THE BIG ONE-OH

Author Dean Pitchford shows he's a kid at heart as he narrates his own comic tale. Nine-year-old Charley Maplewood thinks he's a deprived child because he's never had a birthday party. Charley plans to remedy the situation by hosting a house-of-horrors celebration for his big "one-oh." Dean Pitchford is perfectly convincing as a 9-year-old. Pitchford hams up the unfairness of school with a boyish voice, and he even whoops and hollers during the scary parts. With fake body parts and squishy eyeballs, Pitchford swaggers through a hyperbolic tale of birthday mayhem. One might accuse him of overacting except that his pleasure in the story is so contagious. Fresh and loud, this audio performance aims at thrill-seeking listeners and hits its mark. C.A. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2008]