THE SPY WORE SHADES

It's almost impossible to say what's best about this little gem. Dougie accidently encounters Varloo, who is from a secret Druid cave. She is visiting Earth to make sure that "extros" (Earthlings) aren't doing anything that would endanger her civilization. Dougie helps Varloo as she has Earth experiences, such as Oreos and the mini-mart, while he learns about her culture, which communicates by singing. Carine Montbertrand is sublime as she portrays kids from diverse backgrounds, whose vocabulary ranges from ancient speech patterns to Dougie's "holy guacamole." Everything about her rendering is kid-like, including pace and emotion. Sheer delight. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 02]