Tavia Gilbert single-handedly delivers this production, and is she ever up to the job. She evokes the story's characters--Lampie, the lonely, motherless lighthouse keeper's daughter; Lampie's self-hating, alcoholic father; Edward, the angry, neglected child immured in the Black House, where Lampie is indentured; and more. Gilbert shades her delivery as the third-person close narration shifts points of view and even inanimate objects speak. Her skill navigates listeners through the emotional storm of this fantasy (a Dutch import), but that doesn't make it an easy listen: It's difficult to hear the abject cruelty the children suffer and internalize. But the luminous Lampie has a stout, loving heart, and listeners who stay the course will be amply rewarded. Virtuosic.
(Historical suspense. 11-14)Pub Date: 2022
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781955324182
Publisher: Full Cast Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Catch up with the Miller family through the voice of the youngest child.
Keylor Leigh narrates this fifth and final novel in the Miller Family series, this time focusing on the youngest family member, 10-year-old Poppy. Still grieving the death of her father, Poppy is facing a Thanksgiving with lots of changes in the people around her—her brother, Billy, is returning from college; her lovelorn sister, Sal, is rebelling; and her mother has a new male friend. Luckily, Poppy has her art to help her cope. Leigh takes Poppy through these challenges with a youthful voice filled with exasperation, desperation, anticipation, and, always, love. Leigh ably conveys Sal's sarcasm and portrays Billy’s coming-of-age.
Catch up with the Miller family through the voice of the youngest child. (Fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 2 hrs, 4 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063517196
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
Arsenault’s passionate performance brings this alternative world to life.
Fourteen-year-old Tessa lives in a dystopian world with a leader who has banned books and taken away the personal liberties of its citizens. Elise Arsenault establishes a steady pace with her narration. When an older neighbor is taken to elder care, Tessa finds a box of forbidden books in her house that changes everything. Arsenault captures Tessa’s tumultuous emotions as she learns about the past and discovers that her long-lost twin brother, Theo, who disappeared years ago, may still be alive. Fans of Lowry’s The Giver will be intrigued by this world, one that feels frighteningly plausible.
Arsenault’s passionate performance brings this alternative world to life. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 49 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063515130
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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