BLUEFISH

Thirteen-year-old Travis can’t read and just wants to be left alone, especially after he transfers to a new school in a new town. But brassy, sassy Velveeta refuses to accept Travis’s silence as rejection and insists on being his friend. Luke Daniels’s soft-spoken, soothing performance is well suited to portray the introverted, illiterate boy who struggles with self-confidence. Daniels also makes his voice crack, enhancing the social awkwardness of Travis’s youth. For Velveeta’s hyper, extroverted personality, Daniels raises his vocal pitch and speaks quickly in tones of determination, persistence, and confidence. Kate Rudd complements Daniels’s performance by narrating Velveeta’s private diary entries in a thoughtful, halting tone, adding complexity and depth to this sweet story. A.R.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2011]