Editorial Reviews for Nominees
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 Score: 92+/100 (9.2+ out of 10)
Whispers of Yesterday is a warm and tender romance novel by Auburn Hartley. It is the first book in Hartley’s Beach Sands Series, a shared-setting collection at the Beach Sands Luxury Resort where each romance stands alone. One of the interesting things about the resort (and the series) is that it's geared toward guests ages 50+, meaning that all of these characters bring a wealth of wisdom, experience, and--particularly pertinent to this book--baggage. Baggage comes with every relationship, but especially one that involves people who've been around for decades. Speaking of baggage... this book follows Rainer, a broken and disgruntled man who has all but severed his relationships with his children following his wife's battle and death from cancer. He also wrestles with guilt and trauma from his experiences as a drill instructor in the German army during its darkest time. Rainer's partner in this tango of turbulence is Sarah, a recent arrival at Beach Sands who carries the weight of her husband's death in a car crash. Sarah also struggles with other traumas and fears including a phobia of dogs as a result of suffering dog attacks in the past. In addition, it is revealed that Sarah's family is Jewish and that her uncles were murdered during the Holocaust, causing tension when Jessica (Sarah's daughter) raises this issue in relation to Rainer's military past. Both carry a lot of weight on their chests and shoulders, each of them battling their own internal demons. So, one of the most beautiful things about this particular book is how it demonstrates how relationships can help us to heal and overcome fears and blocks in our lives. Relationships can fill and mend gaps that have existed for a long time. They can encourage a person to step outside their comfort zone and try new things (or things they were afraid of doing before). We see that time and time again in this book. Sarah gradually becomes more open to water activities at the resort due to Rainer. And, in one of our favorite scenes in the book, she becomes more and more comfortable with dogs after an experience with Jax and Moxie, Rainer's Dobermans. She also demonstrates the courage to stand up to her family, which blames Rainer and the German's for past bad experiences. Meanwhile, Rainer experiences a tremendous amount of healing. It's because of Sarah that he finds the courage and an opportunity to reconcile with his estranged adult children, who were cold, distant, and hurtful while Rainer's wife (and their mother), Angelika, was dying of cancer. Both Rainer and Sarah's family learn forgiveness. The theme of forgiveness and reconciliation reverberates throughout this book. We loved that. Another thing we appreciated is that this book is almost the perfect length. It comes and goes, checks in and out, like a guest at the resort. It doesn't overstay its welcome and insist on itself. While this book is mostly straightforward, there are a few aspects of this book that got us a bit mixed up. First and foremost, the whole Holocaust angle seemed strange and out of left field to us. It didn't seem to fit with the rest of this book. It seemed unnecessary and tacked on. It also made us confused about when this book was supposed to take place and how old the characters actually were. Like, is this taking place in the late 40s or early 50s or something? Jessica makes it sound like the killings just happened recently, which is strange considering the advanced medical and vehicular technology that is later described in the book. On second reading, we had greater clarity that these characters are A LOT older than we originally thought. A second thing that confused us on our first reading (and this is kinda embarrassing) is that we weren't quite sure if Rainer was a biological male or not until the scene which explicitly says "his shaft." We were open to the possibility that Rainer was LGBT+ or something and that it was just tactfully being left unspoken. On the second read-through, we had greater clarity that this was an older heterosexual couple and not a 20-something-year-old LGBT+ one (although they seem really virile for their ages). Look, we're transparent about our experiences with a book. If we interpret something wrong or get confused, we're gonna tell you. We all went back and reread it to be fair to the author. With that out of the way... One of the most emotionally-gripping and heartbreaking aspects of this book explores Rainer's last days with Angelika, who battled cancer with courage until the very end. This is a solid romance book that says a lot about healing, reconciliation, and moving on with life without discarding or forgetting the past. Check it out on Amazon!
