
The American Library Association’s Odyssey Award committee has named two Listening Library titles as Odyssey Honor audiobooks: Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi, produced by Sarah Jaffe and narrated by Mitra Jouhari, and Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson, produced by Aaron Blank and narrated by Adjoa Andoh.
The Odyssey Award and Honors recognizes excellence in children’s and young adult audiobooks. Learn more about these remarkable audiobooks and listen to clips below.
In Perfectly Parvin, Olivia Abtahi’s heartfelt and outright hilarious debut, fourteen-year-old Iranian-American Parvin Mohammadi sets out to win the ultimate date to homecoming. But Parvin discovers that being a rom-com dream girl is much harder than it looks. Also hard? The parent-mandated Farsi lessons. A confusing friendship with a boy who’s definitely not supposed to like her. And hardest of all, the ramifications of the Muslim ban on her family in Iran. Suddenly, being herself has never been more important. Iranian-American actress and writer Mitra Jouhari (Three Busy Debras, Big Mouth, Search Party) narrates the audiobook edition, producer Sarah Jaffe’s first Odyssey Honor.
Read our Q&A with Olivia Abtahi, Author of Perfectly Parvin!
Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah’s inspiring true story Emmanuel’s Dream—which was turned into a film, Emmanuel’s Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey—is nothing short of remarkable. Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people—but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton, Invictus) performs the audiobook edition, accompanied by evocative music and sound effects. Emmanuel’s Dream was also named a Schneider Family Children’s Book winner and ALSC Notable Children’s Book in 2016 and is producer Aaron Blank’s second Odyssey Honor audiobook.
“Narrator Adjoa Andoh’s rich, clear voice resonates with emotion in this inspirational audio biography for young listeners.”—AudioFile
Browse more audiobooks for young listeners by visiting our Family Listening Collection.