METAMORPHOSIS Junior Year

In his journal, contemporary teen Ovid expresses thoughts about himself and fellow high school students as they deal with “the messes the gods got us into.” His journal consists of poems, drawings, and narrative entries that mix stories of the teen Ovid’s real life with tales of historical mythology (like those retold by the Roman poet Ovid). David Franco gives Ovid a realistic teen voice, but at times his narration sounds mechanical as he details the character’s modern trials and tribulations. James Franco is more expressive as he delivers Ovid’s poems. The inclusion of both contemporary teen slang and ancient-sounding poetry, along with the large cast of characters, abundance of figurative language, and references to classic myths, makes this short novel difficult to follow. The audiobook will be more accessible if the listener has the book in hand. This will also provide access to Ovid’s drawings, done in ink by Tom Franco, which are an integral part of the journal. C.R.A. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]