Bundy has a winner with her debut novel, and Catherine Taber's performance is almost perfect as she captures the voice and feelings of 12-year-old Alice. It's 1968 when Alice, her mother, and her deaf younger brother, Eddie, relocate to Rainbow, Georgia, to care for her grandmother. Expert pacing and tone convey Alice's swirling emotions of hurt, anger, sadness, and, finally, acceptance and peace as she fights, then gradually comes to terms with, her new reality. Taber also convincingly inhabits the voice of Miss Millie, the "colored" elderly neighbor who shares her life, stories, and wisdom with Alice on their daily walks with Clarence the dog. A "dang" good story would have been perfect if only Taber had sung instead of reciting Miss Millie's favorite song.
(Historical fiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 4 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524777975
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Catch up with the Miller family through the voice of the youngest child.
Keylor Leigh narrates this fifth and final novel in the Miller Family series, this time focusing on the youngest family member, 10-year-old Poppy. Still grieving the death of her father, Poppy is facing a Thanksgiving with lots of changes in the people around her—her brother, Billy, is returning from college; her lovelorn sister, Sal, is rebelling; and her mother has a new male friend. Luckily, Poppy has her art to help her cope. Leigh takes Poppy through these challenges with a youthful voice filled with exasperation, desperation, anticipation, and, always, love. Leigh ably conveys Sal's sarcasm and portrays Billy’s coming-of-age.
Catch up with the Miller family through the voice of the youngest child. (Fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 4 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063517196
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
Arsenault’s passionate performance brings this alternative world to life.
Fourteen-year-old Tessa lives in a dystopian world with a leader who has banned books and taken away the personal liberties of its citizens. Elise Arsenault establishes a steady pace with her narration. When an older neighbor is taken to elder care, Tessa finds a box of forbidden books in her house that changes everything. Arsenault captures Tessa’s tumultuous emotions as she learns about the past and discovers that her long-lost twin brother, Theo, who disappeared years ago, may still be alive. Fans of Lowry’s The Giver will be intrigued by this world, one that feels frighteningly plausible.
Arsenault’s passionate performance brings this alternative world to life. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 49 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063515130
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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