Narrator Tyler Merritt shares a painful childhood memory with unmistakable sincerity, speaking directly to the listener. Accompanied by music and sound effects, Merritt recounts visiting his Southern grandparents. His voice cheerfully recalls playing with a new friend throughout the summer. One day, they visit another friend's home to show off their catch of fish. In a powerful moment, the friend's mom declares that the "Black boy" cannot come in. The listener hears the door slam, the dead bolt latch. The painful sound replays as Tyler stands outside--alone, grappling with his first experience of blatant racism. Unsettled, he returns home. His grandparents offer love and reassurance. In turn, Merritt compassionately assures kids that they, too, are perfect just the way they are.
(Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
Duration: 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668624005
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
While narrator Liam Aiken evokes the wistful, dolorous tone of Snicket’s second mystery in his All the Wrong Questions series, he fails to deliver Snicket’s signature snark with appropriate vigor. In this episode, the main character, 12-year-old Lemony Snicket, continues the investigations that began in STAIN’D BY THE SEA with the case of the missing chemist, Cleo Knight. As Aiken delivers Snicket’s declarative sentences in a deadpan voice, his remote reading keeps listeners distant from the story. Furthermore, Aiken does not always play up the quirks of the town’s eccentric characters. When he does use individualized voicings, the story shakes off its languidness to some degree. Aiken’s melancholy narration echoes Snicket’s loneliness but doesn’t enliven the recording for young listeners. An attached PDF file includes the character Seth’s illustrations.
(Mystery. 8-14)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478924845
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Jeff Harding voices the many impactful moments of 1919 in this engaging nonfiction audiobook. From women activists fighting for the right to vote to the Red Scare and civil rights riots, Sandler draws parallels to today's social issues. Harding matches 1919's cadence with a forward-moving pace. He uses different accents for quotations, though the women and people of color might have been better served with a diverse cast. The asides and timelines that appear in the text also are in the audio. Full of fascinating stories put into a modern context, this audiobook offers much to learn about an eventful year and ponders the big questions of our current time.
(Nonfiction. 11-16)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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