COUNT ME IN

In alternating chapters, narrators Priya Ayyar and Christopher Gebauer emotionally connect to Varsha Bajaj’s story, which highlights some of today’s hot topics: immigration and diversity, bullying, and the sharing of personal information on social media. Karina’s grandfather, who grew up in India, comes to live with her family and begins tutoring Chris, the boy next door, who hangs with a group that bullies immigrants. When Karina’s grandfather is severely injured by a white supremacist, Chris and Karina, a budding photographer, become friends, posting pictures online of the attack site with the hashtag #CountMeIn. Although Ayyar’s Indian accent is more accurate than Gebauer’s, both fully capture the speech patterns of the two eighth graders, giving engrossing performances that are sure to please young listeners. S.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2019]