NUMBER 8

Thirteen-year-old Jackson and his widowed mother, Valerie, are new in suburbia. Almost immediately Jackson makes friends with Esmeralda, who's fascinated with Valerie's singing career. In alternating chapters, the dual narration of Stig Wemyss and Rebecca Macauley defines the two young people. Macauley brings out the poetry, music, and passion of Esmeralda while Stig Wemyss shows us the logic of Jackson, whose mind is eased by the number 8 and disturbed by number 7. So he has a reason to fear when a car with 777 on its license plate circles the neighborhood, tries to run him over, and kidnaps Esmeralda. Bit by bit tension builds, and so do friendships between major and minor characters. All of them are given depth and believability by the two narrators. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]