Audacity Jones to the Rescue

May 30, 2016
It’s 1910, and Audacity “Audie” Jones is living in a home for “wayward girls” in Swayzee, Ind., when a frequent donor, Commodore Crutchfield, arrives asking for a volunteer for a secret mission. Sharp-witted and well-read, Audie has her doubts about a man “who seemed to have no idea that mainsails were never lashed together with ropes” and “that the rank of commodore had last been used by the United States Navy eleven years prior,” but she also has a taste for adventure, and the commodore is headed to Washington, D.C. It quickly becomes clear that the commodore and his associates have nefarious plans regarding President Taft, plans for which they need Audie. Audie is too smart to do bad things, but what can one orphaned, wayward girl do? It is a good thing she knows how to make friends quickly. Browne narrates with cheerful energy, embodying a wide variety of characters. Some of the smaller wayward residents are snuffly. The commodore sounds a bit like Foghorn Leghorn; bad guys are nasal and impatient, while Audie is cheerful and spunky. The story moves along at a good pace, but never too fast. Though some listeners may find Browne’s character voices over the top, the story is never dull. A Scholastic Press hardcover.

Eleven-year-old Audacity Jones is the star of a new mystery series for the tween set. When Commodore Crutchfield arrives at Miss Masie's Home for Wayward Girls looking for an orphan to aid him in a secret mission, Audie becomes his unwitting accomplice. Narrator Lyssa Browne uses accents, pacing, and tone to give the large cast of characters life. She's especially effective with the Southern accent she gives the bombastic Crutchfield; the pretend English accent of his diabolical partner, Mrs. Finch; and the French accent of Beatrice. Audie comes across as a clever, observant girl who loves adventure and is resourceful enough to meet any challenge. An author's note at the end verifies the facts in this historical fiction. N.E.M. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine