New Reviews: Children

Matthew Lloyd Davies's British accent blends surprisingly well with this story of two young American orphans. Listeners meet shrewd Basil and Dahlia Bloom, who hop off a freight train to avoid ending up in separate foster homes. When they find themselves lost in New York City, Gutsy Dahlia implores celebrity baker Laurel Fox for help. Fox is Davies's best creation. Davies... Read More

Shaan Dasani narrates this story about what we might lose if we insist on winning all the time. Bijan loves nothing more than being the best--whether it's at drawing birds, playing at being a dinosaur, or even tying his shoes. When his friends decide they don't want to play with someone so focused on winning, Bijan has to figure out how to succeed at simply being a good friend.... Read More

Exuding warmth and enthusiasm, Sneha Mathan transports listeners to India and the world of Reeni and her friends. Reeni's teacher requires the class to do a survey on something they care about. For Reeni, it's birds, and since it's time for Bird Count India, she goes all in. Mathan's slightly quick cadence renders Reeni's impulsive energy--sometimes she forgets to listen! The... Read More

Sneha Mathan crisply narrates this story of a girl who jumps into action when a former teacher--nicknamed "Book Uncle"--is ordered to license his community lending library, which she and her neighbors use. As presented by Mathan, 9-year-old Yasmin's voice is young, curious, and cheerful--until she realizes the injustice being meted out to Book Uncle. Mathan portrays the other... Read More

Matt Haver forthrightly narrates this audiobook about a preteen who is navigating upheaval in his family due to addiction. When Reese's dad is sober, he's charming and easy to be around--but eventually the pain pills are too tempting for his father to resist. After Reese has to call emergency services to save him from another overdose, his mom moves them out of their apartment... Read More

Traci Sorell re-creates the excitement of the 1911 World Series, which featured two Native Americans on opposing teams. Listeners meet New York Giants pitcher John Meyers and Philadelphia Athletics catcher Charles Bender. Meyers was from the Cahuilla tribe in California; Binder was from Minnesota's Ojibwe tribe. Sorell demonstrates how Meyers and Bender used their courage and... Read More

Five talented narrators knit together the stories of five children from different countries who settle in the same Lower East Side apartment building. Listeners meet Jenny Epstein, author Weinstein's grandmother, whose Russian Jewish family lived in the building in the 1910s and whose story is sensitively told by Eva Kaminsky. Successive generations include Italian American... Read More

Abdul Salis brings vulnerability and determination to his portrayal of a boy who perseveres in the face of difficult circumstances. Sena lives an ordinary life of school and farm chores in contemporary Ghana. When tragedy threatens to drive his family into poverty, Sena offers himself up as a fisher boy on the very lake that figures heavily in his grandfather Togbe's tales of... Read More

Former Young People's Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye delivers her latest collection, subtitled "Poems About Families." They're mostly focused on her relationship with her mother. Nye has a comfortable, unaffected delivery. Her voice has an unstudied tone, but, make no mistake, every syllable lands with precise intent. The poems are short and, at times, breathtakingly revealing,... Read More

This vibrant short story collection featuring animals offers a scintillating safari of sound and narrative, expertly performed by Humphrey Bower. His animated voice and Australian accent, accompanied by sparkling sound effects and music, are sure to make listeners smile. Educational and entertaining, the stories include Little Bug Books and BumbleBunnies collections, which... Read More

Narrator Lipica Shah embodies Abbas's poetic text about henna and its uses by many people in Southern Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The refrain "Henna is" invites listeners to join in and creates an open mood in which to explore its different aspects. From its cultivation and mix of ingredients to its color, texture, scent, and many uses, henna is a way to define one's... Read More

Starting this audiobook with the title's bestiary gives listeners the opportunity to be introduced to the creatures who are vital to its quest story. In addition, English actor Samuel West's deadpan delivery highlights its dry humor. If Christopher weren't holding a baby griffin, he never would have come to believe his grandfather about the hidden archipelago where magical... Read More

