THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS

Steven Crossley's soothing, precise voice leads us gently into the life of young David, whose dying mother tells him that stories are alive. David remembers this after her death when his father remarries and they move into his stepmother's home. There the strange books in his room begin to murmur, and he's lured into a dark fairy tale world by his dead mother's voice. Crossley's characterizations provide the believability needed to convey us into this frightening fantasy. The Woodsman, whom David meets first, has a voice that's gruff and rough--but, like David, we trust him. Crossley's ferocious reading makes us fear the evil half-human half-wolf, Leroi Loup. We hope that David learns enough to escape the gruesome story he's somehow helped to create. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 07]