Loud Awake and Lost

Teenage Ember Leferrier remembers very little of the car accident that left her in the hospital for eight months. Now, as she returns to school, she begins to remember different things about the night and weeks leading up to the crash. However, she must work to determine which of her friends and family are lying to her as she tries to find the truth. Narrator Craden turns in a performance that is guaranteed to maintain listener attention. She reads with a softer tone during Ember’s scared and vulnerable moments, and this contrasts well with the tone she uses during more dynamic passages. Not all of voices Craden lends the characters match up perfectly, but she hits the mark well with the major players. Ages 12-up. A Knopf hardcover. (Nov.)