FINDING ESME

Narrator Cassandra Morris brings the voice of a friendly 12-year-old to the family trials and tribulations of Esme. Distraught over the death of her loving grandfather and raised by her no-nonsense grandmother, Esme finds herself alternately following directives to pick peaches and escaping to the quiet of her grandfather's tractor, left on Solace Hill. When she discovers an unusual bone there--could it be a dinosaur's?--and her oft-absent father returns, change enters Esme's life, like it or not. Morris paces the story briskly and differentiates the supporting characters--family members, townspeople, and outsiders. When Esme is subjected to complicated situations--her mother's changing moods, for example--Morris's voice reflects Esme's attempts to puzzle them out. Overall, Morris's Esme sounds purposeful, upbeat, and receptive to new friendships. A.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2018]