THE SUPERNATURALIST

Two features jump out to the listener of this YA science fiction novel. The first is that narrator Chiwetel Ejiofor performs brilliantly. He captures the cast of characters, teens who are forced to grow up fast because of the predicament they find themselves in. Ejiofor's accents are convincing, his timing impeccable. The second is that the story itself reads a bit like a futuristic OLIVER TWIST with its focus on orphans trying to survive in a brutal orphanage. In this case, the orphans are used as experimental guinea pigs for dangerous products; most don't live beyond the age of 15 and die cruel deaths. Colfer's imaginative story asks thoughtful questions that teens will enjoy pondering. S.D. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]