MONDAY'S NOT COMING

Narrator Imani Parks portrays an African-American teen named Claudia who is learning-challenged. At school, Claudia has always been buoyed by her best friend, Monday Charles, but now, at the beginning of a new school year, Monday is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. In a story that contains many time shifts, Parks's emotive narration aids the transitions that recall the closeness of the girls at home and the painful bullying they face at school. At times, Claudia is confused by Monday's increasing anxiety, and Claudia's frustration turns to fear when even her own usually tender parents don't seem to listen to her concerns. In each time period, Parks dramatizes the story's building tension. As Claudia pieces together clues, so do listeners. The surprising climax is poignantly rendered by Parks. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2018]