
Broken Strings
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $15.29
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Gabi Epstein
About this listen
A violin and a middle-school musical unleash a dark family secret in this moving story by an award-winning author duo. For fans of The Devil's Arithmetic and Hana's Suitcase.
It's 2002. In the aftermath of the Twin Towers - and the death of her beloved grandmother - Shirli Berman is intent on moving forward. The best singer in her junior high, she auditions for the lead role in Fiddler on the Roof but is crushed to learn that she's been given the part of the old Jewish mother in the musical rather than the coveted part of the sister. But there is an upside: Her "husband" is none other than Ben Morgan, the cutest and most popular boy in the school.
Deciding to throw herself into the role, she rummages in her grandfather's attic for some props. There, she discovers an old violin in the corner - strange, since her Zayde has never seemed to like music, never even going to any of her recitals. Showing it to her grandfather unleashes an anger in him she has never seen before, and while she is frightened of what it might mean, Shirli keeps trying to connect with her Zayde and discover the awful reason behind his anger. A long-kept family secret spills out, and Shirli learns the true power of music, both terrible and wonderful.
©2019 Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer (P)2020 Penguin Random House CanadaListeners also enjoyed...
-
Thirst
- By: Varsha Bajaj
- Narrated by: Reena Dutt
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses.
-
-
Loved it!
- By debbie on 07-24-22
By: Varsha Bajaj
-
I Love You, Michael Collins
- By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
- Narrated by: Amy Melissa Bentley
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Mamie's class is given an assignment to write letters to the astronauts. All the girls write to Neil Armstrong ("So cute!") and all the boys write to Buzz Aldrin ("So cool!"). Only Mamie writes to Michael Collins, the astronaut who will come so close but never achieve everyone else's dream of walking on the moon, because he is the one who must stay with the ship.
-
-
You should not think what others think only what makes you happy 😁
- By Danielle on 02-27-24
-
Brown Girl Dreaming
- By: Jacqueline Woodson
- Narrated by: Jacqueline Woodson
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world.
-
-
Memoir of a childhood, in verse.
- By Adam Shields on 02-18-19
-
The Winged Watchman
- By: Hilda van Stockum
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot, and spiritual truth. Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an underdiver, a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression.
-
-
Thoughtful story w/ excellent narration
- By Seagreenaz on 07-04-15
-
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
- By: Dan Gemeinhart
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years. That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Coyote hasn't been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished - the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box - she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it.
-
-
Could have been better!
- By Amber Kennon on 12-11-19
By: Dan Gemeinhart
-
Here in the Real World
- By: Sara Pennypacker
- Narrated by: Noah Galvin
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ware can’t wait to spend summer "off in his own world" dreaming of knights in the Middle Ages and generally being left alone. But then his parents sign him up for dreaded Rec camp, where he must endure Meaningful Social Interaction and whatever activities so-called "normal" kids do. On his first day, Ware meets Jolene, a tough, secretive girl planting a garden in the rubble of an abandoned church next to the camp. Soon, he starts skipping Rec, creating a castle-like space of his own in the church lot.
-
-
Awesome book!
- By DIANA on 02-19-20
By: Sara Pennypacker
-
Thirst
- By: Varsha Bajaj
- Narrated by: Reena Dutt
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses.
-
-
Loved it!
- By debbie on 07-24-22
By: Varsha Bajaj
-
I Love You, Michael Collins
- By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
- Narrated by: Amy Melissa Bentley
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Mamie's class is given an assignment to write letters to the astronauts. All the girls write to Neil Armstrong ("So cute!") and all the boys write to Buzz Aldrin ("So cool!"). Only Mamie writes to Michael Collins, the astronaut who will come so close but never achieve everyone else's dream of walking on the moon, because he is the one who must stay with the ship.
-
-
You should not think what others think only what makes you happy 😁
- By Danielle on 02-27-24
-
Brown Girl Dreaming
- By: Jacqueline Woodson
- Narrated by: Jacqueline Woodson
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world.
-
-
Memoir of a childhood, in verse.
- By Adam Shields on 02-18-19
-
The Winged Watchman
- By: Hilda van Stockum
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot, and spiritual truth. Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an underdiver, a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression.
-
-
Thoughtful story w/ excellent narration
- By Seagreenaz on 07-04-15
-
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
- By: Dan Gemeinhart
- Narrated by: Khristine Hvam
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five years. That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation. It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash. Coyote hasn't been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished - the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box - she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it.
-
-
Could have been better!
- By Amber Kennon on 12-11-19
By: Dan Gemeinhart
-
Here in the Real World
- By: Sara Pennypacker
- Narrated by: Noah Galvin
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ware can’t wait to spend summer "off in his own world" dreaming of knights in the Middle Ages and generally being left alone. But then his parents sign him up for dreaded Rec camp, where he must endure Meaningful Social Interaction and whatever activities so-called "normal" kids do. On his first day, Ware meets Jolene, a tough, secretive girl planting a garden in the rubble of an abandoned church next to the camp. Soon, he starts skipping Rec, creating a castle-like space of his own in the church lot.
-
-
Awesome book!
