THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE

Narrator Rachel Jacobs's youthful voice is perfectly matched to Stead's story about a tween girl who is learning to deal with her emotions. Twelve-year-old Bea's life is about to change, and she is excited. Her father is getting remarried, and his fiancé's daughter, Sonia, will soon be Bea's new sister. Jacobs communicates Bea's infectious enthusiasm over the upcoming wedding and Sonia's arrival, as well as her cagey resistance to thinking about her own insecurities and problems with anger management. Bea's recognition that people can sometimes be ugly and angry, along with her acceptance of her past mistakes, is conveyed with pitch-perfect sensitivity. Jacobs's respectful and nuanced performance is not to be missed. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]