The Truth and Lies of Ella Black

Narrator Kelby Keenan gives an enthusiastic performance as Ella Black in this mystery for older teens. The first-person story is peppered with extremes of emotion. Ella Black, a 17-year-old privileged Londoner, has the perfect life until her parents suddenly depart England, with Ella in tow, and travel to Brazil, saying that her father has a job there. Ella soon learns this is a lie, but she doesn't know why her parents aren't telling her the truth. Keenan creates a controlled intensity of emotion in scene after scene as she moves through this story of love, self-discovery, and even death. Teens will identify with Ella's emotions even if her circumstances are extreme. E.E.S. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine