With the (re)installation of the 47th presidential administration, resilience is necessary to continue to fight book bans, deportations, civil rights violations, and so many more challenges ahead. Throughout the centuries, stories have offered lifesaving antidotes. May some of these recent titles continue to inspire strength, tenacity, and hopefully, some necessary fun throughout the new year.

Early Elementary

Baptist, Kelly J. The Band in Our Basement. narrated by Channie Waites. 6 min. Recorded Books. Nov. 2024. $7.99. ISBN 9798892747769.
K-Gr 3–Waites’s effusive energy is immediately contagious as Baptist opens her rollicking story with two young kids unable to sleep, knowing “Daddy’s band is in our basement.” Despite Mama’s warning to “Go right to bed/ and do not make a peep,” the siblings “wiggle toes… flip-flop… giggle.” Soon enough, they’re up and dancing on their beds, unable to resist the steady beats, until Kenny insists “Let’s sneak downstairs and watch them play.” Getting past the main floor, then creeping down another flight is no easy task, but that “jazzy groove” can’t be ignored, especially when it turns out it’s “Mama’s voice/ stealing the show.” But will the intrepid pair be allowed to stay? Waites transforms Baptist’s catchy rhythms into an irrepressible invitation to gloriously play along. VERDICT Audiences deserve access to both visual and aural versions for a multi-sensory celebration of dynamic family fun.

Gorman, Amanda. Girls on the Rise. narrated by Amanda Gorman. 4 min. Listening Library. Jan. 2025. $5. ISBN 9798217019212.
PreS-Gr 2–Gorman, the country’s youngest presidential inaugural poet, voices her latest verses uplifting girl power: “everyone’s eyes/ Are on us as we make waves,/ Pave the way, and save the day.” That this book’s publication aligns with the 2025 inauguration is a declaration of commitment and solidarity: “We are girls like never before,/ Speaking out more and more,/ Because when our quiet is broken,/ The world must hear us roar.” She inclusively inserts a direct retort against the prevailing gender policing as she reminds, “Some of us go by she/ And some of us go by they.” Her recitation is strong and solemn, underscored with firm, precise enunciation throughout. She acknowledges fear, she recognizes isolation. She encourages mutual support and communal strengthening. “We are where change is going.” VERDICT An antidotal must in all formats for all collections.

Mazique, Brittany. Millie Magnus Won’t Be Bullied. narrated by Keylor Leigh. 1:08 hrs. Listening Library. Dec. 2024. $8. ISBN 9780593945094.
K-Gr 3–Millicent Magnus Miller—that full name usage signaling trouble, ahem—makes a mighty debut in Mazique’s entertaining new series, spiritedly animated by Leigh’s enthusiastic performance. Millie Magnus—her preferred moniker—is inarguably her own boss, “at least most of the time.” Occasionally she must concede to Mayor Maude’s rules, because she’s the mom (and DC’s mayor), and to Josephine Draper because, since Millie Magnus’s dad’s passing, Josephine is Mayor Maude’s assistant not just for “city stuff, but for home stuff, too.” Her three “bestest” friends make third grade great, although “mean ole Buckley” who “lately... picks on just about everyone” is a daily challenge. With her favorite Field Day fast approaching, Millie Magnus needs to figure out how not to let the bully ruin the fun. Quite a few surprises—and solutions—await. VERDICT Leigh enlivens quirky Millie Magnus with encouraging empathy and vivacious charm.

Moore, Tanisia. When Black Girls Dream Big. narrated by Tanisia Moore. 22 min. Scholastic Audio. Oct. 2024. $6.99. ISBN 9781546136835.
PreS-Gr 3–“I AM DOPE,” a young Black girl immediately announces, “A descendant of African kings and queens/ Magnificent and majestic, that’s me.” She reminds and repeats, “WHEN I DREAM BIG, I can do anything.” Inspirational proof lies with historical, cultural, contemporary heroes—a dozen Black women pioneers, including Katherine Johnson, Sojourner Truth, Michelle Obama, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Maya Angelou. “I am living the dreams of my ancestors.” The enhancing audio—regally narrated by Moore—is clearly intended as a complementary read-along featuring a second narration with page-turns to follow the printed book, vividly illustrated by Robert Paul, Jr., whose art expands Moore’s words with scenes of responsibility and kindness (planting trees, visiting elderly, feeding the less fortunate). Paul also adds a 13th progenitor, Harriet Tubman, who holds a guiding light and extends her hand to readers. VERDICT Libraries should empower audiences with aural and print together.

