WOODS RUNNER

With a smoky voice redolent of musket fire, Danny Campbell recounts the fictional story of Samuel, a teen caught in the War for Independence. When his parents are brutally kidnapped by the British and their allies, the Iroquois, Sam must rescue them without a thought for his own safety. With his vast knowledge of the woods and the help of many people, each delineated by Campbell with unique vocalizations and accents, Sam succeeds—but at a harrowing cost. Campbell skillfully employs pace and projection to build suspense and convey Paulsen's page-turning action. Campbell uses a deeper, flatter tone to differentiate brief paragraphs of background information appended to each chapter. An afterword adds more facts to this gripping story of the Revolutionary War. M.M.O. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2010]