Newbery Award-winner Bridge to Terabithia tells the story of Jess, who endures the loss of his one close friend. Leonard's boyish voice and impeccable sense of timing help bring the multidimensional characters to life. Musical interludes signal the start and end of each tape. Gaines' narration of Down the Yukon is appropriately lively, as is occasional background music that complements this daring tale of a race in Alaska during the gold-rush era. A concluding note chronicles historic events on which the novel (a companion to Jason's Gold) is based. Heaven Eyes tells of two damaged children whose escape from an orphanage takes them to the mysterious Black Middens, where they meet another orphan who helps them heal the wounds of lost parents, families, and love. Plummer's Irish accent and youthful, serious voice perfectly match the personalities of the children; the recording lacks prompts to signal tape endings. Harris reads the humorous Henry Huggins with an energy that suits the adventurous Henry and his friends. Listeners may be distracted when Harris raises his voice too much to indicate shouting, but the overall recording is enjoyable.

This fiftieth anniversary edition contains an introduction by the author explaining how she was inspired to write Henry Huggins, her first book.

Cleary provides a warm, autobiographical introduction to this excellent adaptation of her first book, which was originally published in 1950. Actor Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.) has enthusiasm to spare in his lively take on Cleary's endearing and humorous work. Third-grader Henry Huggins, who has hair that """"looks like a scrubbing brush,"""" is a pretty ordinary kid a little too ordinary in his opinion. Henry wants some excitement in his life. One day, excitement arrives in the form of a skinny stray dog that befriends Henry at the drugstore. Boy and pooch bond instantly when Henry offers his ice cream cone to the dog, who downs it in one gulp. Henry calls his four-legged pal Ribsy, for obvious reasons, and with more than a little effort and confusion, brings the lovable pet home to his family's house on Klickitat Street via city bus and then police car. Harris proves a versatile performer taking on a whole community of friendly voices, including Henry's exasperated but supportive parents and memorable neighbors Beezus and Ramona. He nails Henry's sense of innocent wonder and his sweet, honest demeanor in every scene, employing an authentic boyish delivery that can amuse as well as tug at the heart just like Cleary's writing. Ages 8-12. (May)