WORDS ON FIRE

Narrator Kathleen McInerney transports listeners to Russian-occupied Lithuania in 1893 in this historical fiction told from the perspective of 12-year-old Audra. McInerney makes listeners feel Audra's terror when her parents are arrested for smuggling banned books written in the forbidden Lithuanian language. Listeners feel the suspense building as Audra evades Officer Rusakov and his Cossack soldiers, finding refuge with her parents' friends: adults Milda and Ben, and Lukas, a boy her own age. Audra's youthful voice contrasts with Officer Rusakov's sharp tone and Russian accent. Listeners will be swept into the action as Audra bravely decides to join an underground network of book smugglers who are trying to preserve their Lithuanian history and culture. S.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2019]