Patina

Narrator Heather Alicia Simms animates the complex character of Patina (Patty), the heroine of Jason Reynolds's second Track book. Simms depicts the overwhelmed feelings of a girl who has suffered much in her young life. Now that her beloved father has died, she must live with her aunt and uncle, helping to care for her younger sister while her diabetic mother recovers from an amputation. Simms captures Patty's many moods--her sassiness within the security of her running team, her anxiety when she doesn't perform perfectly, her disdain for the snooty girls at the rich-girl academy she attends, and her tenderness for her baby sister. Simms also skillfully renders the minor characters in the story and captures its rhythms and pacing. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine