BURNING EDDY

Daniel Faibrother tells the story of his fifteenth summer in Australia's drought-ravaged bush. Searching for something to make life meaningful, Daniel finds 86-year-old Eddy. He begins doing Eddy's gardening, and from her he learns about morality and what is truly important in life. As performed by Stig Wemyss, Daniel grows from a boy with dark family problems into a young man with a more mature, realistic outlook. Wemyss gives Dan a wet-behind-the-ears enthusiasm and brings a crusty eccentricity to Eddy. As Dan sorts things out, Wemyss occasionally sounds too ingenuous, but overall his performance of Gardner's exploration of adolescence guarantees that teens will recognize themselves and learn a few things about the ways of the world. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 05/ JAN 06]