Children's Audio/Video: Reviews Week of 7/24/2006

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 7/24/2006

Spoken Word

Abrahams knows how to catch the voices of all of his characters, no matter what their age—most especially his Sherlock Holmes-loving eighth-grade heroine Ingrid Levin-Hill. This second book about her, firmly rooted in the fictional but instantly familiar town of Echo Falls, is read perfectly by Delaney, who quietly but persuasively brings considerable excitement to Abrahams's words. Young listeners who already love books will be naturally intrigued, as Ingrid uses Holmes's methods to dig into several mysteries about her own family and her town. And even youngsters who have never read a Sherlock Holmes story will be won over by the perilous adventure so expertly presented. Ages 10-up. (June)

Both author and reader are certainly seasoned professionals: Colfer writes the popular Artemis Fowl series, and Reilly has worked steadily in films, television and on stage. But their joint effort here doesn't quite click. There's a coy, often overly cute (and possibly offensive) tone to the audio version of Colfer's story about a 12-year-old Irish lad named Fletcher Moon—known as "Half Moon" by his classmates because of his short stature—who earned the right to call himself a private detective (complete with a shiny badge) from a dubious academy on the Internet. It could be the fault of the dialogue, but Reilly makes many of the characters sound like "stage Irish"—the sort of people Hollywood used to hire Barry Fitzgerald to play. And while part of Fletcher's charm is supposed to be his indifference to being the butt of his peers' jokes, he is too much of a nerd and rampant fantasist to gain listeners' sympathy. Ages 10-up. (May)

Nobbs does a fine job of portraying aspiring detective Ted Hammond, a fifth-grader who wishes he could solve the mystery of what will become of his family's farm and his one-room schoolhouse as his tiny Nebraska town struggles through tough times. But before he resolves his own situation, a new mystery captures Ted's attention when he sees young April Thayer in the window of the supposedly deserted Anderson house. The chance sighting begins Ted's journey of self-discovery and sparks a town's awakening to the needs of others. Listeners will hear, in Nobbs' voice, Ted's uncertainty, his concern and even anger as he tries to help a family in need while deciding which promises he should keep and which ones he shouldn't. Nobb also ably handles a variety of other voices, including April's Southern twang, drawing listeners in to a story that demonstrates Clements's talent for speaking convincingly to the minds and hearts of middle-graders. Ages 8-12. (July)

Doyle, a Shakespearean actor, brings something of his classical training to his reading of Buckley-Archer's historical novel. His steely authority is tempered, however, with a touch of Cockney cheek, alternating moments of Queen's-English rigor with colorful manglings of pronunciation and linguistic stress. Doyle is not above resorting to sound effects, either, providing the hideous screams of protagonist Peter Schock after the boy suffers a shocking surprise. The surprise is that Peter and his friend Kate have been transported via a misbegotten scientific experiment from the 18th to the 21st century, and the duo spends the rest of the story trying to figure out how they got there and how to return home. Doyle alternates between a deep, steady announcer's voice for the tale's narration, and a tangier, livelier series of voices for the dialogue. While he may sound more secure with the former, it is the latter that gives this audiobook its verve. Ages 10-up. (July)

When hearing Cartwright create the voices of McDonald's cast, it's not hard to see why she was chosen as the voice talent for one of the best-known TV characters of all time, Bart Simpson: she has the perfect voice for rebellious kids. Cartwright, who learned her craft from Daws Butler, the performer who gave voice to Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and many others for Hanna-Barbera, knows from her animation experience how to distill full drama into an audio-only performance. Stink, whom Cartwright depicts as having a chronically stuffed-up nose, is played a tad lower-key than Bart, but he shares the same energetic and buoyant laugh. When he receives 10 pounds of candy in the mail as a result of writing a letter of complaint (his jaw remained unbroken after eating a huge jawbreaker), it inspires a whole letter-writing campaign. In keeping with Stink's kid-like interpretation of things, more than 30 giggle-inducing idioms appear here (e.g. "cost and arm and a leg") which Cartwright reels off at the end of the story, making it not only a boisterously entertaining audiobook, but a delightful educational tool as well. Ages 5-8. (May)

Lowry's poetic, fanciful story of tiny, elfish "dream-givers" who put nighttime imaginings into the heads of human sleepers is not an ideal choice for audio. The many lyrical, detailed descriptions of the dream-givers gathering "fragments" of memory by touching objects and then weaving them into dreams become overlong and slow-moving when read aloud. Likewise, Twomey's soft, soothing voice fits the subject matter, but may well lull young listeners off to dreamland. Twomey does an excellent job of distinguishing her voice for the different characters, particularly an angry, abused boy and the kind elderly woman who fosters him temporarily, both of whom are strengthened by the healing dreams they are sent. Overall, however, this is a less-than-satisfying listen. Ages 10-up. (June)

The name is Bond. James Bond. Everybody knows dashing agent 007, star of Ian Fleming's novels and the hit films. But what was James Bond like at age 14? Higson and Parker fill in some of the blanks with this vibrant recording. Listeners meet James as he's learning the ropes at the posh Eton boarding school in 1930s England. A school holiday sends him to Scotland where he spends time with his aunt and his dying uncle Max, who happens to be a former spy and who offers to teach James how to drive his classic Aston Martin. But R&R is quickly forgotten and mystery and intrigue are on the menu when James finds himself investigating the disappearance of a local boy, and a mad scientist's attempts to gain global domination via genetic experiments that include killer eels. And there's a blonde Bond beauty, too—Wilder Lawless, who rides a horse called Martini. British actor Parker's crisp delivery and quick pacing will hold readers rapt, guiding them over a few overly long and somewhat predictable passages. Ages 10-up.(May)

With a steady youthful voice,Datz gives an appropriately creepy and compelling edge to Gantos's strange, darkly comic novel of disturbing small-town goings-on. Upon her 16th birthday, narrator Ivy learns from her mother that one of the elderly identical twins—either Adolph or Abner Rumbaugh, who run the local pharmacy—is her biological father. She also learns that she may have inherited the Rumbaugh family curse: harboring freakishly obsessive love for one's mother. Will Ivy's future be determined by twisted DNA? Mystery, gossip, taxidermy (of the animal and human variety), horror, genetic experimentation and hints of incest are all themes that waft through this tale. Though the subject matter isn't for everyone, teens who take their humor black, and who may be discovering gothic literature or making forays into goth culture, are likely fans for this solidly produced recording. Ages 12-up. (June)

The spy game isn't just a guy game, as witnessed by Carter's diverting entry into the flurry of teen espionage novels flashing loads of girl power. Unfortunately, Raudman sounds like she's straining (and sometimes squeakily so) to sound younger than she is—and her intonation is a bit off, giving her reading a falseness that's hard to overcome. Cammie is a sophomore at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women—a place that lives up to its name, as Cammie knows 14 languages and is a skilled killing machine. Of course, Gallagher girls become the most elite spies, and Cammie fires ahead on that career track (as was her mother, now the school's headmistress) until romance—with an ordinary guy, no less—threatens to derail her progress. Despite any shortcomings, aficionados of this burgeoning fiction genre will be tempted to give this title a go. Ages 12-up. (May)