Narrator Kristen DiMercurio brings a little known piece of North Carolina's WWII history alive for middle graders. Neb, Rain, and Stick, the Dime Novel Kids, are best friends who look for mysteries to solve. Stick, the story's curious and observant narrator, has a strong voice as she introduces listeners to life on Hatteras Island in the 1940s. Neb is a clever problem solver with a confident voice. Rain, a non-native of the area who always sees the best in others, has a voice filled with compassion and kindness. When an explosion rips the night, rumors of U-boats off the coast become more real. Susan Turnage's author's note shares the story's seed, planted on a visit to North Carolina when she was 9, and clearly separates history from fiction.
(Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593609798
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
It's 1975, and eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, a Hmong girl, is living in the highlands of Laos in a one-room house with her family. Then they are forced to flee. Narrator Robyn Morales lends a soft, feminine huskiness to the protagonist's voice as she describes the family's journey to a refugee camp, to gentle and thoughtful effect. The listener is transported alongside Gao Sheng to a new world as she reflects on memory, gender, and family relations in her culture; the events that change her life; and conditions in the refugee camp. An afterword provides context about the author's family's real-life experience. Morales' narration is comforting, even as she describes the difficult circumstances of refugees.
(Verse historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217080861
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Guy Lockard narrates the final episode in the Track series. This time the story focuses on the formative years of Coach, who's been central to the young runners in the previous titles. Back in the day, Coach was Otie Brody, a 12-year-old sprinter who longed for two things: to be like Carl Lewis and to have a pair of Jordans. Problems small and big enter his life: First, Otie accidentally shaves his forehead and eyebrows bloody; then his dad disappears due to a drug problem. Lockard balances lights and darks, humor and drama, authentic dialogues and evocative images in this fast-moving audiobook. His tour-de-force narration matches the power of a tough coming-of-age story that illuminates the compassion and caring of the man known as Coach.
(Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668150566
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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