Ring in the new year and celebrate freedom with Bahni Turpin's lively narration and a Haitian Creole "kompa" beat. Ti Gran's warm, gravelly voice and Belle's youthful excitement place listeners right in the kitchen with them as they prepare a holiday feast. Listeners can imagine all the chopping and toe tapping as Belle learns about a culinary tradition with roots in the Haitian Revolution. Subtle sound effects bring solemnity to the history of slavery and the fight for freedom. Young listeners who love to spend time cooking with elders will especially appreciate Belle's autonomy in the kitchen and her pride when she shares her soup with her family. More information about the Revolution and a recipe for Freedom Soup are provided at the end of the audiobook.
(Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
Duration: 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781974991884
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Sunny Lu creates a passionate voice for seventh grader Luna in this coming-of-age realistic fiction. Luna leaves her introverted life behind when she becomes a bibliotherapist for her fellow classmates, recommending books to help them in times of need and eventually writing her own zines with the assistance of her best friend, Scott. Lu perfectly captures Luna's complex emotions as she abandons Scott and joins the popular group. Now rather than writing to help others, she starts to hurt others by writing about their faults and flaws in "fix-its." Listeners will relate to Luna's struggles as she loses her way and will cheer her on in hopes that she finds her way back.
(Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217081578
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
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