THE WITCH'S BOY

Lump, the witch's boy, is a selfish brat who no one, save his mother, loves. Vanity forces him to wear a mask to hide his ugliness and despair, literally driving him underground until he finds salvation with the help of a bear. Luckily, Lump is surrounded by kindhearted characters listeners will recognize from favorite fairy tales, although the author has tweaked the traditional stories. This is one title that is better listened to than read. Denis O'Hare uses various voices and skillfully employs several accents to make this a believable fantasy. Even when Lump is behaving his worst, O'Hare is acting his best to move the story along. M.M.O. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/NOV 05]