INVISIBLE INKLING

Hank’s parents own an ice cream shop, but his life is not all cherries on top. Listening to this quirky story, though, is sure to put a smile on listeners’ faces. Hank finds summer in the ice cream shop boring since his best friend moved away. He’s sure starting fourth grade alone will be terrible. And it’s worse than he expects. Once Hank gets on Bruno Gillicut’s bad side, he’s singled out and bullied thereafter. But it would all be worse if Hank hadn’t found Inkling, who quickly becomes a loyal friend, if eccentric and . . . invisible. Narrator Michael Goldstrom matches Inkling’s mysterious background with an ambiguously shifting accent. He colors Emily Jenkins’s clever story with enthusiasm that highlights the humor in every predicament. A.M.P. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]