THE NEW KIDS Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens

Hauser provides a ground-level look an international high school in New York that serves an immigrant population of students who work, live, and learn their way through the angst-ridden experience that is high school. As narrator, Tavia Gilbert is a good fit for Hauser’s prose. She has a clear and strong voice but one that can soften or execute other nuances as the scene dictates. Her energy and matter-of-fact tone hold listener attention. She amplifies Hauser’s declarative but empathetic approach, which seems to humanize a population that U.S. culture largely disowns. Gilbert consistently delivers an array of accents and personalities and makes smooth transitions between dialogue and narrative. L.E. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]