Reading with my ears

Here are some of the audiobooks that have accompanied me as I drive to and from work for the past month.

PAPERBOY by Vince Vawter. Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe. Listening Library, Books on Tape, 2014.

This Schneider Family awardee and Newbery Honor winner is beautifully narrated by Lincoln Hoppe who handles the stuttering of the main character, an 11 year old boy who has taken over his friend's paper route for the summer. This is no small feat for our protagonist who has a difficult time communicating and convincing some that he is a smart guy. Over the course of a few weeks, his life changes in immeasurable ways.

THE MISADVENTURES OF EDGAR AND ALLAN PE: THE TELL-TALE START by Gordon McAlpine. Narrated by Arte Johnson. Listening Library/Books on Tape, 2013.

Edgar and Allan Poe's lives are one big mystery. How did their parents get stranded in space? Why are they receiving coded messages on postcards and in fortune cookies? Who would kidnap their cat? All will be revealed in this funny audio.

THE GREAT TROUBLE by Deborah Hopkinson. Narrated by Matthew Frow. Listening Library/Books on Tape, 2014.

Eel becomes concerned when friends and acquaintances are struck down by cholera. What is causing so many deaths in the same neighborhood? Can Dr. Snow help solve this mystery before more die?

Doll Bones

DOLL BONES by Holly Black. Audio by BOT/Listening Library. Narrated by Nick Podehl. .

Even though I am not serving on an audio committee, I still enjoy listening to audio on my commutes. Nick Podehl's narration of DOLL BONES achieves just the right level of creepiness as the tale of a doll that is more than simply a be china doll. As Zach and Poppy, and Alice undertake their quest, their friendship is teetering on the brink of extinction. Perhaps this journey will pull them back together to the friends they once were. The story is a mystery adventure combined with elements of a ghost story and perhaps even a touch of peculiar possession. This would be a terrific read aloud (or you could play a chapter a day as well). It is certainly one that deserves a booktalk early in the school year.

Funke is Fearless

FEARLESS by Cornelia Funke. Books on Tape/Listening Library, 2013. Read by Elliot Hill.

This new entry in the Mirrorworld series begins with Jacob Reckless facing certain death from the Red Fairy. He has only a short amount of time and just a glimmer of hope to find a cure or he will die. And so, he travels back into the world behind the Mirror to tell Fox goodbye. But if Jacob can find an elusive object perhaps all will be well. Trouble is, a Goyl is also seeking the same treasure. Funke sets her roots firmly in the fairy tale traditions with archetypes and motifs but they never take a front seat to the non-stop action and adventure.

reading with my ears (again)

This past weekend, my better half and I drove more than 900 miles in three days. Most of those miles were the getting to and from McAllen, TX, in the Rio Grande valley, where I taught a YA lit class on Saturday. While we do spend a great deal of car trips in conversation, we also took time to listen to two short audiobooks. They provided even more fodder for the conversations. Here is the audio for the trip south.



THE BIPPOLO SEED AND OTHER LOST STORIES BY DR. SEUSS from Books on Tape was a trip down memory lane. Both the better half and I recalled watching a video of the newlywed, then about 4, "reading" GREEN EGGS AND HAM to her newly arrived baby sister. I love the cadence of Seuss and this audio captures it. Neil Patrick Harris is perfect for the title track. He is joined in this audio by Anjelica Huston, Joan Cusack, Edward Hermann and others reading individual stories. The afterward (which was the foreword in the book) by Seuss scholar Charles Cohen is a must listen as well. I plan to listen to this one on those days when a little rhythm, rhyme, and nonsense are just the ticket to dispel the stress of work. <516>



The drive north from the Valley was marked by the paying of PETER AND THE WOLF narrated by Jim Dale with the Seattle Symphony (Brilliance Audio 2011). Can Jim dale do wrong when it comes to narration. NO! This was also a trip down memory lane for me as I had a recording of Leonard Bernstein narrating PETER AND THE WOLF when I was young and fancied myself a conductor in the future (and I think I am not far from that come to think of it). <517>

reading with my ears

I loved CARTER FINALLY GETS IT in audio so it should be no surprise that the sequel CARTER'S BIG BREAK by Brent Crawford and narrated by the inimitable Nick Podehl (Brilliance 2011) is another incredibly funny adventure in audio. Carter is cast in a movie being filmed in his home town. His co-star is none other than Hillary Idaho (think Hannah Montana). She comes complete with entourage which includes a bodyguard. Carter learns what it is really like behind the scenes as he makes his debut in acting in a movie. Carter stumbles into all manner of situations here including becoming the cover boy for a tabloid when he and Hilary go swimming. Carter is brash and profane yet also sensitive to the feelings and needs of others from time to time. He is a memorable character who begs to be the star of another book. <506>

read along with your dog

DEAR MRS. LARUE, subtitled LETTERS HOME FROM OBEDIENCE SCHOOL by Mark Teague comes as a package audio and book from Scholastic. With picture books, having the book along with the audio is good since kids will want a chance to study the illustrations as they listen to the book. The audio has 2 tracks. The first track is the story with page turning signals; the second is a straight read-through without the signals. Reader David DeVries delivers a stellar fully voiced performance complete with sound effects. <492>

