FIREFLIES IN DECEMBER

In segregated Virginia, 1932, a white family takes in a black girl whose parents are killed in a fire. Thirteen-year-old Jessilyn tells the story of the community backlash that follows her family’s act of kindness. Kate Forbes is perfect as the hot-tempered, determined young teen. She reads with a backcountry Southern accent, conveying Jessilyn’s pain as she is shunned by adults and children, her anger and fear as she is terrorized by the Ku Klux Klan, and her joy as she finds worthwhile friends and a deeper faith. Forbes never breaks character as she keeps the suspense and intensity going in hushed, somber tones. Some scenes and words are difficult to listen to, but Forbes’s compelling narration makes it impossible to stop. M.M.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2011 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]