[LM_NET] Bird Lake Moon Audio Review

[Christine Rayl <cjrayl@YAHOO.COM>]

Henkes, Kevin. 2008. Bird Lake Moon. Performed by Oliver Wyman. HarperCollins

Grade Level: 4-6

Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes is a quiet novel whose transference to an audio 
format remains just as introspective and still as the novel. There is little or no 
high action that one might find in the Percy Jackson series or the silliness of 
Katie Kazoo yet this novel resonates with the emotional struggles of a boy who must 
come to terms with the divorce of his parents.
Mitch’s father has left his family for another woman. Consequently, Mitch finds 
himself and his mother living with his grandparents at Bird Lake Moon. Mitch is 
angry yet more importantly, Mitch’s inner confusion, pain, and sadness come 
through far more clearly. When the owners of the house next door come to stay at 
the lake, Mitch sees in them the family unit that he wishes he had and he does 
things that he normally would not do, such as letting the family’s dog loose. Yet 
these incidents bother Mitch deeply and he slowly seeks to make amends. 
The family itself is not as perfect as Mitch may think as they are back at the lake 
for the first time since the drowning death of their eldest son. While the younger 
children do not remember the incident, their parents do and they struggle to come 
to terms with their loss of more than eight years ago. Ultimately the story ends 
with the family returning to their home and Mitch and his mother’s move into 
their own apartment. More importantly, the story ends with Mitch coming to terms 
with his life and taking responsibility for his action.
This unabridged audio recording is well performed by Oliver Wyman, although it 
takes some time to get used to his voice for the younger girl in the family. The 
chapters’ are clearly indicated as well as the end of each CD, making it an 
excellent selection for having a matching text for students to follow along. 
Perhaps one of the more confusing aspects of the recording is that it is very hard 
to tell when Mitch is thinking, versus when Mitch is talking. Wyman does not alter 
the pitch or timber of his voice to indicate this difference which would be helpful 
for the listener. Overall this is a nice book with an equally nice recording but if 
a child is looking for action or adventure, this would not be the book to recommend.

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

cjrayl@yahoo.com
Book reviews: http://childrens-bookspot.blogspot.com/



      

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