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Sarah Franco portrays the ache, confusion, and fear of 11-year-old Sam as she processes the trauma of past abuse. After being relocated to her aunt's house, Sam finds a fascinating card game. She discovers that the fox and squirrels in the game are real, and if she wins, the fox, Ashander, will grant her a wish. But, as the timid squirrels remind her, the game has strict rules that involve placating Ashander and submitting to his increasingly cruel demands. With a slow pace and a deliberate tone that becomes more animated as the plot gains momentum, Franco seamlessly pulls listeners from Sam's fearful inner reality into an allegorical fantasy world and back to the unfamiliar safety of her new life with caring adults.
S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2020] Trade Ed. • Macmillan Audio • 2020 DD ISBN 9781250808264 $10.99 |
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Coming Soon:
A new podcast series for kids, fairy tale narration, the lead in a video game, and more!
A new podcast series for kids, fairy tale narration, the lead in a video game, and more!
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"Her family’s voices—at times sad, mad, and happy—are both realistic and comforting. Franco’s impassioned delivery effectively takes us through the oceans of emotions showing Franny’s grieving process."
- Lolly Gepson, Booklist "... Relatively newbie narrator Sarah Franco’s reading initially feels dampened, directly reflecting Suzy’s denial that her former best friend, at just 12, is gone forever. As Suzy methodically researches her hypothesis, her refusal to speak out loud correlates with the building emotional frenzy of her desperate secret plans--her determination, fears, and hopes all build in Franco’s voice. By book’s end, 'love tears or sad tears or happy tears' become easily distinguishable in Franco’s sensitive narration, even as listeners will be pulling out a tissue themselves. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, 2005) and Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (Philomel, 2010). [“Strong readers of middle grade realistic fiction will fully immerse themselves in this superbly written, heartfelt novel”: SLJ 8/15 starred review of the Little, Brown book.] –Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC School Library Journal |
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