JESSICA

Jessica and Ruthie are the best of friends. They build towers, read together, share meals, and mirror each other’s feelings. The only problem, according to Jessica’s parents, is that Jessica is an imaginary friend. What will happen when Ruthie heads off to kindergarten? Katherine Kellgren crafts many voices. As narrator, she is direct and firm and sets a leisurely pace that slows even more for emphasis. As Ruthie, she’s childlike and confident in her friendship; as Ruthie’s parents, she’s flustered. For the many one-sided conversations that Ruthie has with Jessica, Kellgren narrates in a wonderful sotto voce. Background music and sound effects complement the story. A.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]