Nyoko, Mel. For Our Daughters. narrated by Janina Edwards. 4 min. Listening Library. Oct. 2024. $5. ISBN 9798217067060.
PreS-Gr 3–Congolese British writer and poet Nyoko’s debut features encouraging verses—gently, indomitably voiced by Edwards—that also serve as a practical primer of empowering responses in an often-unfriendly world. While celebrating every child’s uniqueness—“that’s why you are remarkable”—Nyoko also realistically warns, “You’ll come across those who may not understand you.” To those who insist “‘You’re not special,’ tell them you are like the moon, among millions of stars but shining the brightest.” If skin color is questioned, “take them to the museum where the bronze sculptures of ancient queens reflect your skin tone.” If hair is deemed “‘too coily,’ proudly reply that your hair is like a magnificent crown.” And Nyoko wants children to remind detractors asserting “you can’t” of “exceptional women such as…Mae Jemison, and all who came before you and did the impossible.” VERDICT Edwards deftly embodies strength and tenacity in a voice that won’t be silenced.

Odeh, Maysa. A Map for Falasteen: A Palestinian Child’s Search for Home. narrated by Dalia Ramahi. 9 min. Macmillan Young Listeners. Oct. 2024. $1.99. ISBN 9781250365996.
K-Gr 3–A gentle soundtrack enhances Ramahi’s empathic narration of Odeh’s hauntingly spectacular debut, embodying a Palestinian American girl who won’t be erased. Grounding sounds of school, garden, and family add aural substance, deliberately contradicting a teacher’s declaration, “I think there’s no such place,” when young Falasteen can’t find Palestine on the classroom map during a family origins activity. At home, her grandpa draws Falasteen a map for a “teacher [who] needs teaching”; grandma gifts Falasteen the iron key to the house she was forced to flee decades prior. Her mother assures, “Palestine lives in you and me.” Odeh’s illuminating author’s note, not included in audio, reveals the story’s provenance—her mother’s family’s tragic 1967 escape from Israeli tanks. VERDICT The ongoing atrocities of the Israel-Hamas war make this urgently necessary for all libraries.

Oet, Rainie. Robin’s Worlds. narrated by Jen Richards. 7 min. Recorded Books. Dec. 2024. $7.99. ISBN 9798894862071.
PreS-Gr 2–Transgender actor/producer/activist Richards notably improves transgender writer’s Oet’s debut picture book, her thoughtful, caring voice impressively smoothing over awkward, disjointed transitions. For home-alone Robin, tonight is “just like any other night,” waiting for Uncle Miles after another “leftover bean-fry for dinner an hour ago.” At least the magical Cat-Headed Wanderer remembered that today is Robin’s eighth birthday, whisking Robin “somewhere warm and wonderful” via purple-horsed chariot to celebrate with “everyone from [their] dreams,” including “two tall shadows,” assumed to be their late parents. “I remember you… I love you,” they’re able to tell them. While everyone waves good-bye, Cat-Headed Wanderer assuringly whispers, “we exist in the real world. There are so many of us/ You just have to find us.” VERDICT Despite narrative hiccups, Richards soothingly delivers an affecting you’re-not-alone message.

Oso, Maisha. Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence. narrated by Kim Staunton. 14 min. Scholastic Audio. Oct. 2024. $6.99. ISBN 9781546120841.
K-Gr 3–“Long before a slave ship sailed,/ we shined like stars—/ brilliant and beautiful,” Oso opens. Anthropological evidence confirms Oso’s verses: “The mother of mankind, we birthed creation, cradled civilizations, nurtured nations.” That African legacy, of royalty and empires “of great renown/ in shades of brown,” belongs to readers “just like you.” Before the ships there were sophisticated nations and communities of architects and warriors, musicians and storytellers, astronomers and engineers, dreamers and geniuses. “Here we stand,” despite and after the ships, “as amazing as we’ve always been,” fighting, excelling, achieving. Oso’s mighty manifesto, strengthened by Staunton’s resonance, is a three-part production—narrated straight through, repeated with page-turns, appended with Oso’s self-narrated author’s note. A gentle musical score by award-winning composer/producer Matthew Head enhances Staunton’s lyrical, reverent recitation. VERDICT Pair with author-narrated Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson’s The 1619 Project: Born on the Water for empowering literary nourishment.

