THE DOLLAR KIDS

Andrew Eiden's youthful voice suits this emotional novel featuring 11-year-old budding cartoonist Lowen Grover. After the shooting death of Lowen's neighbor, a friend, he and his family move to a former mill town where houses are being sold for a dollar to boost the population and economy. The loss of the graphic images in the print edition is lessened by the use of an offstage sound quality for Lowen's cartoons, including their thought bubbles. Lowen's mum, who is from Cornwall, is characterized with a lilting accent, although, strangely, Mrs. Doshi, from India, is given no cultural accent. Still, the story rises above this and other minor peculiarities, like the mispronunciation of "especially," to provide a heartwarming listening experience. S.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2018]