RED GLASS

Emma Bering faces a performance challenge in depicting the characters who surround 16-year-old Sophie. Sophie's mother is English, her stepfather is Hispanic, and her Aunt Dika is from Bosnia. Then 6-year-old Pablo, a mute child, becomes a part of their family after his parents die in an illegal border crossing. Bering juggles fast-changing accents and ages easily. She moves just as skillfully between the deep feelings of all the characters. These intensify as Sophie, Aunt Dika, her boyfriend, and his son escort Pablo from Arizona to his Mexican village and then travel on to war-torn Guatemala. Sophie begins with a multitude of anxieties, but traveling with her courageous companions teaches her much about risk-taking, first love, and her personal “spark.” S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2009]