A full cast performs this humorous investigation featuring upright-walking, talking, vest-wearing alligators. Mango and Brash go undercover at Batter Down Bakery to find a kidnapped baker and fight the evil "Crackerdile," who is also a bomber. The cast adapt their voices to multiple roles, especially Torian Brackett, who portrays the straightlaced narrator; Aaron Yamawaki, as... Read More

Sara Matsui-Colby delivers spine-tingling chills as readily as she describes the pressures of middle school. She clearly projects Sadie's unease as she arrives at her new school. Sadie's afraid to make friends because she believes that a jealous ghost caused her best friend's death at her old school. What if that ghost has followed her? Matsui-Colby depicts potential friend... Read More

Sophie Dahl narrates her short adventure story featuring Mabel, a girl living in her parents' Mermaid Hotel, and Madame Badobedah (rhymes with "ooh-la-la"), the hotel's quirkiest resident. Madame Badobedah's indeterminate accent suits her mysterious background and eccentricity. Did she really steal a priceless emerald from a museum? Mabel speaks with Dahl's English accent and... Read More

Landon Woodson's high-speed narration creates immediacy as best friends Drew, Darius, and Isaiah attempt to set a new BMX bike record. Eighth-grader Isaiah admits he's not a daredevil like his buddies, but, as Woodson's fever-pitched delivery shows, he's consumed by the effort. Suddenly, Darius is killed in a terrible accident, and Woodson's voice becomes subdued and somber as... Read More

To help keep her family's home from foreclosure, 12-year-old Sarah Greene and her escape room friends, Hannah and West, break into an abandoned 1950's fun house to find the legendary treasure hidden inside. Narrator Eleanor McCormick expressively channels her youthful side, as well as Sarah's levelheadedness, Hannah's spunky comebacks, and West's silliness as they go through... Read More

Dion Graham's masterful narration clarifies this novel's shifts in point of view and vividly defines its main characters, 107-year-old Josey Kravitz and 12-year-old Alex. The richness of Graham's Polish accent for Josey augments the power of his storytelling and his tragic past, as well as his caring personality. Graham's delivery also reveals Alex's feelings of hopelessness... Read More

Josh Bloomberg and Sharon Freedman narrate this collection of stories exploring the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Each chapter describes a ritual of the traditional Passover meal, called the Seder. Each chapter ends with a set of questions about how young people can connect these rituals to their own lives. Bloomberg and Freedman are enthusiastic narrators of... Read More

Lucy Strange gives a lucid yet dreamy performance of a dark fantasy with massive world-building. In a future full of sickness caused by emotions, Payton is focused on becoming a "methic" in order to cure her mother's illness. With her sister, Ani, she explores the darker secrets of the hospital they grew up in before they were separated and introduced to the wilds outside.... Read More

Carly Mazer exuberantly depicts the last summer of two best friends before one of them moves away. Listeners meet dynamic, chatty Esme and quiet, thoughtful Poppy before Esme leaves New York City for California. Mazer portrays the girls with distinct personalities as they begin a dog-walking business--the dogs being delightful characters in themselves--in order to purchase... Read More

Narrator Karen Malina White brings sweet sincerity to this middle-grade audiobook. Sunny and her brother, Miles, have depended on their grandmother since the death of their parents. When Nanna is placed in an elder-care facility because of a faltering memory, Sunny is both terrified at what may become of them and determined to use Nanna's favorite fable to craft a cure for her... Read More

Julie Whelan narrates the eleventh adventure of the princess in disguise with the same verve and consistency she provided in the previous audiobooks. Whelan's voice has its usual bright timbre and energetic drive, and it's a delight to re-experience the voices of the characters, who have become literary friends. The story opens as haughty, malicious Duchess Wigtower leaves a... Read More

