Narrator Kim Staunton communicates a buoyant pride in this very short story highlighting the contributions of Africans before the slave trade began. Original music and gentle sound effects of waves and wildlife accompany a storied list of African accomplishments in the fields of art, music, warfare, science, and math. This is an uplifting account that does not end in Africa but emphasizes the continued worth of the African Diaspora. 

AudioFile Earphones Award

Golden Voice Ramón de Ocampo, who narrated each of the author’s memoirs, delivers this hard-hitting YA novel in verse. De Ocampo guides listeners on its emotional journey, illuminating the relationship between high school seniors Diego and his best friend, Lawson. De Ocampo captures the story’s highs and lows—from the teenage bliss of riding in a car with a friend to the reality of confronting a violent drug dealer. De Ocampo’s narration balances lyrical writing and a gritty story.  

AudioFile Earphones Award

Sophie Jo Wasson transports listeners to Ireland in 1847 with her poignant performance. Like many throughout the country, Nell’s family’s potato crop is infected with a black rot that makes the potatoes inedible. Wasson’s lilting intonation and Irish accent take listeners into Nell’s world, capturing the devastation, terror, and dashes of hope experienced by the teenager. Listeners will be tempted to finish this short novel in verse in one sitting. Simply exquisite.   

AudioFile Earphones Award

Atkins’s historical audiobook novel-in-verse shines a light on an important chapter of American history, beginning with the 1913 Women’s March and ending with the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. Chanté McCormick gives the historical, mostly forgotten, Matilda Young a compelling voice. Matilda’s voice gains confidence and strength as she grows from a shy 14-year-old to a committed worker for the cause who became the youngest suffragist to be arrested and serve jail time.  

AudioFile Earphones Award