CROSS MY HEART AND NEVER LIE

Laura Knight Keating brings this Stonewall Award winner, a Norwegian import, to English-speaking listeners. "Seventh grade sucks," observes Tuva as she struggles to navigate both changing friendships and her growing same-sex attraction to a new classmate. She pours out her feelings to her diary, writing and illustrating moments both sweet and painful. Keating's expertly pitched evocation of Tuva's roiling feelings is nuanced and empathetic. Secondary characters are also well realized, especially Tuva's loving single dad. Sadly, much of the narrative load is carried by pictures and graphic-novel sequences in the original book, which are presented with no attempt to adapt them to the aural medium. Listeners who read the print book alongside Keating's superb performance will have the best experience. V.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2024]