ISLANDBORN

Listening to Junot Díaz's narration is like having a story read to you by your uncle who can do all the best voices. Lola's class is full of kids from around the world, and her teacher asks them to draw pictures of their first country. But Lola left "The Island" as a baby, and Díaz's voice reflects her anxiety over not remembering her brief time there. Lola asks her neighbors and family about their former home, and they share memories of lively music, swooping "blanket-sized" bats, and the hurricane their family survived, with sound effects to help listeners imagine the details. One gruff neighbor talks of a "monster" who terrorized The Island and the heroes who fought him, providing an age-appropriate approach to the topics of dictatorships and immigration. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2018]