Middle Grade

Ahn, Flora. A Brush with Magic. narrated by Jennifer Sun Bell. 7 hrs. Dreamscape Media. Oct. 2024. $9.99. ISBN 9781666675009.
Gr 3-7–When their parents get stuck home in California with an urgent work project, 12-year-old Yumi and 16-year-old Minji are sent to Seoul for a summer break with their widowed grandfather. That Minji immediately chooses to spend time with their cousins without Yumi understandably leaves Yumi—who’s always tried to emulate perfect Minji—feeling abandoned. Even their kind grandfather with his painting and fairy tales can’t alleviate her loneliness. When Yumi buys an elaborate ink brush at a local art store, she’s shocked to discover it comes with its own dokkaebi—mythical goblin. Dodo, as Yumi names her, makes paintings come to life. She’s also a boisterous tour guide… until her enthusiasm spins out of control. Biracial Korean American actor Bell’s bilingual fluency is notably appreciated as Yumi and Dodo explore Seoul’s many must-do destinations. VERDICT Bell turns contemporary magical realism into convincing multicultural exploration.

Alexander, Kwame. Black Star. narrated by Angel Pean, Dominic Hoffman, Nile Bullock & Full Cast. 3:58 hrs. (The Door of No Return: Bk. 2). Hachette Audio. Sept. 2024. $25.98. ISBN 9781668623824.
Gr 5 Up–Alexander’s “The Door of No Return” trilogy opened with the eponymous first volume, singularly, spectacularly read by Ghanaian British actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. A full cast further enhances this second installment, set in 1920s Jones Mill, VA, with Hoffman—gravelly voiced with resonating gravitas—as now-elderly Nana Kofi. His 12-year-old granddaughter Charley—spunkily, terrifically embodied by Pean—has the talent and tenacity to become the first female “PRO-fessional baseball player,” if only she wasn’t limited by the stiflingly racist reality of the Jim Crow South. Despite Mama’s protestations—wisely ciphered by Karen Chilton, who also commands additional women’s voices—Charley manages to play often with best friend “Cool Willie Green” (dynamic Bullock bursts with energy) and not-best friend Henry (Aaron Goodson accepts that second-class status). When Charley impulsively accepts the local (white) bully Cecil’s (fabulous Bullock again) challenge of a playoff game, no one could have predicted the shocking consequences that follow. VERDICT A must for all libraries, particularly those already invested in the trilogy.

Leahy, Elisa Stone. Mallory in Full Color. narrated by Felisha Wong. 6:31 hrs. HarperAudio. Nov. 2024. $27.99. ISBN 9780063255562.
Gr 5 Up–Mallory, 12, knows what everyone else likes, wants, needs, leaving little space to know her own self. The one thing that’s truly hers alone, though, is creating her (secret) webcomic; to post it, she “straight-up lied” to bypass the minimum age requirement. Mendacity has become a default response: she tells Mom she’ll return to swim team but skips practices after sneaking into Mom’s work account and emailing the coach confirming a schedule change. She promises her new friend (and crush?) she’ll perform the duet at the library drag show even though audiences paralyze her. Truths eventually expose her deceptions, leading to appropriate consequences, but also toward hopeful, freeing self-realizations. Wong is a fine emotional cipher, but her distorted pronunciation of Korean words and phrases can be distracting; Wong’s polyglot fluency does not include Korean. VERDICT Choosing the page might be the more authentic option.

LeZotte, Ann Clare. Deer Run Home. narrated by Sarah Tubert. 1:40 hrs. Scholastic Audio. Oct. 2024. $24.99. ISBN 9781546136736.
Gr 4-9–Tween Effie and teen sister Deja are removed from a “too scary” situation at their mother’s house to their father’s trailer where “communication with Daddy/ is him stomping on the floor,/ pointing at things.” Effie is Deaf, “even though no one/ in my family ever learned/ my first language,/ American Sign Language.” Effie’s isolation overwhelms when her two Deaf friends go “on to Deaf residential/ school, free.” Being reunited with ASL interpreter Miss Kathy, when Effie must repeat fifth grade, is “like/ all the dead plants/ on our porch/ coming alive/ from a downpour,/ then flowering.” Miss Kathy quickly recognizes the abusive neglect and takes definitive action. Deaf actor Tubert makes her solo audio debut (after leading El Deafo’s ensemble) as a sensitive, empowering cipher for Deaf author LeZotte’s standalone verse novel. VERDICT Empathic enlightenment awaits all listeners.

