GOODNIGHT JUNE

Narrator Katherine Kellgren delivers a fictionalized version of the life of Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon. Protagonist June Andersen is experiencing a life crisis when a cache of letters sets her on a path to discover what’s truly important in her life. Kellgren shines in reading the letters between the famous author and June’s Great-aunt Ruby. However, Kellgren’s voice is too mature for the sections narrated by June, who is in her mid-30s and seems even younger due to her lack of self-knowledge. This lack of cohesiveness between the main character’s persona and the narrator’s portrayal is distracting. The story would have been better served by two narrators, Kellgren reading the letters and a narrator with a more youthful voice reading June’s sections. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2014]