RAIN RISING

Angel Pean narrates this powerful middle-grade novel in verse, told from the perspective of Rain, a Black eighth grader who battles depression. Rain's hero is her popular, brilliant, and athletic brother, Xander. Her world is upended when he is attacked on a recruiting trip to a predominantly white university, and he becomes a "hashtag." The story brings listeners behind the hashtag to the victim, the families, and the friends. Pean's nuanced performance honors the difficult topics of depression, racism, grief, and trauma. Her deliberate and, at times, heavy pacing embodies the emotional weight of Rain's world. Listeners will cry with Rain and root for her and her family. This audiobook gives young people permission to own their feelings and to find ways to heal. P.P.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2022]