Where The Water Takes Us, Alan Barillaro
Where The Water Takes Us, Alan Barillaro
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Where The Water Takes Us

Author: Alan Barillaro

Narrator: Eunice Wong

Unabridged: 3 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/04/2023


Synopsis

Ava’s mom is about to have twins, and the pregnancy isn’t going well. All Ava wants to do is stay by her mother’s side, but instead, she is sent away to stay with her grandparents. Normally, spending time at the lake with Nonna and Nonno is wonderful. But everything is different now. While her mom’s hospital visits are getting serious back home, Ava grapples with anxiety. As summer storms rock the island, electricity goes out at the cabin, and an annoyingly cheerful boy named Cody seems determined to pop up everywhere she goes. Ava can’t be distracted from the feeling that something terrible, something irrevocable, is going to happen to her mom while she is gone. When a bird dies in front of her, Ava is sure it is a sign that she is cursed—the last thing she, or her family, needs. But if a curse has been placed on her, there must a way to break it. So Ava makes a deal: if she can take care of two orphaned bird eggs, she will have paid off her debt, and her family will be alright. With everyone she loves on the line, Ava will do everything in her power to make sure that her mom, her twin baby brothers, her birds, and even Cody all come through the summer safely.

About Alan Barillaro

Alan Barillaro is the Academy Award–winning writer and director of the animated short film Piper and has been a supervising animator on many other popular theatrical releases, including The Incredibles, Incredibles 2, WALL-E, and Brave. He began his career in animation at the age of sixteen and spent more than twenty-five years at Pixar Animation Studios. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

About Eunice Wong

Eunice Wong is an audiobook narrator and an award-winning, Juilliard-trained actor who works in professional theatres across the United States and in New York City.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Linda

Alan Barillaro's debut middle-grade novel is one you, and your students or children, will not want to miss. It's about Ava, an eleven-year-old sent to her grandparents who live on a lake. They are wonderful to be with but this time, Ava's mother is about to have twins and it's a troubling pregnancy......more

Goodreads review by Tonja

Ava's mother is pregnant with twins, but things aren't going well. After the doctor tells Ava and her family that she's a burden to the situation, she's sent to spend the summer with her grandparents on their island. There are many things to do and tons to explore, but the doctor's statement and her......more

Goodreads review by Mark

What worked: The book’s synopsis pretty much sums up the entire book. The focus is on Ava’s conflicted feelings about her mother’s pregnancy and the different ways they affect her character. She’s sad and angry when she’s forced to spend time at her grandparents’ house on a lake instead of staying ho......more


Quotes

"Narrator Eunice Wong captures the beauty and pain of this magical coming-of-age story set on a Canadian island. Audio is essential for the evocative climax, which is both realistic and satisfying. " - Audiofile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner)

Filmmaker and debut author Barillaro’s third-person prose economically portrays Ava’s repeated anxious thoughts, rendering her an at once empathetic and resilient protagonist. The novel’s nail-biting climax is tempered by a comforting resolution, making for a well-rounded story about overcoming fear and embracing change.