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 Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)
There are few things more beautiful, precious, and powerful than the voices of young people! This upcoming generation has so much to say, so much to offer, and an unimaginable amount of potential. Little Monsters Read-Along is arguably the most exciting project that Story Monsters LLC has embarked on so far! And it has heavy competition with the phenomenal Story Monsters Ink magazine (with its high production value and celebrities) and the many charming songs by Studio Story Monster. But there's something incomparable about having the children read the books aloud themselves. The grand majority of us first "read" a book aloud with our parents, picking up language via verbal/oral cues, phonetics, and repetition. In other words, we learned to read with our ears first, not our eyes. So, there's a certain weight that comes with hearing another young person read to you. It's arguably heavier than hearing from a famous author or listening to a pleasant tune about a book. Having a young narrator read to young readers sends the message that, "I'm here, I'm just like you. I'm reading, and YOU can read too!" It extends a hand to young readers, encouraging and reminding them of what they're capable of. It also helps that the books themselves (by authors like Linda Harkey, Raven Howell, Karen Patricia Nespoli, and Cynthia Kern O'Brien) are fun and engaging, featuring charismatic characters (like animals and fairies) who are always up to something. These books and characters also tend to cover topics that resonate with kids like friendship, feeling left out (or different), and being misunderstood. When it all comes down to it, it's really the young narrators who bring a lot of the magic to these audiobooks! Each and every single one of them stands out in their own unique and special way. Jeremiah Acevedo has that welcoming “buddy” energy and he is fearless about character choices. He gives Quincy a deeper yet cute sound, tweaks Gator and Tripod so they feel like they are from a different side of town, and even reads Rodney’s “lizard moment” with a fun, teeth-clenched delivery. He tries a light Southern touch for the Great One, which signals to young listeners that voices can shift with character. Stewart Joiner Davis reads with crisp timing and expressive hits that make jokes land and action easy to track. In Chatty the Hen Pheasant he nails the contrast between gruff, determined Nassau and chirpy, endearing Chatty, and his “little Chatty voice” is exactly the kind of thing kids imitate later. He feels confident and in control, which helps listeners relax into the story. Immy Dymott is the showstopper when the script invites play. Her diction is crystal clear, and she sprinkles in clever touches that never distract. In Marky the Magnificent Fairy she briefly sings a bright “La la la laaaaa” to match the text, and she layers multiple apologizing creatures so the moment feels alive without getting messy. In The Fisherman and the French Flounder she contrasts her elegant British narration with a light French flavor for the flounder, turning language mix-ups into laugh-out-loud beats. Heidi Immler shines on denser passages. She keeps a steady, cheerful pace and separates characters cleanly, from Willie’s scratchy friendly tone to Zeke’s deeper grumble and Ma’s accent. May Webster leans into calm clarity. Her steady London cadence makes stories easy to follow, which is perfect for younger listeners and classroom centers where comprehension comes first. All of this sits under Linda F. Radke’s thoughtful direction, with Zachary Simpson’s music and sound design adding lift while keeping the narrator in the spotlight. EVERYONE involved in Little Story Monsters Read-Along brings a rich range of talent and experience. Jeremiah Acevedo comes in with real on-set and stage time as an actor, singer, and athlete, including national commercials and film/theater work. Stewart Joiner Davis is an honors student with serious musical theater chops and contest wins like the Hammerstein International Youth Solo Contest. He reads like someone who rehearses and delivers on cue. Immy Dymott brings more than five years of professional voice acting across networks such as Netflix, Sky Kids, and Nickelodeon. She is comfortable with accents and character switches because she has lived in that booth world for years. Heidi Immler has experience across features, shorts, commercials, and musical theatre, plus training in singing and movement. That range helps her keep stamina and clarity when the text gets complex. May Webster studies music at Trinity College of Music and has been voice acting since age eleven. You can hear the breath control and steady cadence that comes from formal music training. The production team’s background matters, too. Linda F. Radke has more than forty years in publishing and education leadership, building Story Monsters into a trusted home for teachers, librarians, and parents. That shows up in clear direction and kid-first choices. Zachary Simpson is a composer and sound designer with a Berklee degree in Music Composition for Film, TV, and Video Games, plus professional performance experience at Disney, Universal Studios, and on cruise lines. He knows how to shape cues that support a young voice rather than fight it. We applaud everything that Story Monsters LLC has ever produced, but Little Monsters Read-Along is a cut above! In an era in which it seems like AI is replacing authors and narrators, Little Monsters Read-Along is a testament to how there's nothing like a genuine human voice and an authentic human connection. Little Monsters Read-Along gives real children real books and surrounds them with caring direction, original music, and clean sound. Underneath is a quiet promise: I am like you. I am reading. You can read too! Check it out HERE! Review of "Bentley Finds a Hippopotomonsterous" by Miki Taylor, Illustrated by Eunhye Shin11/4/2025  Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
Read, set, GO! Here's another vibrant, colorful, joy-filled, and utterly funtabulous adventure with Bentley, Betty, and all of their lovable animal friends! Bentley Finds a Hippopotomonsterous by Miki Taylor is a lovely addition to one of the most impressive children's book series to come our way over the years. In this book, we rejoin Bentley (the fluffy dog), Betty (his owner and best-friend), and Mr. Bee in what turns out to be a bit more of a mystery/seek-and-find type book. Throughout the book, Bentley insists that he saw something "Really, really BIG; Really, really FLUFFY; And really, really COLORFUL!" However, every time he draws attention to this, the mysterious animal or creature disappears! Oh, no! How is poor Bentley going to prove to all his friends that he isn't imagining things and that there really is an unusual, special creature out there?! We loved this for so many reasons. One of the reasons that's easy to overlook is how this engages young readers. Young readers love to be prompted. So, if a teacher, parent, or babysitter leaves them with an open-ended question, they are naturally gonna be eager to answer and join in. They're going to be just waiting to say: "Something really, really BIG Really, really FLUFFY And really, really COLORFUL!" Something else cool about this particular book is that it crosses over into being a seek-and-find book similar to Where's Waldo, which always offers nice little surprises and fun opportunities for readers to engage. This is enhanced by the sheer fact that the illustrator, Eunhye Shin, is SO DETAILED and SO METICULOUS! Eunhye Shin never ceases to amaze us. Yes, there's probably someone out there who might complain that there's too much going on on each page, or that it's too bright and colorful to the point of being sensory-overload, and that scenes tend to be chaotic, but we didn't mind all that. In fact, we commend the effort and attention to detail that this remarkable illustrator consistently puts into her work. She is truly extraordinary! Oh, speaking of the seek-and-find aspect of this book, the author and illustrator sprinkled in some little Easter eggs for the kids to find including a lollipop, a candy cane, cotton candy, Swedish fish, watermelon candy, and a gumdrop. But perhaps the most special little Easter Egg is the African violet flower that's hidden somewhere in this book. This is special because, as the author explains, this was her Mammalw's (grandma's) favorite flower. Oh, and from this book, we learned that her grandmother was named Betty, which explains why one of the main protagonists of the series is named Betty. This is an inspired work! It's also nice to be able to invite young readers to ask what they notice on each page. The characters are always doing something or thinking something! There are times when they are singing. There are times when they are swimming. There's even a whole section in which they daydream, realizing that the mysterious creature appears when they're quiet and restful. Hey, that might be an invitation to get kids to take a nap! That can be useful. It's cool to see old background characters from previous books like Eloise (the elephant nurse), Grady Gorilla (the football player), and DeeDee Dolphin (the beauty pageant star). The daydreaming sequence actually gives us a fun little glimpse into their thoughts, motivations, and priorities, which kids are gonna be quick to identify and point out. Even George the giraffe (the baker who was heavily featured in the previous book) and Coco the centipede (probably the only centipede we'd ever consider "cute") are in this book. There are a few characters who probably deserve more credit and recognition based on this book. One of those is Lenny Lizard. We didn't even remember Lenny Lizard from previous books, but he gets to shine in this one. He's the one who finally figures out the secret to uncovering the mysterious creature that Bentley keeps talking about. Charlie Chicken, another character who got overshadowed in the past, also helps out. All the characters work together, which is nice to see. Also, this book also made us think about something... it empathizes and helps give a voice to people who speak out but aren't heard or believed. Kids experience this all the time, unfortunately. Kids are constantly discredited and looked down on by adults. The assumption that adults often make is you're too young to know anything or it's just a figment of your imagination. To a child, it sometimes feels like they aren't seen or heard above the big huge people and big huge things. So, it's easy to relate with Bentley. Bentley constantly tells the other characters about the Hippopotomonsterous, but they keep telling him that he must just be imagining things. It can be frustrating to feel like you're not heard or believed the way that Bentley is. Speaking of the Hippopotomonsterous... that was an interesting addition. Hippopotomonsterous is the most bizarre and strange character ever in this series. Thankfully, it's not scary. In fact, she or he is actually quite cute (like all of the characters). What makes us a little concerned is that it looks like the Hippopotomonsterous is going to be heavily featured and even become a central character in future installments in the series. This character is HUGE. So, it's going to be taking up a lot of space on the page in future books. Adding a major central character is always a balancing act. We hope that Hippopotomonsterous doesn't overshadow and eclipse the other great characters we've met throughout the series. Our understanding of Hippopotomonsterous is that it represents a cool, magical, and capable friend similar to a fairy or dragon in a fantasy book. We have mixed feelings about this guy, but we'll see where the series goes. While still packed with characters and action, this book seems to have taken some of our previous advice to heart. First and foremost, this is probably the least wordy book in the series, which may make it better for daily sit-down readings at circle time or bedtime. Overall, this was another outstanding book in the series! Check out the series HERE!  Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
The children are our future! It's true! One of the wonders of being a new parent is imagining who and what that child could grow up to be. They could grow up to become a famous athlete, a star musician, a movie star, a successful baker, a scientist making groundbreaking discoveries, an engineer of impressive structures, or even the owner of a farm providing food for whole communities. It's so encouraging and inspiring to think about this stuff! It's enough to get a parent to wake up at 4 AM to soothe a child's nightmare or to put up with them making a kitchen-wide baking disaster (as we see on page 7). Well, that and basic maternal/paternal instincts. Oh Little One, Who Will You Be? by Sharon Varney is a beautiful expression of the enormous potential that our children have. They have the potential to discover new things (in the case of the adventurer), make people laugh and bring joy to their lives (in the case of the budding comedian), tend to the sick and in need (in the case of the future nurse), or capture iconic and breathtaking moments (in the case of the emerging wildlife photographer). We really appreciated how tender and warm this book is. Every page contains at least one (usually more) smiling characters. Every page contains something positive, encouraging, and inspirational from the teacher reading to the children to the father and son playing musical instruments together. The positivity of this book is contagious in the best way! It also needs to be said that this book is illustrated by Anthony Richichi, our 2023 Artist of the Year! Richichi effectively captures a lot of action on every page like the many animals who pop up for the photographer or the kids at the park playing a variety of sports. One of our favorite illustrations in this book is of the family of scientists and their budding little lab partner. Images of test tubes are transluscent in the background as if giving us a picture of what the little girl must be thinking about. This book reads like a love letter from today to tomorrow, a parent whispering possibilities into a child’s ear. It is a gentle promise that who you will be starts with who you are loved by, right now. A keepsake bedtime question becomes a lifelong conversation: Who will you be? Check it out on Amazon! |
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