(S)Kin

"Myths come to life through Bahni Turpin and Robin Miles’s stellar narration of this young adult fantasy. Marisol and her mother left their home in the Caribbean to live in Brooklyn. Marisol hopes to leave their island traditions and her family’s magic behind. Genevieve grew up listening to her white father’s mythical stories from her unknown mother’s homeland. When the teens’ lives collide, both discover secrets that change their views of their worlds. It’s no surprise that both Turpin and Miles are Golden Voice narrators. Their skills bring Genevieve’s and Marisol’s stories to life as they capture the teens’ personalities. Miles exquisitely delivers Marisol’s Caribbean accent, while Turpin channels Genevieve’s frustrations with her family and her own health. Simply magical. (6.25 hours)"

"Yes, it’s a fabulous fantasy novel in verse. It is also a Caribbean folk tale with a contemporary twist. It has two protagonists, Marisol and Genevieve. It is about friendship and identity and finding your place, and there are all kinds of feelings. It’s quick, it’s compelling, and it’s beautifully written. It is bold, there are secrets in it, there’s a little of the supernatural, and there’s a little bit of satisfying horror in it. I’ve read it a couple of times, and I’m thinking that I might read it for a third time because there are so many layers, and I’m sure I missed some. I don’t think everybody has to get the same thing out of a book, but I do think there are a lot of layers in this, and I think it is a treasure. I’m also really interested in listening to the audio version, which I’ve heard good things about. I would say 13 through to 25. But then I’m 61, and I clearly liked it. I want to remind people that the evidence on kids who read a book they might not be prepared for says that no kid has died or suffered from a reading-related disease, unless it’s related to mould. They’ll either put the book down, talk to an adult about it, or skip the part that bothers them. In other words, there is no reason that an adult needs to stop a young person from reading a book."