Light from a Distant Star

This coming-of-age story of 13-year-old Nellie Peck is deftly read by Amy Rubinate. An observant yet innocent listener and watcher, Nellie is portrayed with a young-sounding voice yet a mature pace and tone. Only occasionally does Rubinate convey the erratic emotions of the teen as she deals with the ups and downs of her summer, including her first crush, her fears over her parents' marriage and financial woes, sibling rivalry, and a murder and subsequent trial. While the story is seen through Nellie's eyes as she struggles to find her voice in the world, Rubinate also does a wonderful job of making the supporting characters come to life, including the breathy and bubbly Dolly and the gruff but likable Max, two characters whose voices reflect their dual natures. E.N. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

August 1, 2011
In her latest, Morris (Songs in Ordinary Time) offers a timeless and timely look at small town life, as seen by wise, verbose, and intensely naïve thirteen-year-old heroine Nellie Peck. Set in the town of Springvale during the summer before Nellie begins middle school, Morris ably juggles compelling storylines and characters. The Peck family faces financial ruin: Nellie's father, busy writing a history of their town, neglects his hardware store, but refuses to sell it; her mother takes in a boarder, stripper Dolly Bedelia, to help pay the bills. Bucky Saltonstall, a new boy in town, turns out to be a cruel liar and a thief. Nellie's junkyard-owning grandfather, Charlie, has hired an ex-convict handyman, Max. When Dolly is found murdered in her apartment, suspicion quickly falls on Max, but Nellie knows that Dolly had been secretly seeing wealthy businessman Andy Cooper. No one believes Nellie's version; worse still, Cooper happens to be the potential buyer for her father's store. While supporting figures, like Nellie's father Benjamin, are well-developed, others, like Bucky and Charlie, remain one-dimensional. However, Morris' page-turner, (which evokes To Kill a Mockingbird) will satisfy her fans and send new readers searching for her earlier titles.