THE WHITE GIRAFFE

Adjoa Andoh is a spellbinding narrator who gives each character a unique voice with nary a pause or break in rhythm. Her ability to handle the clicks of the story's African names adds realism to the telling. When her parents die in a fire, 11-year-old Martine leaves England to join the grandmother she didn't know she had on an African wildlife preserve. As she tries to find acceptance in this foreign environment, she discovers a gift for healing, clues leading to the arrest of a poaching ring, and a true friend in a "mythical" white giraffe. This exquisite tale full of exotic atmosphere is expertly told. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]