NOT YOUR ALL-AMERICAN GIRL

Laurine Price's beautiful singing voice enhances her narration of this audiobook about a biracial sixth grader who longs to shine. When Laura and her best friend, Tara, try out for the school musical, Lauren hopes that she will be the star instead of Tara, for once. But even after her audition brings down the house, Lauren is not cast as the lead because, being half-Chinese and half-Jewish, she doesn't look the part of the "all-American girl." With fresh youthfulness, Price believably portrays a range of middle school characters with distinct voices and personalities. Adult voices round out the story--from that of the condescending musical director to those of Lauren's bickering grandmothers, each with authentic-sounding accents that signal their Chinese and Jewish heritages. S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2020]