GET A GRIP, VIVY COHEN!

Narrators JD Jackson and Cassandra Morris make the most of this audiobook's format of letters and emails between Vivy, an 11-year-old girl, and VJ Capello, her major league baseball pitching idol. Vivy is determined to play baseball and use her knuckleball pitch in a real game, not just while practicing with her brother. But her mother has concerns about her being the only girl on the team, especially because Vivy is on the autism spectrum. In Vivy's letters to VJ, Morris conveys all of Vivy's hopeful ambition and disappointing struggles in a youthful-sounding voice perfectly suited to a preteen girl. Jackson conveys the warmth and compassionate support of the adult superstar who, amazingly, continues the correspondence. S.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2021]