Learning To Swear in America

Gr 9 Up—In what sounds like the plot to a blockbuster movie, Yuri, a 17-year-old physics prodigy from Russia, is recruited to help NASA calculate a plan to stop an asteroid from slamming into California. His unpublished research on antimatter will likely earn him a Nobel Prize and could also potentially save the planet—if only NASA would listen to him. And if NASA doesn't listen to Yuri he may never get a chance to take the enigmatic Dovie, a regular American teenage girl he meets outside headquarters, to her junior prom. Dovie and her family help Yuri realize there is more to life than applied mathematics and prestigious awards. With a liberal sprinkling of science and mathematics references woven into the fabric of a charmingly realistic coming-of-age tale, this book is an excellent addition to any high school audiobook collection. The narration is well paced and sweetly characterized by Aaron Landon. Yuri's Russian accent, while not precisely accurate, is earnest and endearing and adds to the charm of the socially awkward genius