Sometimes an author-narrator’s spoken voice does not ring as true as his or her characters' voices do on the page. But this production is a moving example of all things working together. And here we have two authors as narrators. Silas House portrays River, a Kentucky coal miner's son, and Neela Vaswani portrays Meena, an immigrant girl from India who is living in New York's Chinatown. The two youngsters become modern-day pen pals who write actual letters because Meena has library-only access to email. Their problems and successes weave a tapestry of courage against adversity. While River struggles against dangerous mountaintop removal, Meena fights to fit in. This book is a love letter to the almost lost art of letter writing and the power of simple, heartfelt words to weave bonds stronger than any differences. M.M.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2013 Audies Winner
Ages 10+Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781455822348
Publisher: Brilliance Audio/ Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A powerful listen.
Richardson’s picture book celebrates the gift of literacy through the voices of third grader Jewel and her grandparents and neighbors. Susan Bennett’s accent and performance transport listeners to Kentucky’s hill country as eager Moonlighters walk miles to school on moonlit nights for a chance to finally learn to read. Mamaw and Papaw’s determination and love are heard in every line they speak. Jewel, an eager tutor, bursts with pride as her community gathers for graduation. Regional Appalachian turns of phrase add to the ambiance. An author’s note shares more about Cora Wilson Stewart, founder of the Moonlight Schools and advocate for adult literacy programs in the early 20th century.
A powerful listen. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
Duration: 16 mins
DD ISBN: 9798899749995
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2026
A mismatch between performer and text.
Fleischman’s 1987 Newbery-winning classic comes to listeners in a new edition read by Ralph Lister. Appropriately for this story of injustice—the title character’s function is to receive the punishments richly earned by the aptly nicknamed Prince Brat—Lister leans into British class-coded accents for his interpretation. Using a vaguely northern lilt for the third-person narration, Lister voices whipping boy Jemmy with a cockney twang and Prince Brat with hoity-toity upper-crust nasality. Unfortunately, for neither boy does the gravelly voiced performer attempt any youthful lightness, and Jemmy’s twang often makes him sound whinier than Prince Brat. The story is fast-paced and broadly comedic but not without nuance; however, Lister’s forceful delivery threatens to overwhelm its quieter, more contemplative moments.
A mismatch between performer and text. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
Duration: 1 hr, 47 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063511934
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
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