In a voice of despair and deep longing, Peter Francis James reads the story of Jamal, trapped in the ghetto and faced with a challenge too immense for any 12-year-old. Jamal must decide whether to assume leadership of his brother's gang, the Scorpions, after Randy is imprisoned for murder. Third-person narration in James's rich, resonant voice contrasts with the contentious whine of 8-year-old sister Sassy; the half-beaten regret of Mama, old beyond her years; the gentle concern of Jamal's best friend, Tito; the surly self-assurance of Jamal's classmates; the drugged-out haziness of Randy's ace, Mack; and the relentless disdain of Davidson, the principal who does not even pretend respect for a child in crisis. The dark fates of children trapped by circumstance reverberate in this masterful performance of the Newbery Honor title.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Myths come to life through Bahni Turpin and Robin Miles's stellar narration of this young adult fantasy. Marisol and her mother left their home in the Caribbean to live in Brooklyn. Marisol hopes to leave their island traditions and her family's magic behind. Genevieve grew up listening to her white father's mythical stories from her unknown mother's homeland. When the teens' lives collide, both discover secrets that change their views of their worlds. It's no surprise that both Turpin and Miles are Golden Voice narrators. Their skills bring Genevieve's and Marisol's stories to life as they capture the teens' personalities. Miles exquisitely delivers Marisol's Caribbean accent, while Turpin channels Genevieve's frustrations with her family and her own health. Simply magical.
(Verse fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063395589
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Susannah Jones's high-speed pacing conveys Maeve's jangly thoughts and obsession with every potential scary outcome of her life--complete with research that feeds her anxiety. Jones does an equally fine job portraying minor characters. Whether calm, compassionate, or frustrated, these secondary characters allow listeners a bit of relief from Maeve's intensity. Maeve does have reason for concern as she moves in with her father and his family for six months. Her situation is complicated: Her father struggles with alcoholism, her stepmother is determined to have a home birth, her mother is working far away in Haiti with a new lover, and Maeve has broken up with her girlfriend. Jones builds the tension and then relieves it as Maeve develops honesty, courage, and love for her new girlfriend.
(Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 7 hrs
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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