HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Author/narrator Mitchell sounds like an old coot, like a Gabby Hayes or Edgar Buchanan with laryngitis. Yet he elicits quite a depth of expression out of his well-worn vocal chords. That skill, coupled with his unerring timing and sheer joy at the mike, informs his exuberant reading of his own comic novel, a bestseller in Canada, where this BTC abridgment was recorded. His small-town hero, 12-year-old Hugh, and his pals, having gotten mixed up with a loony and a murder, grow up rather quickly. The humor and adventure unfold amiably and intelligently, for Mitchell's an eloquent, literate, and mischievous writer with a benevolent outlook. He reminds one of Mark Twain of the TOM SAWYER period, with whom, methinks, he could hold his own. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 08]