There is a simplicity to 11-year-old Safiyyah's life within the Grand Mosque of Paris, where she lives in 1940. Shala Nyx's narration reflects Safiyyah's innocence, the love and warmth of her family and friends, and the way she cares so kindly for them. But soon curiosity and discomfort creep into her life, which are reflected in Nyx's reading. As German soldiers invade her... Read More

Narrator Ramón de Ocampo creates a youthful, energetic voice for 12- year-old Liam, a California boy who finds himself in a shark tank. It all has to do with his mom's brilliant idea for a new television show to be featured on the Danger Channel. Liam winds up on an even more terrifying adventure when the tank holding him and the shark breaks, releasing them both into the... Read More

Narrator Andrea Emmes enthusiastically explains how humans survive in space and the effects that space travel has on the body. She also shares fun facts about daily living for astronauts, including their specially designed toilets and sleep stations, which differ greatly from what we use on Earth. Emmes smoothly shifts to a more serious tone as the audiobook takes on topics... Read More

Narrator Sara Matsui-Colby captures the bittersweet tenderness of this story about coping with grief. Ten-year-old Ayla longs for her best friend, Kiri, to return home, but the listener soon suspects that she will not. The timbre Matsui-Colby uses for Ayla's thoughts is more intense--louder, more annoyed, or sadder--than the small voice she presents to family and neighbors as... Read More

Ron Butler buoyantly portrays a dog named "No Sam," who thinks he's human and tells his story via daily diary entries. Listeners meet Sam when he runs away from a neglectful owner and is soon adopted by the Peterson family as a pal for young, lonely Justin. Sam, in his doggy-sounding thoughts, believes humans are naked monkeys he needs to protect. Well-rendered, often hilarious... Read More

Narrator Selma Ducanovic establishes a passion-filled voice for 11-year-old Amra, who grew up in Bosnia in the 1980s, right before tension built up to a horrific war. Following the death of her brother, Amar, Amra struggles to deal with the pain, finding hope in friends and family. Ducanovic beautifully portrays the tumultuous feelings of each of these young characters. Amra... Read More

Narrator Mark Sanderlin creates a youthful voice for 12-year-old Luca, who loves making exciting new pizzas at the restaurant owned by his parents despite his mom's desire to stick to the basics. When he sees his parents' business and marriage struggling, Luca takes a chance and applies to be on his favorite television show, "Pizza Perfect." If he can come out on top with a... Read More

Em Grosland takes center stage as Al in this full-cast sequel to PICTURE DAY. The titular tryouts refer to the Brinkley Martians baseball team, which has never had a girl in its lineup. Talented catcher Al is the first, but the outsized--and unwelcome--attention she attracts threatens the team's cohesion. Lessons of teamwork and persistence ground the story, while swiftly paced... Read More

Narrating with enthusiasm, Gary Tiedemann tells of Little Lobo and his friends as they attend the out-of-this-world book festival, hosted by the Guadalupian Library. By borrowing maps, books, and hardware tools and using public computers, the friends get the most out of their library visit. The audiobook highlights Mexican American culture, referencing burritos, la llorona, el... Read More

Kyla Garcia's lively narration will immediately hook listeners on this adventure audiobook told from multiple points of view. When a chunk of a meteorite crashes into Vega's yard, she quickly realizes it may be just the lucky break she needs. Along with her nervous cousin, Mila, and a strange boy named Jasper, Vega sets off through the desert in search of space rocks to fund... Read More

Mara Wilson offers a graceful performance of Hoffman's fictionalized account of Anne Frank's life before her family went into hiding. In a clear, warm tone, Wilson describes a young Anne, who is passionate about writing and infectiously high-spirited and curious. While conveying Anne's vexation at her sister and mother, Wilson also communicates her unshakable love for her... Read More

Gentle-voiced Soneela Nankani narrates the story of a yellow bus whose purpose changes over many years. It begins as a school bus and ends as an underwater structure. Throughout, listeners hear Nankani soothingly repeat the refrain regarding the bus's inhabitants: ". . . and they filled her with joy." Listeners will hear background music, traffic, giggling children, farm... Read More