Odder Than Ever

by Bruce Coville Narrated by Full Cast Family

Overview

Ranging from the hilarious to the horrifying, this acclaimed collection of nine short stories - five of them read by full casts - showcases the remarkable variety of Bruce Coville's work. Listeners will meet a ghost who haunts a kitchen after a tragic baking accident, visit the goblin world with an unconventional princess, and fly with Justin Jones to an enchanted island that requires a heartbreaking decision. A rich, varied, and dazzling set of listening experiences!

Editorial Reviews

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Author Bruce Coville narrates several of the nine stories in this varied collection. Others are delivered by featured narrators and/or members of the Full Cast Family. Two light horror stories are particularly good. “The Japanese Mirror” crackles with tension. Listeners hear narrator Jesse Navagh’s portrayal of annoyance, rage, and terror as the protagonist’s life becomes entwined with a bewitched mirror. “The Golden Sail” is a lushly atmospheric folktale narrated by Coville. While young listeners may relate to “Am I Blue,” a humorous coming-of-age ghost story about a boy questioning his sexuality, they should be aware that this older story contains some offensive language and stereotyped characterizations. “Biscuits of Glory” is a standout in which Coville and the Full Cast Family are the voices of a delightful singing ghost and the boy whose kitchen she haunts. L.T. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

From Burks (Soldier Boy, 1997, etc.), a brutally effective portrayal of the realities of the destruction of Native American culture. The Warm Springs Apaches, led by Chief Victorio, are refusing to go to the barren reservation set aside for them when they are attacked by "White Eye" soldiers. Walks Alone, a teenage girl, is wounded and separated from the remnants of her people, who are fleeing to Mexico. With her very young brother she is taken in by another band, which is rounded up and imprisoned by the White Eyes. When she attempts to get medicine to save her sick brother, she is beaten, and her brother dies. She finally catches up with her people, but they are attacked again, the men massacred, and the women and children enslaved. Based on the historical events leading up to the Battle of Tres Castillos, this is an unremitting tale of the misery inflicted on Native Americans. Burks, as in the past, pulls no punches, so there is no possibility of a happy ending as Walks Alone is marched off to enslavement; the hopelessness of the ending matches that of her people. Since the story is wholly told through Walks Alone's perspective, the actions of others against her and her people are not only vicious, but utterly bewildering to her as well. (map, bibliography) (Fiction. 11-14)

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Author Bruce Coville narrates several of the nine stories in this varied collection. Others are delivered by featured narrators and/or members of the Full Cast Family. Two light horror stories are particularly good. “The Japanese Mirror” crackles with tension. Listeners hear narrator Jesse Navagh’s portrayal of annoyance, rage, and terror as the protagonist’s life becomes entwined with a bewitched mirror. “The Golden Sail” is a lushly atmospheric folktale narrated by Coville. While young listeners may relate to “Am I Blue,” a humorous coming-of-age ghost story about a boy questioning his sexuality, they should be aware that this older story contains some offensive language and stereotyped characterizations. “Biscuits of Glory” is a standout in which Coville and the Full Cast Family are the voices of a delightful singing ghost and the boy whose kitchen she haunts. L.T. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177829968
Publisher:	Full Cast Audio
Publication date:	02/01/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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