Oh, Ellen, ed. On the Block: Stories of Home. narrated by Yasmin Mwanza, Eli Schiff, Ulka Simone Mohanty, Oscar Emmanuel Fabela & others. 5:21 hrs. Listening Library. Oct. 2024. $15. ISBN 9780593916001.
Gr 4-7–Immediate kudos go to responsible producers who appended a should-always-be-available credits list; equally impressive is the characters’ and narrators’ (mostly) aligned backgrounds. We Need Diverse Books cofounder Oh magically puzzled together 11 powerhouse writers to populate the Entrada, a could-be-anywhere multi-unit apartment building, with 12 diverse families. Oh warmly opens the audio with a dedication and welcome; she also contributes the final story—energetically read by Raymond J. Lee—that brings the entire community together. Outgoing National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina provides—and invitingly reads—a thoughtful foreword about her own four-story Queens walk-up childhood. Neighbors naturally, continuously overlap: 5B’s new resident Lila (by Tracey Baptiste, read by Mwanza) meets Emi (Debbi Michiko Florence, read by Sarah Skaer), whose Japanese aunt now lives in 3B. The building owner’s son Lenny (Adam Gidwitz, read by Schiff) in 1B learns the shocking reason why Entrada evictions will never happen; 2B’s Navarro family (David Bowles, read by Oscar Emmanuel Fabela) benefits. A few minor glitches (names get botched, accents are inconsistent between apartments) are easily overlooked in such an overall stupendous production. VERDICT Perfect for all library shelves.

Park, Linda Sue. Gracie Under the Waves. narrated by Joy Osmanski. 3:37 hrs. HarperAudio. Sept. 2024. $20.99. ISBN 9780063346321.
Gr 3-7–Inspired by a 2022 trip to Roatán, one of Honduras’s Bay Islands, Newbery Medalist Park sends her latest protagonist into the turquoise Caribbean to visit fish—and learn about the imperative work of reef conservation. Korean American tween Gracie, obsessed with snorkeling, dreams of going to the Maldives, but for now she’s thrilled her parents agree to a family vacation to Roatán. Her precious time in the water dwindles when a leg injury becomes dangerously infected, but she’s buoyed by a new friendship with a local young marine activist-in-the-making. Actor Osmanski, a transracial Korean adoptee, is a spirited narrator, taking advantage of the characters’ international travel to add various accents. She saves her most endearing energy for Gracie’s rambunctious (occasionally aggravating) six-year-old brother Ben. VERDICT With increasing threats to climate change protections, Gracie’s ardent commitment is antidotal sustenance for young activists.

Reno, Ginger. Find Her. narrated by Amy Hall. 5:52 hrs. Listening Library. Oct. 2024. $18. ISBN 9798217018376.
Gr 5 Up–Voice actor Hall is sensitively matched with debut author Reno—both are Cherokee—to highlight the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) epidemic. Wren’s mother is among the MMIWG: “Missing: five years, three months, and twelve days.” The 12-year-old obsesses over online searches, convinced her police chief father isn’t doing enough. Meanwhile, her precocious sleuthing has honed her gift for finding missing pets. When her latest missing pup turns up horrifically injured, Wren commits to finding the perpetrator with the help of a new friend—who, Wren soon realizes, isn’t safe in his own home. Hall convincingly embodies Wren’s broad range—her desperation, her delight. Hall is just as facile creating other personalities, particularly Wren’s “Cherokee badass” grandmother. VERDICT Author and narrator solidly inspire greater awareness and action to safeguard and save Indigenous women and girls.

