THE LIFE ALL AROUND ME BY ELLEN FOSTER

Those who fell in love with the spunky Ellen Foster will be happy to watch her turn another page in her life. Now 15, she is applying to Harvard and getting her troubled life in order with the help of her foster mother. With her thick South Carolina accent, Kaye Gibbons sounds much like Ellen might, with her quirky syntax and wild imagination, but the author is clearly not a trained reader. She speaks in a monotone that, albeit Southern, fails to differentiate one character from another. Narrative and characters flow together at the same level pace and tone, making it difficult for the reader to stay attentive. P.E.F. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 06]