KIRA-KIRA

Elaina Erika Davis displays astonishing range in her seemingly effortless transitions among a variety of languages and accents in her narration of this Newbery winner. The story is told in the first person from the point of view of Katie Takeshima, a Japanese-American girl growing up in Georgia in the 1950s. Listeners will be spellbound as Katie copes with her older sister's leukemia and bears witness to prejudice, a fledgling union movement, and economic hardship. Davis portrays characters as varied as an elderly Japanese-American man and a Southern girl with equal conviction. She gives a flawless, expressive performance that doesn't call attention to itself, allowing listeners to become engrossed in a fascinating and moving story. A.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2005 Newbery Award winner © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]