Someone New

In this compassionate audiobook, three students in a class, Emma, Jason, and Jesse, portrayed by Frankie Corzo and Ramon de Ocampo, find ways to make three three newcomers feel welcome: Maria, portrayed by Ruth Livier; Jin, portrayed by de Ocampo; and Fatimah, portrayed by Ariana Delawari. Thoughtfully, each of the original students tries to connect with one of the newcomers: Jesse asks Maria to join in a soccer game; Jason shares comic books with Jin; and Emma and Fatima draw pictures of themselves and their families together. Pauses in the narration leave listeners time to contemplate each interaction. As the welcoming students feel successful in their friendship-building, the narrators' voices radiate pride and satisfaction. The sound effects carefully reflect events in the story, and a note detailing the author's personal experience with social anxiety completes the production. A.R. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine