THE LOST BOY'S GIFT

Justine Eyre's gentle, expressive voice is well suited to Holt's quiet story of what it's like to be the new kid in the neighborhood and the difficulty of dealing with life's changes. When 9-year-old Daniel's parents divorce, he and his mother must leave his well-loved home on a busy city street for a new house across the county on tranquil While-a-Way Lane. Eyre conveys Daniel's foul mood with punchy pacing and a sometimes forceful tone, making him quite annoying. The boy's older neighbor, Tilda Butter, whose special gift is the ability to talk with animals, is voiced in a warm, melodious tone. Eyre's understated style allows the story's little bits of magic to seem perfectly matched to the quirky goings on at While-a-Way Lane. S.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2019]