The Smartest Kids in the World

Here's a book about global education that has an interesting twist; it follows American children who are attending schools in other parts of the world. Along the way, we meet reformers, wealthy teachers, and students who get no sleep. Through their experiences, we see how other countries approach education and how, perhaps, we can make our system more effective. Narrator Kate Reading uses a commanding, official-sounding voice that is at odds with the tone of the book. She is clear and enunciates every word, but her voice is sharp and intense, which makes her sound louder and more severe than she needs to. It's as if Reading is aiming at sounding like a professorial educator; whereas, the text suggests a less formal treatment. R.I.G. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine