BLOODY JACK
CURSE OF THE BLUE TATTOO
UNDER THE JOLLY ROGER
IN THE BELLY OF THE BLOODHOUND
MISSISSIPPI JACK
MY BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN L.A. Meyer
Read by Katherine Kellgren (Listen & Live)
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BROOKLYN BRIDGE Karen Hesse
Read by Fred Berman (Macmillan Audio)
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DAY OF TEARS Julius Lester
Read by an ensemble cast (Recorded Books)
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GODDESS OF YESTERDAY Caroline Cooney
Read by Christina Moore (Recorded Books)
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HITLER YOUTH Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Read by Kathrin Kana (Listening Library)
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THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET Brian Selznick
Read by Jeff Woodman (Scholastic Audio)
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JAZZ Walter Dean Myers
Read by James "D-Train" Williams, Vaneese Thomas (Live Oak Media)
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THE JOURNEY OF THE ONE AND ONLY DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Judith St. George
Read by Jeff Brooks (Weston Woods)
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This 2009 National Book Award winner introduces listeners to forgotten Civil Rights heroine Claudette Colvin, who (nine months before Rosa Parks) refused to give up her own Birmingham bus seat. Channie Waites superbly narrates a text that offers both cogent explanations of history, including especially informative sidebars, and first-person accounts of those who witnessed the battle for civil rights firsthand, dramatized by Waites in a vivid array of voices. Listening to Jim Crow policies along with quotes from people who were subjected to such indignities brings history alive. Waites's crowning accomplishment is her narration of long passages from Hoose's interviews with Colvin herself. Those listening as she gives voice to Colvin's memories, whether as inquisitive child or teen awakened by education and seething with injustice, will be incredibly moved. J.C.G.

ACROSS FIVE APRILS Irene Hunt
Read by Terry Brégy (Audio Bookshelf)
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Gr. 6+

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Jules Verne
Read by Jim Dale (Listening Library)
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Gr. 6+

CHARLOTTE'S WEB E.B. White
Read by E.B. White (Listening Library)
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Gr. 3+

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING,
THE TWO TOWERS,
THE RETURN OF THE KING J.R.R. Tolkien
Read by Rob Inglis (Recorded Books)
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Gr. 6+

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA Ernest Hemingway
Read by Donald Sutherland (Simon & Schuster Audio/Recorded Books)
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Gr. 9+

PETER PAN J.M. Barrie
Read by Jim Dale (Listening Library)
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Gr. 4+

At 34 hours in length, this is quite a tome, but there’s no one better qualified than Simon Vance to lead us through this audio journey. He parses the author's long sentences well, pausing sufficiently to make the details easy to follow while still maintaining a quick enough pace to keep the story going. Most enjoyable is his voicing of the myriad characters who appear in the narrative—and characters they certainly are. Vance times their occasionally hilarious exchanges especially well. All of this is delivered in a manner that suggests that Vance revels in Dickens’s prose and sly humor, and the listener cannot help but revel along with him. Three cheers for Vance—and not the least for his stamina! A.E.B.

AIRBORN
SKYBREAKER Kenneth Oppel
Read by David Kelly and the Full Cast Family (Full Cast Audio)
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THE AMULET OF SAMARKAND,
THE GOLEM'S EYE,
PTOLEMY'S GATE Jonathan Stroud
Read by Simon Jones (Listening Library)
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THE BEASTS OF CLAWSTONE CASTLE Eva Ibbotson
Read by Jenny Sterlin (Recorded Books)
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THE CABINET OF WONDERS Marie Rutkoski
Read by Lorelei King (Macmillan Audio)
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CORALINE Neil Gaiman
Read by Neil Gaiman (Harper Audio)
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Kristin Cashore's well-developed characters are completely realized in this full-cast production. Chelsea Mixon portrays Lady Katsa, who was born with a horrifying "grace" for killing. Mixon's nuanced portrayal gives an inside view of the confusions that torment this "graceling." These conflicts increase after she meets Po, an empathetic graceling. Zachary Exton's depiction of Po's soft steadiness contrasts with Mixon's picture of Katsa's flaring tempers. Listeners will feel the power of the connection between the two and its building intensity. Even minor characters are richly rendered. Their interactions, thoughts, and actions are well integrated in David Baker's strong narration, which animates events and astutely measures emotions. Musical interludes, both regal and somber, are as plentiful as the plot twists, and the result is a production listeners won’t soon forget. S.W.

BUDDHA BOY Kathe Koja
Read by a Full Cast (Full Cast Audio)
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CLEMENTINE
CLEMENTINE’S LETTER
THE TALENTED CLEMENTINE Sarah Pennypacker
Read by Jessica Almasy (Recorded Books)
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COLIBRÍ Ann Cameron
Read by Jacqueline Kim (Listening Library)
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A strong reading by Cynthia Holloway makes listeners curious about this story's nonlinear structure, rather than being put off. Holloway portrays the confusion of sixth-grader Miranda, who is befuddled by several letters that appear in her apartment, foretelling a future that, at first, makes no sense to her—or to listeners. Holloway manages both the real and fantasy elements of the story so that we believe in the young heroine's worries about friendship and her hopes for her mother's success on a game show. Equally convincing is Holloway's presentation of Miranda's feelings and actions as she untangles the book's puzzle. By the end, we, like Miranda, believe in the time-travel that serves as the story's turning point. S.W.