Smith, Cynthia Leitich. On a Wing and a Tear. narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett. 5:10 hrs. HarperAudio. Sept. 2024. $27.99. ISBN 9780063395244.
Gr 4-6–Smith’s (Muscogee) latest middle grade novel is Taylor-Corbett’s (Blackfeet) third affecting narration of her titles, especially fitting after aurally introducing Ray and Grampa Halfmoon in Indian Shoes. Connections, as Smith writes in her author’s note, are the core of her stories. Ray (Cherokee and Seminole) and Mel (Muscogee, Odawa, French American) aren’t related by blood, but they’re practically siblings living together in Grampa Halfmoon’s home. Ray’s been worried about Grampa’s “blah”-ness, preoccupied by “bad stuff in the world.” Mel’s idea to “put more goodness in the world” leads to a Chicago-to-Georgia spring break road trip for personal discoveries and healing reunions. Serendipitously, the humans get the honor of ferrying Great-Grandfather Bat, recovering from injury, and Gray Squirrel, to the Great Ball Game for a legendary Birds vs. Animals rematch. VERDICT Taylor-Corbett warmly invites readers to join a transformative multigenerational, multispecies journey through struggles and adventures, past and present.

Thayer, Alex. Happy & Sad & Everything True. narrated by Caitlin Kelly. 5:30 hrs. S. & S. Audio. Nov. 2024. $18.99. ISBN 9781668119327.
Gr 5-7–Prolific aural expert Kelly empathically ciphers Thayer’s debut novel with spunky charm, enhancing protagonist Dee’s struggles with inspiring tenacity and celebrating Dee’s triumphs with humorous delight. Sixth grade is off to a horrible start—bff Juniper is drifting away, while laughing with the whole school at Dee’s embarrassing mother with her too-short dress that doesn’t cover her lacy, blue-flowered underwear during Parent PE Day. Dee’s taken to hiding in the bathroom but finds she’s not alone—and maybe her own travails might help others through theirs, from classmate Harry struggling with his own parent, to other kids, both younger and older. While Thayer’s narrative occasionally veers toward paralyzing naval-gazing, Kelly’s bubbly energy manages to keep listeners actively, entertainingly engaged. VERDICT Kelly convincingly provides a soothing balm to navigating the precarious pitfalls of middle school dramas.

Warga, Jasmine. A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall. narrated by Michael Crouch. 3:39 hrs. HarperAudio. Sept. 2024. $27.99. ISBN 9780063395220.
Gr 3-7–Versatile Crouch adroitly adapts ages, genders, backgrounds, species (!) to embody a sizable cast, opening with Agatha the turtle, sole witness to theft at the Penelope L. Brooks Museum. Rami, whose immigrant single mother is the museum’s cleaning crew supervisor, was also there that day because he’s not allowed to stay home alone, even though he’s almost 12. He didn’t see the thief, but he does meet a girl—shoeless, floating—who’s somehow related to the stolen painting. Rami wishes he could tell his mother everything, not just about his spectral encounter but also his terrible middle school struggles. An unexpected new friendship with classmate Veda—a true crime podcast enthusiast—begins to alleviate his loneliness. Working together will solve plenty of problems. VERDICT While effortlessly enlivening Warga’s notable characters, Crouch expertly imparts that “singular feeling to be understood. Seen. Connected. It is the best feeling in the whole world.”

Young Adult

Bell, Darrin. The Talk. narrated by Darrin Bell, Emyree Zazu Bell, Brittany Bradford & William DeMeritt. 3:20 hrs. Macmillan Audio. Aug. 2024. $14.99. ISBN 9781250381248.
Gr 10 Up–Each of the four narrators take turns with dedications: “for Breonna Taylor, for Freddie Gray, for Trayvon Martin, for Ahmaud Arbery... for Tamir Rice... for Walter Scott...,” building furious speed and overlapping names until their voices merge into a cacophonous, shocking witnessing to Black murder. Those sobering 30 seconds set the tone for Bell’s mega-award-winning 2023 graphic memoir, extraordinarily adapted for audio with Bell as primary narrator, his young son as himself, and actors Bradford and DeMerritt creating a significant cast of parents, teachers, friends, colleagues; additional background scoring and archival recordings (featuring political figures, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump), chillingly enhance the stupendous production. Bell, who won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for “beautiful and daring editorial cartoons that took on issues affecting disenfranchised communities, calling out lies, hypocrisy and fraud in the political turmoil surrounding the Trump administration,” seems urgently relevant with the 2025 return of that administration. VERDICT A significant, immediate necessity for all collections.

