Keylor Leigh's narration makes it immediately understandable why Kaylani McKinnon doesn't want to leave Brooklyn for a summer in Martha's Vineyard with family friends. Once there, she finds herself sharing a room with one of the mean-girl siblings and unable to communicate with her beloved dad, who's incarcerated. That's before Chadwick, a popular boy and one of the only people who is nice to her, is killed. When the investigation reveals Chadwick was murdered, not killed by a shark, Kaylani works to find out why, in the process learning more about the place and people around her. Leigh's success at heightened emotions greatly increases the drama as Kaylani searches for the truth about the loss of her friend.
(Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781546176909
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Cousins Avery and Jax don't have much in common, including their feelings about a summer at their family's crumbling island vacation home. She thinks it's a great adventure, and he'd rather be anywhere else. Narrator Kate Coventry embodies Avery's open, exuberant, and sometimes thoughtless behavior, while Pete Cross makes clear to listeners how much quiet Jax is impacted by his father's overbearing nature. As they help clean the place up to sell it, they find pages torn from a diary that may uncover what drove their parents away from the island and each other years before. Cassandra Morris's brief narration of the mysterious diarist is compelling in its simplicity. Narrators Kate Coventry and Pete Cross provide vivacity to this exploration of family history and regrets.
(Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798225027049
Publisher: Scholastic Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Contemporary Brooklyn is home to a diverse group of characters voiced by Nikki Massoud in this middle-grade mystery with a slight fantasy twist. In this second installment, amateur sleuths Roya and Amin are approached by their neighbor and fellow classmate, 12-year-old Thea, to find the treasure left in their building by her estranged grandfather. Showcasing her skills, Massoud interweaves vibrant characters and periodic Iranian words. Roya and Amin are given energetic and confident voices, while Thea's breathy voice portrays a more reserved and introverted personality. Massoud captures three generations of characters ranging from tired parents and grandparents to boisterous children.
(Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217157068
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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