Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros, Read by Anthony Rey Perez

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.

Narrator Anthony Rey Perez’s voice is full of heart and hope in this moving novel from Ernesto Cisneros, Efrén Divided. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss this story for middle-grade listeners that tells of one family’s fear and determination in face of separation. Efrén Nava is a 12-year-old whose mother is suddenly deported for being undocumented, and listeners hear his fear and worry over her fate, and his father’s. Suddenly balancing care for his younger siblings and his responsibilities at school, Efrén slowly learns that there are many in his community who will rise up to help his family in their time of need. Perez’s warm English and Spanish narration enlivens the characters and makes for an ultimately hopeful audiobook. Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website.

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AudioFile is hosting a webinar at 12 ET on May 6th featuring children’s and teen audiobooks to inspire conversations around immigration in schools and at home. Join to hear live readings and discussions with narrators Priya Ayyar, Marisa Blake, and Anthony Rey Perez, and Kirsten Cappy of I’m Your Neighbor Books. Sponsored by Dreamscape Audio. Register here: https://bit.ly/2QmY4pl

Support for AudioFile’s Behind the Mic comes from PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO, dedicated to producing top-quality fiction and nonfiction audiobooks written and read by the best in the business. Visit penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/audiofile now to start listening.