MIDNIGHT AT THE ELECTRIC
by Jodi Lynn Anderson, for Harper Audio
2065: Adri has been handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house more than a hundred years ago and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate.
1934: Amid the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine’s family’s situation is growing dire. She must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.
1919: In the recovery following World War I, Lenore tries to come to terms with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail from England to America. But can she make it that far?
This epic tale is a masterful exploration of how love, determination, and hope can change a person's fate. While their stories span thousands of miles and multiple generations, their fates are entwined in ways both heartbreaking and hopeful.
Bailey Carr reads the emotional journal of Cat, written during the Dustbowl era. Cat is desperate to save her sister from lung disease, passionately in love with the farm's handyman, and angry with her mother for something she can't figure out. Re-listening is recommended for this compelling audio with its evocative writing, parallel stories, and strong performances.
-Audiofile Magazine
HOW SHE DIED, HOW I LIVED
by Mary Crockett, for Hachette Audio
A poignant and thought-provoking novel about a girl who must overcome her survivor's guilt after a fellow classmate is brutally murdered. I was one of five. The five girls Kyle texted that day. The girls it could have been. Only Jamie - beautiful, saintly Jamie - was kind enough to respond. And it got her killed. Is hope possible in the face of such violence? Is forgiveness? How do you go on living when you know it could have been you instead?
Bailey Carr narrates this thoughtful story about trauma and survivor's guilt with a tinge of romance. Carr is believable as a teenage girl, and she perfectly portrays the protagonist's constantly shifting emotional state. Some characters are described as having Southern accents, and Carr voices them convincingly.
-Audiofile Magazine
FEVER 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson, for Tantor Audio
During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out. Disease sweeps the streets, destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie flees the city with her grandfather. But she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere, and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.
Narrator Bailey Carr gives a contemporary edge to 14-year-old Mattie in this new production of a stellar historical novel. Carr mines Anderson's talent for going deep into the hearts and minds of teens, giving Mattie a touch of defiant sass and dreamy hope. When Mattie is plunged into the horror of the most severe yellow fever epidemic in U.S. history, Carr's gentle voice guides listeners through what seems like an apocalypse.
-Audiofile Magazine
FOUR THREE TWO ONE
by Courtney Stevens, for Harper Audio
“Go” Jennings wasn’t supposed to be on Bus 21 the day it blew up in New York City. Neither was her boyfriend, Chandler. But they were. And so was Rudy, a cute stranger Go shared a connection with the night before. Though it’s been a year since the bombing, Go isn’t any closer to getting over what happened. But things are never easy when it comes to rehashing the past. Uniting the four stirs up conflicting feelings of anger and forgiveness and shows them that, although they all survived, they may still need saving.
Narrators Bailey Carr and Erin Spencer skillfully keep this novel on course. Kentuckians Golden "Go" Jennings and her boyfriend, Chandler, travel to New York City to photograph Ellis Island for her grandmother when a bomb explodes on their bus. Carr's diverse tones describe Go's and Chandler's simple lives at their commune, their experience of the vibrant city, and the guilt of being two of only four survivors of the bombing. Her best creation is Go's grandma, who is tough but a wellspring of wisdom.
-Audiofile Magazine
EVERYTHING I PROMISED YOU
by Katy Upperman, for Recorded Books
An emotionally raw and romantic portrait of grief, growth, and acceptance. What comes after heartbreak? Lia and Beck were always meant to be. Or so they thought. When tragedy steals Beck away, Lia is devastated. If she was fated to be with Beck and he is gone, who is she supposed to be? And is there room in her broken heart for life, let alone new love?
THIN AIR
by Kellie M. Parker, for Listening Library
Eight hours. Twelve contestants. A flight none of them might survive. Seventeen-year-old Emily Walters is selected for an opportunity of a lifetime—she’ll compete abroad for a cash prize that will cover not only tuition to the college of her choice, but will lift her mother and her out of poverty. But almost from the moment she and 11 other contestants board a private jet to Europe, Emily realizes somebody is willing to do anything to win. As loyalties shift and secrets are revealed, Emily must figure out who to trust, and who’s trying to kill them all, before she becomes the next victim.