THE ASTONISHING SECRET OF AWESOME MAN

Awesome Man is a superhero with a red cape who flies and shoots positronic rays out of his eyeballs. Being Awesome Man is “totally awesome”—until he gets tired and cranky. Then Awesome Man has to “chill for a while” and refuel. Marc Thompson brings verve to his reading of Michael Chabon’s first picture book. He hits just the right authoritative larger-than-life tones with traces of smugness or petulance as Awesome Man brags or finds himself foiled. At its core, this is a story about coping with a bad mood, but Chabon and Thompson make it so much fun that no child will mind the lesson. Awesome, indeed. A.F. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]