Off and Running

By: Gary Soto

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

Fifth-grader Miata Ramirez is running for class president. Her best friend, Ana, is her running mate. The girls are stunned when they learn they are running against class clown Rudy Herrera and his friend Alex. At first Miata is certain she will win the election. She has big plans to make the school a better place. She’ll clean up the graffiti, plant flowers and trees, and get computers. Rudy is confident he’ll get the votes by promising longer recess periods and selling the students ice cream every day. Who will come out on top?

©1996 Gary Soto (P)2013 AudioGO

Cute story, but not engaging

Miata Ramirez is a fifth-grade student who has decided to run for class president. Along with her running mate, her best friend Ana, Miata has plans to help the school. But the campaign won't be easy; their opponents, Rudy and his friend Alex, are popular. Will she and Ana be able to win and help the school?

The basic premise of this story is good, but the story never really pulled me in. I was listening to the audiobook version, which was narrated by Barrie Kreinik, could not hold my attention. Kreinik's voice was so soothing that I kept finding my attention had wandered and I needed to back up the audiobook and listen to the part I had missed again. This happened multiple times, and I probably ended up playing the audiobook almost 3 full times just to listen to it once. I don't know whether that was a function of Kreinik's voice, the story, or just a combination of the two. Either way, I am not really inspired to read other books by Gary Soto or listen to audiobooks by Barrie Kreinik.

The reader had a good voice

I liked how the reader
was a real person not a robot thank you for reading it