THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY

Ariana Cordero's narration is bright and expressive in this audiobook about a girl who is trying to discover how all her pieces fit together. Quijana is 12, half Guatemalan, and starting over at a new school. It's a lot to handle, even without her Grandmother Miller's illness and her brother Memito's concerning behavior. Cordero gives Quijana a voice that can flip between excitement and distress in an instant as she struggles with how she fits in among her new classmates and extended family. The performance verges on frantic at times but never lacks the passion of a preteen. The calm, gentle tones of Quijana's father and grandmother, separated by culture but alike in temperament, provide contrast that rounds out this enjoyable production. N.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2019]