FRANKIE & BUG

Stockard Channing adopts a questioning tone that establishes the pure innocence of Bug Contreras, the 10-year-old heroine of Gayle Forman’s first middle-grade fiction. Everything’s changing in Bug’s world in Venice Beach, California, in 1987. Her brother doesn’t want to spend time with her anymore, and Frankie, who’s come from Ohio and might be a replacement, doesn’t want to go to the beach. Channing adopts a guileless tone as Bug struggles to understand the complexities that surround her—gayness, transgenderism, and racism. Channing shifts adroitly and sensitively to the voices of the elders. She deftly portrays their protective instincts, tenderness, and pride in Bug, who is growing up and learning to fight injustices. The characters are beautifully woven into an emotive plot that doesn’t flag or preach, and could aid the young listener in becoming an ally like Bug. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2021]