THE OTHER SIDE

Clover knows she must never climb over the fence that separates her house from the side where the white people live. But sometime during the summer, Clover gets close enough to that fence to befriend Annie, a little white girl who lives on the other side. Narrator Susan Spain's reading shows admirable restraint; she resists overdramatizing this lightly drawn, understated tale. Spain's gentle, pleasant voice allows the story's poignant message of fences being broken down to speak for itself, and she handles the wistful yet hopeful quality of the ending beautifully. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 03]