THE HERMIT THRUSH SINGS

Not as focused as Butler's Newbery honor-winning THE MOORCHILD, this novel is still an appealing fantasy in which the state of Maine has become the country of Maynor and its people are in thrall to never-seen political leaders who keep each village isolated and ignorant. Leora, an outcast from Village Three, takes a heroine's journey of discovery. The story is convincingly narrated by Kate Forbes, whose gentle, matter-of-fact voice is a good match for Leora's own. M.C. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 00]