OLIVETTI

A charming story and two narrators exuding energy and warmth knock it out of the park. Simon Vance is Olivetti, a typewriter who breaks the "typewriterly" code of silence to spill his tapestry of tales in order to find his missing owner. Vance brings a gentle, snarky tone to Olivetti as he dismisses books as "one-hit wonders" and the laptop as "a show-off," delivering his speech in the clickety-clack of typing. Ernest is an angsty 12-year-old who is portrayed expertly by Christopher Gebauer with an appealing mix of anxiety, heart, and wry humor. Ernest prefers dictionaries and solitude, but he must trust a sentient typewriter and make a friend to find his mother. Gebauer ensures that Ernest's new friend, Quinn, is a force of nature. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2024]