Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Image: Scholastic

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~ 7hours, 39 minutes. Read by Alaska Jackson. Scholastic Audio, 2020. 9781338637625. (Review of finished audio borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. This delightful first-person narrative is Ms. Johnson's sparkling debut. Liz Lighty is our narrator and she charms from the start with her wry, occasionally snarky observations about her prom-obsessed town in the midwest. One example I had to jot down is, "Derek's grand finale, I kid you not, is the lift...looks less like Baby and more like Simba looking over the Pridelands, but, whatever." I read this one with my ears. Had I been reading with my eyes, the entire book would've been flagged with post-its!

Not only is she too poor to be concerned about all things prom, but as one of few Black students, she has never seen anyone who looks like her on the prom court. Besides, music is her thing and she has a plan to get out of her small town - obtaining a scholarship to her dream school, playing in their orchestra and studying like mad to become a doctor. When the scholarship falls through, Liz is crushed until she realizes that the prom queen winner gets a scholarship. Hm. Should she put herself out there? While the book is often laugh-out-loud funny, thoughtful readers will contemplate timely issues like privilege, anxiety and identity. 

I just loved this one! New-to-me narrator perfectly embodied Liz and she had a nice range of voices and superb timing and pacing. I will look out for more books narrated by her as well as Ms. Johnson's sophomore offering.