SLAM

Narrator Nicholas Hoult is best known as Marcus in the film version of author Nick Hornby's ABOUT A BOY. Now he narrates Hornby's latest novel while still a teenager himself--not surprisingly, he nails the tone of a Londoner whose life goes unexpectedly off the rails. Sam is obsessed with skateboarding and Tony Hawk, the world's greatest skater. Life is going well--his teachers are recommending art college, and he has a beautiful girlfriend. In skating, a slam is a hard fall; in Sam's life, the slam is unexpected fatherhood. Sam becomes a father at 16--the same age his mother had him. Hoult makes Sam an entirely believable teenager--his dialogue is slouchy, like a teenager's, and his light tone maintains Hornby's humor. A.B. 2008 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]