Back to school with R.L. Stine

Spent enough time in the car recently to complete two short audiobooks. R.L. Stine's IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOREVER (MacMillan Audio 2011)is read by Matthew Brown with a wonderful mix of disbelief, horror, and indignation. Artie awakens on the first day of school (a new school for him) to find his cell phone almost dead. When he plugs it in, he nearly electrocutes himself. Breakfast is a horror when his little brother splatters Artie's hair with syrup. On the walk to school, Artie is dowsed by a passing truck. As the accidents mount up, Artie hits the most popular kid in school in the head, enters the wrong classroom, and finds himself in the underbelly of the school with a janitor who might just be growing pod people. How can it get worse? Simple, Artie wakes up the next day and it is Day #1 all over again. Think "Groundhog Day" at the heart, but if you know Stine, then you know there is more to the story. Use this to teach kids about hyperbole! <491>

hurry up and wait part two

The drive to and from downtown Houston is not far as the crow flies. Mostly that is because the crow flies over the traffic jams that are Houston freeways. Therefore, I had plenty of time to listen to the audio of THE EXQUISITE CORPSE ADVENTURE (Candlewick on Brilliance 2011). The audio was so funny and quirky that I found myself not totally minding the knot of traffic.

Twenty award winning authors and illustrators combine their talents for this story that began online with one author writing a chapter, taking readers to a cliffhanger ending, and then turning the pen over to the next author to continue the story. Kate diCamillo, Lemony Snicket, Tobin Anderson, Katherine Paterson, and Jon Scieszka (to name only a few) create a wacky world with yolky aliens, talking pigs, robots in search of body parts, and twin protagonists who are searching through time for their parents. The audio for this incredible tale is spot on perfection. At turns it is snarky; other times it is deadpan as the narrator conveys horrifically punny egg jokes. What a wonderful way to spend time going nowhere in the car while traveling in a crib through time. <458>

stuck in traffic with a good companion

Last Friday was a LONG day. I had breakfast with our newest faculty member at 8. The day progressed with meetings with the dean and the COE and then our own department meeting. After the meetings, I took newly minted College Girl to dinner and then on to buy some decent shoes for marching practice. I left campous about 10 hours after I arrived and headed home, a trip that should have taken 30-40 minutes. Nope, not Friday.

I hit thunderstorms about halfway home. Traffic crawled as water collected on the roads all of which are under construction. However, I did not curse the rain. We need it. It also dropped the temperature outside from 106 degrees (yes, at 7 pm) to a positively balmy 84 degrees. Finally, I was off the freeway and down the homestretch when traffic came to a complete halt. I could see emergency vehicles blocking both sides of the road home. And as I tried to figure out if there was a lane getting though, Life Flight helicopter ambulance landed in the middle of the road. No worries.

Anyone who knows me is probably thinking, why is she not ranting and raving? Simple: I was listening to the impeccable FULL CAST AUDIO's production of Bruce Coville's ODDLY ENOUGH.

Funny, scary, and poignant stories were brought to life by the skilled age-appropriate readers. I listened fondly to "Old Glory" a story I recalled reading in an anthology edited by Jane Yolen. Written 20 years ago and set in 2041, it is eerily too close to reality now. Music set the stage and mood for each story. I particularly liked the Hendrix-like riff that opens "Old Glory." An extra on this audio is Coville talking about coming to write short stories; there were some background facts about the genesis for some of the stories as well. By the time the traffic began moving, the audio was coming to an end. While I was anxious to get home, I did not mind the extra time spent with Bruce and the FCA crew. <413>

Red Glove

I finished listening to RED GLOVE by Holly Black (Books on Tape 2011) read by Jesse Eisenberg on the drive in this morning. Sequels are a dicey business, but Holly Black draws readers in once more. As the final music faded on the last CD I began immediately wanting the next book in The Curseworkers series (the first book was WHITE CAT). Eisenberg delivers a solid performance as a reader. He does an almost unvoiced reading, something that works well with this novel. <357>

Cassel Sharpe is back at school but his life is soon disrupted by two things: the arrival of Lila, the daughter of a crime boss and a young woman who has been worked by Cassel's mother to be entirely devoted to him. Then, Cassel's brother Philip is murdered: the only clue is a videotape of a woman leaving the apartment wearing red gloves. The Feds want Cassel to help them solve this murder and to work for them on other cases. Cassel knows this will place him in great danger. The story is a dandy mystery with plenty of red herrings. It is also a story of romance and relationships and family and trust and betrayal. Black will leave readers/listeners wanting more.