Ferguson, Jen. A Constellation of Minor Bears. narrated by Julie Lumsden, Jesse Nobess & Shaun Taylor-Corbett. 8:50 hrs. HarperAudio. Sept. 2024. $27.99. ISBN 9780063334250.
Gr 9 Up–Three versatile narrators assume Ferguson’s (Métis) trio, once an inseparable unit now facing divisive conflict after a serious accident. Lumsden (Métis), in her third Ferguson collaboration, is affectingly feeling-full as Molly (Métis), who’s finally learning how not to prioritize other people’s expectations no matter how unsure she is of her own goals and desires. Nobess (Pinaymootang) is affable Traylor (Métis), whose usual charisma isn’t enough to assuage Molly’s resentment. Taylor-Corbett (Blackfeet), returning for his second Ferguson title, reads recovering Hank (white), Molly’s half-brother who survived a three-week coma following an indoor climbing head injury. Molly hasn’t forgiven Tray, believing he’s responsible for Hank’s near-death, but the pair aren’t changing their post-graduation plans to hike the Pacific Crest Trail together. Out there in the wide open, all manner of truths will finally become clearer. VERDICT An Indigenous trifecta assuredly accentuate Ferguson’s three-pronged coming-of-age novel.

IllumiNative, ed. My Life: Growing Up Native in America. narrated by Carolina Hoyos, Kamali Minter, Tanis Parenteau & Shaun Taylor-Corbett. 3:51 hrs. S. & S. Audio. Oct. 2024. $14.99. ISBN 9781797184258.
Gr 9 Up–Racial/social justice organization IllumiNative combats the “profound erasure” of Native peoples: “We are the story of America. And yet, our story is so often untold,” writes founding codirector Crystal Echo Hawk (Pawnee) in her introduction to a polyphonic, reclamatory collection of essays and poems by Native voices. Four versatile actors—three clearly identifying as Native—narrate “shining examples of our resilience and achievements”; a who-read-whom would have been appreciated. Parenteau (Métis) opens as Hawk’s cipher; she also empowers Iñupiaq author/illustrator Nasuraq Rainey Hopson to “pretty much do anything.” Taylor-Corbett (Blackfeet) assumes Onondaga writer/artist Eric Gansworth’s (em)bracing encounter at 14 with a “flint-tongued, black-coffee-drinking, unfiltered-smoking Auntie.” Minter turns Afro-Indigenous writer/creator Kara Roselle Smith’s verses lyrical—and unmistakably steely. Hoyos (Afro-Indigenous Latine) enlivens Laguna Pueblo artist Somáh Toya Haaland’s code-switching experiences of “Growing Up Pueblo (and White) in America.” While each contribution deserves attentive witnessing, particular standouts include Tlingit and Dena’ina playwright/TV writer Vera Starbard’s “Primitive,” read by Parenteau; and Ihanktonwan Dakota Philip J. Deloria’s “The Discovery of Irony,” and “future Yurok elder” Dash Turner’s “Timeless Wisdom: Genius Tips for Enhanced Native Living,” both narrated by Taylor-Corbett. VERDICT A must-have in all formats for all collections.

Johnson, George M. Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known. narrated by George M. Johnson. 2:23 hrs. Macmillan Young Listeners. Sept. 2024. $10.99. ISBN 9781250354006.
Gr 10 Up–Johnson is three for three for self-narration, their chatty, conversational style an irresistible invitation. “My heroes were hidden from me,” they write, particularly the Black and queer—learning about them as a struggling youth “could have made all the difference.” They rectify that lack for younger readers/listeners, with a reminder that “queerness is as old as heterosexuality.” Jaunty musical snippets announce each Black queer pioneer: performer Ma Rainey, “the original trash-talking, take-no-shit Black woman”; writer/educator/philosopher Alain Locke, first Black Rhodes Scholar (“here we go again with Black queers being the first”); entertainer Bessie Smith who paved the road to stardom for other queer artists; poet Claude McKay who showed the world the Harlem Renaissance wasn’t all glitz and glamour even if W.E.B. Du Bois wasn’t pleased; and more. VERDICT In any format, Johnson’s justified demand for recognition for “the Flamboyants” transforms into accessible, necessary inspiration for new generations.

