Twisted

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Reader: Mike Chamberlain

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2007

Lexile: 680L

Most of the listeners will be: High school boys.

Listener's Advisory: If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko is another audio book in which the characters face family problems.

Summary:
Tyler's punishment for the "foul deed" (spray painting graffiti on the school building) is to work for the school janitors over the summer. He has been the scrawny nerd all his life, but all of the sudden, Tyler is a little bit cooler because of the "foul deed," and not so scrawny on account of all the manual labor. The girl of his dreams, Bethany, is actually flirting with him, much to the annoyance of her twin brother, Chip. But after a crazy post-football game party Tyler isn't so cool anymore. Everyone thinks he is the one who took the pictures of Bethany passed out and naked, including his father. Tyler doesn't want to live like this, ostracized at school and at home. He has to decide whether he should kill himself, or find a way to turn his life around.

My favorite passage:
Early on in the novel, Tyler and his family attend a cookout at the home of his father's boss, who also happens to be the father of Bethany and Chip. Chip's father notes how muscular Tyler has become over the summer and compares him to Chip. This leads to Tyler and Chip arm wrestling as their fathers observe. Tyler plays with Chip for a while but knows he can take him. When he is just about to claim his victory, Tyler looks over at his dad and sees him shake his head. His father doesn't want him to win. Tyler obliges and lets Chip win. He takes some pleasure in knowing he could have beat Chip, but gets none of the public glory. (Disc 1)

What I really think:
I almost cried during parts of this book. (The only reason I didn't was because I usually listen to audio books while running.) Parents can really hurt their kids in ways that aren't obvious like physical abuse or neglect. Anderson demonstrates how devastating verbal and emotional abuse (even if it is not always intentional) can be. I love that Tyler pulls himself out of a bad situation and finally tells his father how his behavior affects him. Ultimately, Tyler's dad doesn't promise to be different, only to try. I would caution that in real life, there are some parents who wouldn't even do that. But that doesn't mean their kids shouldn't say anything to them.

I mostly liked Chamberlain's reading. Although, I found his female voices to be a little frantic sounding at times, when the characters weren't necessarily supposed to be frantic.

The Garden of Eve

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: K. L. Going

Reader: Allyson Ryan

Producer: Random House

Production Year: 2007

Lexile: Unavailable

Most of the listeners will be: Late elementary age girls.

Listener's Advisory: For another audio book on death and strange places, listen to Jodi Lynn Anderson's May Bird and the Ever After (reviewed on March 25, 2008).

Summary: After Evie's mom dies, she and her dad move to a dead apple orchard in Beaumont, New York. While her father tries to bring the trees back to life, Evie plays with Alex, a young boy about her age who died of cancer a week before she moved to town. Evie does and doesn't believe that Alex is a ghost, but they become friends anyway. On her birthday, Evie gets a strange present from Maggie, the sister of the old man who previously owned their house and orchard. It is a seed. Evie comes to believe that this seed is from the Garden of Eden, and has the power to take her to another place. On a cold Beaumont afternoon, she and Alex find out exactly what the seed can do.

My favorite passage:
When Evie first meets Alex she thinks to herself that when her mom was alive she could have believed in ghosts (she could have believed in a lot of things), but now, she just can't. (Disc 1)

What I really think:
This is a great book for a child dealing with loss. Evie wants so badly to be with her mother that it takes almost getting stuck in the magical garden forever to make her realize all the wonderful things she still has in her life, including her father. Adam struggles with the loss of his brother. He would rather be the ghost of Alex, than be Adam and live without Alex.

Not all of Alyson Ryan's voices are super distinct. But her voice for Alex/Adam is amazing. He really sounds like a bratty little New York boy.

May Bird and the Ever After

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

Reader: Bernadette Dunne

Producer: Random House

Production Year: 2005

Lexile: 810L

Most of the listeners will be: Late elementary to middle school boys and girls.

Listeners Advisory: For another well read book with a female protagonist, listen to Cornelia Funke's Inkheart.

Summary:
May Bird lives in Briery Swamp, West Virginia with her mother and cat, Somber Kitty. She doesn't quite fit in with the kids at school and prefers wandering the woods to spending time with other children. After May and Somber Kitty find a letter to May buried in the ruins of the old post office, strange things start to happen. A map in the letter guides May to a lake hidden behind a wall of brambles. One night May falls in the lake and wakes up in the Ever After. It is where people go when they die, but May isn't dead! She has been rescued by her house ghost, Pumpkin. May finds herself in great danger because most ghosts and specters in the Ever After are deathly afraid of "live ones" and are under strict instructions from the ruler, Bo Cleevil, to call the Bogey on any "live one" they see. May has to make a difficult decision. Should she try to get home to Briery Swamp, or travel North to find the lady who wrote the letter requesting her help? In this first book (of the trilogy) May makes it as far as the city of Ether to ask the Book of the Dead what she should do. And although May doesn't know it for most of the book, her loyal cat, Somber Kitty, is never too far off her trail.

My favorite passage:
Shortly after May arrives in the Ever After she sees the word "help" graffitied on a wall. She wonders to herself how she can help anyone when she needs so much help herself. (Disc 2)

What I really think:
Bernadette Dunne brings the characters to life with her wonderful voices and is definitely in touch with her inner child. This story is truly beautiful. We feel for May as she struggles to gain the self confidence to help both herself and others. Somber Kitty is a real hero and a perfect example of unconditional love. This is a book for all the misfits out there and everyone who has ever said "I can't."