by Tim Tharp ; read by MacLeod Andrews ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 20, 2009
Awards & Accolades
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Sutter Keely is a “live-for-the-moment” high school senior. Narrator MacLeod Andrews captures his happy-go-lucky nature and Oklahoma accent perfectly. Sutter is a genuinely nice guy, although he does spend most of his time partying, drinking, and chasing girls. He just doesn't understand why all of his friends start planning their futures instead of staying like they were, enjoying the present. Andrews skillfully plays all the story’s over-the-top characters—from the suave Sutter himself to his mousy new girlfriend, Aimee. Even the ongoing Italian gangster routine that Sutter carries on with one of his ex-girlfriends is believable in this larger-than-life account. Andrews is full of enthusiasm and fun in his narration. With perfect timing he delivers all the "weird" in Sutter's life.
Young AdultPub Date: Aug. 20, 2009
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz ; read by Javier Muñoz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 29, 2026
Muñoz’s narration allows glints of humor and family love to balance the horrors of trauma.
Narrator Javier Muñoz’s voice is light, almost giddy, as he describes the loving, joyful, book-filled family life of 17-year-old Mexican American twins Emma and CheChe. The story is told from the perspective of CheChe, who relishes his good life. After CheChe’s El Paso high school is attacked and he is shot and loses a leg, Muñoz’s narration changes dramatically. Sounding slower, subdued, and saddened, CheChe tries to comprehend the shattering of his idyllic life. Listeners will be struck by the sweetness of CheChe’s developing relationship with Placido, his first boyfriend, and the evolution of his path to healing.
Muñoz’s narration allows glints of humor and family love to balance the horrors of trauma. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668185834
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2026
by E.L. Shen ; read by Eunice Wong , Katharine Chin & Kenneth Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 2026
Themes of inheritance, identity, sacrifice, and belonging resonate through three voices.
This multigenerational family story comes to life through an ensemble performance. After high schooler Dawn receives an assignment to interview her grandmother, she begins uncovering a family history that stretches from 19th-century China to Taiwan and then New York. Eunice Wong, Katharine Chin, and Kenneth Lee shift among generations with careful attention to rhythm, pitch, and emotional texture, making the transitions easy to follow. Their performances capture the family's guardedness over its old secretsas well as Dawn's curiosity as a young woman seeking answers. As the layers of the Chin family history emerge, the narrators maintain a strong sense of continuity across time.
Themes of inheritance, identity, sacrifice, and belonging resonate through three voices. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063238039
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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