From the Publisher
American readers may know O’Farrell best for her Women’s Fiction Prize for 2020’s “Hamnet”. Although she has written previous books for children, this is her most personal. Warmly illustrated by Terrazzini, it’s the tale of Min and Bea, two sisters who go in search of answers. Min entertains her family with her stories, but when she develops a stammer, she retreats. O’Farrell teaches children how to accommodate the differences that are a part of all of us.
—Los Angeles Times
JANUARY 2025 - AudioFile
Min is messy and chatty and spontaneous but, out of nowhere, she develops a stammer that changes her life. Not only does the audio format sound entirely appropriate to illustrate her struggle to produce language, Aiofe McMahon doubles down on that advantage, with her lovely Irish accent and expressiveness ensuring that all the characters teem with life. Min's sister, Bea, is her opposite--tidy and attentive--and McMahon encapsulates Bea's need for organization. As the sisters search for the shadow hanging over Min's shoulder grabbing the words before she can get them out, they are assisted by a slow-talking mycologist who observes that everyone struggles with something and that Min's stammer has brought her empathy. A librarian notes Min's newfound ability to come up with multiple alternative words. A.B. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine
