Maggie Vaults Over the Moon by Grant Overstake-4.5 stars

Overstake, Grant, Maggie Vaults Over the Moon. 6.0 hrs. 5 CDs (unbar.).Blackstone Audio, 2015. Audio download.

When her brother, Alex, and her boyfriend, Caleb, die in a car accident, Maggie is devastated. Having a hard time with grief and having no idea what to do with her future, Maggie goes up to her family’s old barn. When she gets there, however, she hear Alex in her head and he talks her into learning how to pole vault. He claims it will help lead her to her destiny. With the help of her father’s old equipment, her brother’s track and field guide, and her brother’s help, Maggie takes pretty well to pole vaulting. So much so that she gets on her school’s track time. Will she be good enough to reach her destiny? What will happen to Alex after she learns all she can about pole vaulting? Will Maggie ever get over her grief and decide what to do with her future?

Narrator, Tavia Gilbert brings her long list of experience to a well-written book. The characters are well developed and are easily brought to life with Tavia’s unique voices. The mix of internal and external dialogue is well done and expertly done by Gilbert. Although the plot starts off a little slow, it engages the listeners and draws them easily into Maggie's world. The handling of a hard topic amongst the backdrop of school life is easily navigated and is tactfully done. Overall a great duo of individuals that complement each other's styles well. Listeners who enjoy slightly supernatural fiction, school stories, sports, and books dealing with grief will enjoy listening to this audiobook.

Grades 7 to 12, 4.5 stars

Map Trap by Andrew Clements-5 stars

Clements, Andrew, The Map Trap. Simon and Schuster Audio, 2014. 2 CDS (unbar.). 2:27 hrs. Audible Download available.

Ever since he was a baby, maps have been apart of Alton Barnes’ life. His parents lack of name planning resulted in him being named after a city. When his family members found out, they gave him map-related gifts. It wasn’t too many years later that he covered his whole room with maps of various locations, animals, and things related to Earth. Now in 5^th grade, Alton loves to make maps of not only places, but things he observes such as how many times the principal says “um” on morning announcements, the various smells around the school, or what lunch dishes cause students to go the bathroom the most. All is well until he shows his maps to Quint, the cool kid. Now all his maps are missing and someone is holding them hostage unless he does what they say. If he fails, they will release them all over the school. With some maps more hurtful than others, it is up to Alton and Quint to figure out who took the maps and to get them back before time runs out. Will they succeed?

Narrator, Keith Nobbs does a great job of drawing the reader into Alton’s world. The characters are likable and realistic and Nobbs unique voices for each character are fun to listen to. The plot is simple, but engaging. The author’s natural transitions between humor, mystery, and internal dialogue are well-done and Nobbs does a great job of moving back and forth in his narrative without losing the listener. People are fans of Clements’ realistic fiction books will not be disappointed and newcomers will have an easy time jumping right in to this story.

 

5 stars. Grades 3 to 5. 

Tales From a Not-So-Glam TV Star by Rachel Renee Russell-4 stars

Russell, Rachel Renee, Tales From a Not-So-Glam TV Star. Simon and Schuster Audio, 2014. (unbar.) 3 CDs. 3:45 hrs. 

Nicki Maxwell has a lot on her plate. After getting an invitation to meet with a big record producer, Nicki and her friends, Chloe, Zoe, and Brandon get offered a recording contract and Nicki, her own reality show for the month of March. Not, however, before catching McKenzie, the school bully, and her friends stealing Nicki, Chloe, and Zoe’s backstage passes. Jealous and furious with Nicki, McKenzie is determined to break any chances Nicki has with dating Brandon and becoming a pop star. To add pressure on Nicki, Brandon needs Nicki’s help in writing a scholarship essay in order to stay at WCD, the expensive private school everyone goes to. As Nicki’s schedule gets filled up with vocal lessons, recording studio time, her increased homework load, and reality tv show problems, Nicki begins to wonder if she will be able to handle all the pressure. To make matters worse, she keeps forgetting to meet with Brandon. Will Nicki find a way to stop McKenzie from ruining her chance with Brandon without ruining them herself? Will she be able to handle her dream of being a pop princess? 

Narrator, Jenni Barber has a unique voice and easily distinguishes the characters. The author’s and narrator’s narrative styles are complementary of each other and easily engage the reader.  Although the characters are a little under-developed, they are likable and entertaining. The plot is engaging, realistic, and will appeal to elementary and middle school students who enjoy books like Diary of A Wimpy Kid. Listeners who like realistic fiction, school stories, and friendship stories will enjoy this audiobook. 

4 stars, Grades 4 to 8

Five, Six, Seven, Nate! by Tim Federle-5 stars

Federle, Tim, Five, Six, Seven, Nate! 6 CDs, 7.08 hrs. Unabridged. Simon and Schuster Audio, 2014. ISBN 978-14423-7419-5

When Nate Foster gets offered the 

part of a lifetime as ET’s understudy in E.T: The Broadway Musical in New York, he couldn’t have been more excited. When he goes to his first day of rehearsal, however, he doesn’t seem to really fit in with the other kids, he can’t tap dance, and he keeps hurting people by accident during rehearsal. Because of such, his photographic memory gets wasted on a part as Alien #7, who only says one word the whole play. As the producers keep switching everything left and right, Nate is the only one who is able to learn the changes. When the lead Jordan gets laryngitis, the producers threaten to cancel first preview. With Nate’s awesome memory, will he be able to save the day or will the play flop?

Based on his experiences acting, Tim Federle narrates his own book with style. His intonations and expressions, he brings to life the quirky, fun character of Nate, a Broadway hopeful. His mix of internal dialogue and character interaction is well-done and easy to follow in his narration. With well-developed characters and a fun plot that will engage readers, this author as narrator audiobook will draw in reluctant readers who enjoy books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Big Nate series books will enjoy listening to this audiobook. 

5 stars, Grades 5 to 8

Slum by Dan Carroll-4 stars

Carroll, Dan, Slum. Vanity Press Books, 2013. pgs. 306. This book takes place between New York and San Cristobal. In a world where San Cristobal’s Cienaga village slum is hidden away and its residents are seen as the scum of the town, comes along Robert, founder of the charitable organization, Kids of the World. Since losing his wife and twin daughters Robert has never quite been the same. In an attempt to find solace and a place in life, Robert starts up a charity to help provide proper health care to children who have no hope of going to school. When his brother, Wendell donates $1 million dollars to be used in Cienaga. When Robert gets there, he sees a guy get hit by a car and pays for him to be sent to a hospital. Doing so, introduces him to Pedro’s wife, Julianna, her daughter, Alba, and her other family members. Alba, a six-year-old little girl has a hole in her heart and needs open heart surgery. Now more than ever, the little girl reminds him of the two daughters he lost and he’ll do anything to get Alba the surgery she needs and to find a way to improve the life she was born into. Doing so, however, will mean making a deal with the devil, Marco McGraw, the country’s leader up for reelection. Will Robert sacrifice his principles for the greater good? Will he find purpose again in his life?

One great aspect of Carroll’s novel is the love Robert seems to have for Alba and her family even though he barely knows them. This book is endearing and well-written. The characters are likable and well-developed. The mix of seriousness, love, and humor is masterfully done.

The one problem with this novel is it does drag in a couple of places, but the reader’s attention is never lost. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who likes endearing novels that are character- driven and take place in different countries will enjoy reading this book. 

4 stars, HS, Adult