THE LIBERATION OF GABRIEL KING

Adults should prepare to listen to this marvelous book with as much fascination as older children and young adults. Rob Keefe manages to embody a fifth-grade white boy and black girl, their parents, the girl's tough older brother, and some very scary sixth-grade and adult Ku Klux Clan members. He does all this without ever overdoing the accents or speech patterns; it's a subtle and fine performance of a very fine book. Gabriel King of the title is a fourth-grader determined not to enter fifth grade, for it will put him within striking distance of those awful sixth-graders. His best friend, Frita, decides to help Gabe face his fears and, in the process, triumphs over her own. We all learn that one can be scared and brave at the same time. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]