RICK KOTANI'S 400 MILLION DOLLAR SUMMER

Eric Yang's spirited performance and ease in creating multiple characters make this audiobook a joy to listen to. Californian Rick Kotani, who loves baseball, expected to spend the summer pitching for his team. Instead, he winds up in Oregon, with his mom, who's looking after his Japanese grandfather, who still has spunk but isn't safe living independently. As Rick's Grandpa Hiroshi introduces him to a Japanese folktale that mirrors his life as a young man, Yang adopts an accent that perfectly fits an immigrant who has spent decades in America. Rick's growing interest in Toni, an excellent ballplayer and umpire who is continually being sidelined in favor of her twin brother, sounds both charming and squirmy. The minor characters are excellent, too--the overenthusiastic administrator at a dreary nursing home is particularly entertaining. A.B. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2025]