Audio of the Week:<p/>The Very Worst Thing (unabr.).
RSSFrom SLJ June 2004
MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY -- School Library Journal, 06/04/2004
4 cassettes. 4:45 hrs. Recorded Books (www.recordedbooks.com). 2003. ISBN 1-4025-7020-1. $37 (Rental : $11.50); read-along pack: $59.99.
G 5-7
-Many things could top David's list of Very Worst Things: he has bounced from one foster home to another most of his life, he has been separated from his only sister Lily, his new school has moved him back a grade, and he seems to be a target for bullies. He has always thought that nothing--no home, no family, no pet, no friends, no toys--was the very worst, but David soon learns that nothing can be worse than having things and then losing them. In his new home with Granny, David finds a friend in a fellow outsider, a very bright young girl who calls herself Mab after the Queen of the fairies. When Mab and David hatch and care for an owl egg, David thinks he has finally found something he can call his own. But David must set his precious owl King Arthur free in order to save him, and he is not sure that he can do it. With Mab's help, and with Granny's patience, David grows to understand about friendship, to accept his shortcomings, and to take responsibility for his own actions. Author Torey Hayden (HarperCollins, 2003), an educational psychologist and teacher, provides insight into the mind of a troubled boy which adds authenticity to this story and makes it easy for kids to identify with David. Andy Paris reads David's story with a gentle, soothing voice, yet he is able to convey David's anger and pain. He subtly differentiates David's stumbling, hesitant speech from Mab's quick, precise words and Granny's loving, maternal voice. His voice draws listeners in, making this an audiobook that will captivate even the most reluctant readers.
