MANANALAND

Narrator Roxana Ortega's gentle, measured tone matches the fairy-tale style of this curious middle-grade novel. Her light accent perfectly conjures the Latin American imaginary setting. Maximiliano Córdoba is preoccupied with joining the local youth fútbol team and with the hole left in his family by the departure of his mother, who left before he can remember. When he discovers that Buelo's fantastic stories of "hidden ones" protected by mystical guardians are real, Max finds himself helping a runaway flee cruel servitude. Ortega's voice moderates some of the darker aspects of immigration and asylum by magnifying the compassion and empathy that are the strength of the story. This work is more sober reality than fantasy, and its lyrical writing and narration add to its message of hope. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2020]