HOLLER OF THE FIREFLIES

Zeno Robinson perfectly portrays 12-year-old Javari Harris in this engaging, thought-provoking listen. Javari, who lives with his family in Bushwick, Brooklyn, has the opportunity to attend a STEM summer camp in West Virginia. Robinson's portrayal of Javari is authentic and multilayered as the boy finds himself in the heart of Appalachia and engages with compelling and well-developed characters at camp and beyond. Javari's journey is about so much more than STEM camp. It touches on what remains the same regardless of geography: racism, class differences, police violence, and poverty. Robinson particularly shines at delivering Javari's interactions with Cricket, a boy who shows Javari the "real" Appalachia and helps increase his awareness of issues of social and environmental justice. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2022]