For children who rebel against reading, or a family trying to regroup in the madness of school starts, audio books are a perfect solution. Here are recent releases in all genres, for all ages.
For younger listeners there's Barbara Park, Junie B. Jones Collection: Books 1-4. (Listening Library, $18.00, two cassettes, three hours, unabridged; ages 5-adult) It's hard to make a tape for very young children that will entertain adults. In this collection Junie B. , the individually-minded kindergartner, gets used to school, the school bus, getting punished, a new brother, and learns about privacy. Reader Lana Quintal adopts a squeaky voice and cocky manner that perfectly depict the misadventures and mispronunciations of the quirky Junie B.
Linda Sue Park's Newbery, A Single Shard is read by Graeme Malcom (Listening Library, $25.00, three tapes, three hours, unabridged; ages 8 and up) Malcolm's theatric training and precise British accent are just the key to translate story to tape. The novel, set in 12th century Korea, begins with the description of a tender relationship between the orphan, Tree-ear, and his friend, Crane-man, an elderly homeless soul who has taken in this young child at twelve years earlier. Ch'ulp'o, Tree-ear's village, is famous for its celadon pottery and Tree-ear spends hours watching the master potter, Min, a short-tempered perfectionist. Tree-ear's journey to find a place of belonging is filled with ups, downs, twists, turns, and lots of feelings.
Another award-winning author,Virgina Euwer Wolff has two novels on tape, both read by Heather Alicia Simms. Make Lemonade (Listening Library, $25.00; three cassettes, three and one half hours, unabridged, ages 10 and up.) and its sequel True Believer (Listening Library,$25.00; three cassettes, four and a half hrs, unabridged; ages 11 and up) . "Make Lemonade" is the story of 14-year-old LaVaughn who's growing up poor, but steady due to the love of a strong mother. When she takes a job with Jolly and her two babies, she sees a different side of life; Jolly is only three years her elder and buffeted by life. In the sequel, an older LaVaughn faces adolescence head on. Simms brings across the rhythms and rhymes of this story written in free verse and makes LaVaughn's voice as distinctive on tape as it is in text.
Ian Lawrence's Lord of the Nutcracker Men (Recorded Books on Tape,?, five cassettes, six and one-half hours; unabridged; ages 10 and up) takes place during WWI when young Johnny is sent to live with his Aunt in a small village. Johnny's father is a toy-maker who sends his son warm letters, each accompanied with a small wooden figure that relates to war experiences. Johnny comes to believe that the way he plays with these figures effects his father's life. Nothing is simple in this story, neither characters, relationships, war itself, nor the author's expression and weaving together of all these themes. Steven Crossley's reading is even, the more dramatic bits balanced with the calming tone of adult characters.
Sharon Creech, Ruby Holler is read by Donna Murphy (HarperAudio, $24.00; ages 8-12). Dallas and Florida are twins who have been shifted between foster homes and orphanages their entire lives. Tiller and Sairy, the latest to take them in, are elderly, eccentric and have no problem with children who love to play, shout, and enjoy life. Murphy's southern accent makes place and characters come alive; she brings out well the twins' lack of self-pity and Tiller and Sairy's responding horror and kindness. Unique well-rounded characters, dramatic situations, great descriptions of food and feelings all benefit from Murphy's excellent dramatization.
Paul Fleischman's Seek was a book made for tape. (Listening Library, $18.00; two cassettes, two hours 42 minutes, unabridged, with author interview; ages 10 and up)The story tells of high-school senior, Robert Radkovitz, who's been asked to write an autobiography and begins "I grew up in a house built of voices." The beginning is confusing collage of Mexican soap operas, parts of Poe and Dickens, conversations with Rob's mother, and clips from a radio d.j. , Lenny Guidry. It's as if there's too much static and this is a perfect metaphor for the blend of sound in Robert's head and his airwaves radio search for Guidry, the father who took off when he was a baby, leaving behind only one tape of his radio call-in show. Gradually the sounds sort themselves out as do Rob's feelings and thoughts. As usual, Fleischman's writing is image-rich and his love of words quickly apparent. The cast of eight performers are remarkable, their excellence helps with flow, the vividness of dialogue, and proves that audio is the perfect way to listen to a story built around sounds.