ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

A shipload of colonists is crossing the void from Earth to Alpha Centauri. It’s a 300-year trip, and 17-year-old Amy, one of the 100 frozen passengers, is awakened long before their scheduled arrival. Lauren Ambrose imbues Amy with all the passion of a headstrong, independent leader who faces down incredible challenges as she adjusts to a new world full of strange people and values. Ambrose’s pacing and timing are outstanding. Carlos Santos is less exciting in his portrayal of the only other teen on the ship, the expedition’s next leader. But he’s a child of the controlled culture of the ship, so Santos’s understated performance works. The narrative has heroine and hero alternating chapters, a story structure that works well. M.C. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2011]