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Zac and Mia Audiobook
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Publisher Description
"When I was little I believed in Jesus and Santa, spontaneous combustion, and the Loch Ness monster. Now I believe in science, statistics, and antibiotics."
So says seventeen-year-old Zac Meier during a long, grueling leukemia treatment in Perth, Australia. A loud blast of Lady Gaga alerts him to the presence of Mia, the angry, not-at-all-stoic cancer patient in the room next door. Once released, the two near-strangers can't forget each other, even as they desperately try to resume normal lives. The story of their mysterious connection drives this unflinchingly tough, tender novel told in two voices.
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“Narrators Kristin Condon and Nicholas Mondelli voice the title characters, two teens residing in adjacent rooms of a cancer ward. The novel begins with Zac’s perspective, and Mondelli brings a world-weary yet hopeful quality to Zac’s voice as he recovers. His pacing is slow and measured, highlighting his feeling of resignation toward his slow treatment. His calmness contrasts with his description of Mia, who is angry, stubborn, and prone to fits of shouting. When Condon later narrates Mia’s perspective, she reveals surprising vulnerability in an internal monologue that adds dimension to her complex character. Condon and Mondelli give thoughtful and subtle readings.”
— AudioFile
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“Betts portrays cancer as hard, scary, and isolating, but beatable—or at least bearable—if one isn’t facing it alone, and her depiction of a boy trying to hold onto a normal life and a girl realizing she can’t keep hers from changing has power.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This story is both heartbreaking and hopeful…Zac & Mia holds its own as a smart, well-crafted story about the importance of friendship and feeling understood.”
— School Library Journal -
“The teens are in stark contrast to each other, though not always in surprising ways. Despite this, their situations are engaging, and their yearning to be treated like normal teens is well crafted.”
— Booklist -
“Above average in this burgeoning subgenre; it’s the healing powers of friendship, love, and family that make this funny-yet-philosophical tale of brutal teen illness stand out.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“This Australian import, told from alternating perspectives, introduces two characters who are remarkable in their own right.”
— Horn Book Magazine -
“There’s complexity in their sometimes thorny relationship that makes this compelling as more than just a romance, but their connection is ultimately satisfyingly heartfelt. Hand this to readers looking for a love story with shadows but not inevitable doom.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Literature
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About AJ Betts
AJ Betts is an Australian author, speaker, teacher and cyclist. Zac & Mia, her most recent novel for teenagers, won the 2012 Text Prize, the 2014 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and the 2014 Ethel Turner prize for young adults at the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards. AJ’s other novels are Wavelength and Shutterspeed. She’s lived in Perth for the past ten years.
About the Narrators
Kristin Condon began dancing from a young age. She later found her niche onstage after her family moved to Massachusetts and she began studying and performing with Boston Ballet and Ballet Theatre of Boston. Dancing eventually led her to acting and an MFA from the University of Southern California and beyond. Kristin’s first movie role was in Being John Malkovich, in which she played a ballet dancer—not a huge stretch! She has since gone on to appear in several films and TV shows, and has recorded several audiobooks including Ashlynn’s Dreams by Julie Gilbert and Zac and Mia by AJ Betts.
Nicholas Mondelli is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.