THREE DAYS

Imagine the agony of watching your father collapse and die at the wheel of a rental car, while stranded in a remote area of a foreign country. When two men finally stop to give her a ride, 11-year-old Jackie is thinking only of getting help for her dad. Only when the men drive past all towns does she begin to realize... Julie Dretzin's narration is low-key and consistently paced, building the suspense to the unexpected twists at the end. Dretzin's vocal characterizations are there but subtle as most of the story is told inside Jackie's head; we hear softness and pain in Claudia's voice, a gruff quality for the old man. But Jackie lacks the emotion and terror one would expect of an 11-year-old girl in her situation--her calm, rational demeanor didn't click. A good choice for discussion of how people react to stressful situations. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]