bitter feud between their parents, Cora and Oliver work together to try to find her family as fire keeps spreading throughout their beloved city, all while running from bullies who are after Cora. Lawrence makes each character unique and adds a slight Irish accent for Oliver.
Lawrence enthusiastically portrays Cora and her friends in this fast-paced historical-fiction adventure. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: yesterday
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225033521
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
A poignant portrait of bravery.
Graham Halstead’s narration contains layers of emotion that fully reveal the character and growth of 13-year-old Lucas Dubois, an orphan living in 1944 occupied France. Halstead shows Lucas’ compassion as he rescues newborn kittens from being drowned. Lucas’ tenderness extends to a teen mother kept at the Lebensborn, a Nazi maternity home dedicated to producing soldiers-to-be. Lucas delivers groceries and conveys underground messages. Halstead also reveals the prickly nature of Alice, an older teen protecting her horse from being confiscated by Nazis. Halstead’s performance matches the breakneck pacing when Lucas stands up to German soldiers and confronts his own sense of insecurity.
A poignant portrait of bravery. (Historical fiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250433039
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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