- By DIANA on 02-19-20
By: Sara Pennypacker
-
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule
- By: Harriette Gillem Robinet
- Narrated by: Andrea Johnson
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve-year-old Pascal can hardly believe his ears. His older, run-away brother has returned to the plantation with an amazing story: President Lincoln has freed the slaves. Not only that, each newly-freed family can have 40 acres of land and maybe a mule, just for the asking. Now all Pascal and his brother have to do is sneak away from their angry master - and find out where the government is giving away farmland.
-
-
Great book!
- By LM on 09-09-23
-
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
- The Wingfeather Saga, Book 1
- By: Andrew Peterson
- Narrated by: Andrew Peterson
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Janner Igiby, his brother, Tink, and their disabled sister, Leeli, are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather. But they will need all their gifts and all that they love to survive the evil pursuit of the venomous Fangs of Dang, who have crossed the dark sea to rule the land with malice. The Igibys hold the secret to the lost legend and jewels of good King Wingfeather of the Shining Isle of Anniera.
-
-
Fun fact in review. Excellent book. Sweet yet suspenseful.
- By kristy on 01-08-21
By: Andrew Peterson
-
Genesis Begins Again
- By: Alicia D. Williams
- Narrated by: Alicia D. Williams
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are 96 reasons why 13-year-old Genesis dislikes herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Genesis is determined to fix her family, and she’s willing to try anything to do so...even if it means harming herself in the process. But when Genesis starts to find a thing or two she actually likes about herself, she discovers that changing her own attitude is the first step in helping change others.
-
-
Excellent book!!
- By Erna Billingsley on 08-19-20
-
Beyond the Bright Sea
- By: Lauren Wolk
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Lauren Wolk
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The moving story of an orphan, determined to know her own history, who discovers the true meaning of family. Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar.
-
-
Depth
- By Cherie N on 12-03-17
By: Lauren Wolk
-
The Length of a String
- By: Elissa Brent Weissman
- Narrated by: Tyla Collier, Carlotta Brentan
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she's Black and almost everyone she knows is White. Then her mom's grandmother - Imani's great-grandma Anna - passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It's Anna's diary from 1941, the year she was 12 and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone.
-
-
gud
- By Nancy on 12-17-21
-
The Mysterious Benedict Society
- By: Trenton Lee Stewart, Carson Ellis - illustrator
- Narrated by: Del Roy
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children—two boys and two girls—succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.
-
-
Great Mystery for kids or students
- By Mel J Johnson on 08-14-22
By: Trenton Lee Stewart, and others
-
Amos Fortune, Free Man
- By: Elizabeth Yates
- Narrated by: Roslyn Ruff
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Amos Fortune was only 15 years old, he was captured by slave traders and brought to Massachusetts, where he was sold at auction. Although his freedom had been taken, Amos never lost his dignity and courage. For 45 years, Amos worked as a slave and dreamed of freedom. And, at age 60, he finally began to see those dreams come true.
-
-
i love this book
- By Mike L. on 11-08-18
By: Elizabeth Yates
-
Salt to the Sea
- By: Ruta Sepetys
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Will Damron, Cassandra Morris, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes.
-
-
Haunting Historical YA Fiction
- By FanB14 on 02-19-16
By: Ruta Sepetys
-
A Thousand Questions
- By: Saadia Faruqi
- Narrated by: Gail Shalan, Reena Dutt
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents she’s never met. Secretly, she wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her beautiful new journal. The cook's daughter, Sakina, still hasn't told her parents that she'll be accepted to school only if she can improve her English test score - but then, how could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her Abba in a rich family's kitchen?
-
-
Beautiful bicultural story
- By Michael and Nancy on 09-05-24
By: Saadia Faruqi
-
The Psammead Trilogy
- By: Edith Nesbit
- Narrated by: Rosie Akerman
- Length: 20 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Psammead trilogy, featuring Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, and The Story of the Amulet, has enchanted audiences of all ages for decades. Experience the entire story in this one unique collection, narrated by Rosie Akerman.
-
-
Irritating narrator
- By D Kieffer on 06-23-22
By: Edith Nesbit
-
Things You Save in a Fire
- By: Katherine Center
- Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated. The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew.
-
-
Pretty predictable
- By Susan Jordan on 09-14-19
By: Katherine Center
-
One for the Murphys
- By: Lynda Hunt
- Narrated by: Nora Hunter
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household.
-
-
So sad!!!!
- By Jennifer Broaddus on 08-22-18
By: Lynda Hunt
Critic reviews
One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Middle Grade Books of 2019
One of the Globe and Mail’s 100 Books that Shaped 2019
One of Quill and Quire's Honorable Mentions for 2019 Books of the Year for Young People
One of CBC Books Best Canadian YA and Middle Grade Books of 2019
National Chapter IODE Violet Downey Award 2020
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Awards 2020
Snow Willow Award 2020
Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature 2020
"Shirli's voice is true and strong as she narrates her own tale of rehearsals, her very ethnically diverse friendships, her deep distress as she witnesses Zayde's pain, and her joy as he reconnects with his music. A beautiful, painful, heartfelt reminder that the past is with us still." (Kirkus Reviews, starred)
"Walters and Kacer pull of this impressive feat of complex storytelling and make it look easy.... [It is an] honest, open and unflinching [story] about some of the more dark and traumatic aspects of history." (Quill & Quire, starred)
What listeners say about Broken Strings
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- AuntieM
- 07-17-22
Must Hear!
This book is one of the best I have listened too! It moved me to tears several times a very touching story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful