TRUE (. . . SORT OF)

Danielle Ferland reads Hannigan’s debut novel in a sweet voice with gravelly undertones. Her style matches the bittersweet aspects of the story perfectly and highlights its contrasting elements. Eleven-year-old Delly has a long history of causing trouble, and just about the whole town has had enough. For listeners, Delly’s troubles and her stories of freeing chickens and stealing brownies are highly entertaining. But under threat of expulsion from school, Delly tries to reform herself and in the process befriends a strange new girl. Ferris doesn’t speak and doesn’t like to be touched. Ferland’s pacing and pitch are as lively as the story, and she switches from comedy to heartbreak with perfection as Delly discovers what’s behind Ferris’s silence. A.M.P. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2012]