[LM_NET] Audio book review

[Christine Rayl <cjrayl@YAHOO.COM>]

I enjoy watching for new audio books at my local public library as it gives me the 
opportunity to listen to new audio books before I buy them for the school's 
library. So, imagine my excitement to find Jerry Spinelli's new book, Smiles to Go, 
in audio! I quickly grabbed it, looking around furtively to make sure no one saw 
me, an adult, getting excited about finding a new children's audio book. : ) 
Unfortunately, my excitement did not last long....

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli, performed by Conor Donovan, is produced by 
HarperAudio books, 2008. The author has a well-established reputation as a 
childrens/young adult author. Stargirl, Eggs, and Love, Stargirl are some of his 
most recent works that have grabbed young readers so I was very surprised to find 
that I did not enjoy this audio book. In fact, I had to force myself to listen to 
just the first CD of four. 

The story starts off relatively interesting but after the initial opening chapter, 
the story becomes slow and tends to meander through Will's days. There is little or 
nothing to catch the reluctant reader's attention, nothing exciting, nothing 
unusual, nothing of any note. It was all I could do to finish the first CD. For 
competent readers with a good background understanding of science, who live a 
relatively easy life, and who attend a middle school without the strife of gangs 
and drugs, this book might appeal to them. For those who do not, I rather doubt 
that they will listen past the second chapter. Certainly we need books that span 
all types of life styles and situations, books that don't dwell on the negative 
aspects of life. Yet those books must also have a certain level of credability and 
reality to them and more importantly, those books need to have that 'hook' that 
grabs the reader from the outset, the hook that reels them into the story and not
 letting them go until the very end. This book does not do that.

Initially I thought my negative reaction to this audiobook was due in part to 
having just listened to Stargirl. Yet, in looking at each story's structure and 
character/plot development, Stargirl has those characteristics that make it a page 
turner, or CD changer. It captures students almost immediately. Not so with this 
latest Spinelli work. The performance by Conor Donovan is excellent but the story 
does not live up to his skills. 

This is not an audio book that I will purchase for my library's collection. I may 
consider purchasing the print edition in order to maintain the author's collection 
of works but money is getting tighter and tighter. Consequently, the works 
purchased need to have a lot of merit in order for me to consider buying them. So 
far, the only merit I have found is the author's name.


Christine Rayl, Librarian
Bowie Elementary School
Grand Prairie ISD
Grand Prairie, TX

cjrayl@yahoo.com



      

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