Sepetys, Ruta & Steve Sheinkin. The Bletchley Riddle. narrated by Ruta Sepetys, Steve Sheinkin, Louis Hill & Georgina Jane. 9:30 hrs. Listening Library. Oct. 2024. $25. ISBN 9780593945773.
Gr 6-10–Despite their relative newness to audiobooks, Hill and Jane are superb ciphers for English teen siblings Jakob (19) and Lizzie (14), respectively, in dual powerhouse Sepetys and Sheinkin’s first collaboration. Opening in May 1940, their skillfully entertaining novel unfurls in efficacious he said/she said bursts. Hill is an astutely cautious Jakob: “a Cambridge man [who] belongs to the cardigan corps of mathematicians,” plucked by Bletchley Park to help break Germany’s Enigma codes. Jane is a tirelessly tenacious Lizzie who repeatedly manages to foil their American grandmother’s efforts to ship her stateside and joins Jakob at Bletchley as an insightful messenger. While Jakob struggles to accept their mother’s likely death, Lizzie absolutely refuses to give up her stealthy search. VERDICT A notably complementary quartet of two British actors and two phenomenal U.S. authors (Sheinkin reads the historical note, Sepetys the acknowledgements) enhance an already exemplary read on the page.

Stokes, Mason. All the Truth I Can Stand. narrated by Tom Picasso. 8:27 hrs. Recorded Books. Nov. 2024. $19.99. ISBN 9798894862095.
Gr 9 Up–Making his YA debut, Skidmore College professor Stokes transforms the 1998 Matthew Shepard tragedy into “speculative historical fiction,” aurally, assuredly enabled by thoughtful, controlled Picasso. Stokes’s spotlight, though, shines on 17-year-old high school senior Ash, instantly drawn to irresistible, unreliable Shepard stand-in Shane. Ash volunteers for the college theater crew where he meets aspiring journalist Jenna, who’s also close to Shane. Shane’s fatal attack tracks with real-life events; Jenna and Ash’s posthumous search to understand challenges Shepard’s posthumous iconic legacy, revealing a complex, flawed human (sealed assault charges, drug addiction/trafficking, previous intimacy with one of his attackers). To naysayers, Stokes’s revelatory author’s note includes documented sources. His conspicuous reminder that a Black man, James Byrd, Jr., was heinously murdered by white supremacists four months before Shepard, feels like a moment of significant reclamation. VERDICT A quarter-century after the original tragedy, Picasso ushers Stokes’s fictionalized truth with measured, attentive narration.

Sukumar, Suja. When Mimi Went Missing. narrated by Rita Amparita. 8:46 hrs. Recorded Books. Nov. 2024. $19.99. ISBN 9798892746700.
Gr 8 Up–Indian American teen cousins Tanvi and Mimi used to be inseparable. Tanvi, diagnosed with mental health illness after losing her parents to a grisly double murder/suicide, could always rely on one-year-older Mimi as her stalwart protector against bullies—until Mimi inexplicably turns against her to join the popular crowd, becoming reigning mean girl Beth’s bestie. Having had enough of Beth’s relentless cruelty, Tanvi plots to shatter her manipulative tormentor’s perfect(ed) reputation. But then she wakes the next morning in soiled clothing with inexplicable injuries—and Mimi has gone missing. Tanvi can’t remember what happened, but she knows she’s running out of time to find her cousin. Indonesian American voice actor Amparita decisively assumes debut Sukumar’s debut, notably embodying Tanvi’s persistent sense of uncertainty: “How do I prove my innocence when I’m not sure myself?” VERDICT A well-paced psychological thriller affectingly audio-adapted.

Adult Crossover

RedCherries, m.s. mother. narrated by m.s. RedCherries. 2:05 hrs. Penguin Audio. Jul. 2024. $28.99. ISBN 9780593907825.
Adult/High School–National Book Award finalist RedCherries (Northern Cheyenne) debuts as both writer and narrator, her softly youthful voice resonating with underlying emotion and resolute tenacity. Presented in multiple formats in both verse and prose, a narrative emerges about a young Native woman longing for a lost mother, from whom she was stolen. Short, immersive fragments, lines, paragraphs puzzle together the unnamed narrator’s portrait of splintered family and fractured identity. “From the pieces of memory I have left I/ have made your stories whole,” she writes. She’s raised by non-Native parents—“my family/ here is strong too and I love my mom/ and dad more than anyone else in the/ world.” A reunited brother and sister help her reconnect to their origins, even as she questions, “mother,/ where is the Indian in me?” VERDICT Hand to mature teens—particularly with BIPOC backgrounds—ready to deeply interrogate their origins.

Terry Hong writes SLJ’s quarterly audio column.