Eevin Hartsough and Christopher Gebauer portray the alternating viewpoints of sixth-grader April and fourth-grader Joey in this uplifting story of nonconformity and friendship. April volunteers to be a Buddy Bench monitor for the fourth-grade recess rather than face social awkwardness in the sixth-grade cafeteria. Joey spends recess alone, walking in circles, dragging his feet, and lying on the ground. April and her co-volunteer, Veena, worry about the strange boy until they discover he is actually creating detailed designs meant to be seen from above. Each narrator provides a sympathetic portrayal that celebrates the diverse characteristics of the kids as they come together: April's empathy and intelligence, Joey's dreamy inward focus, and Veena's timidness as a new Indian immigrant.
(Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781980056485
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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