Going Bovine

Sixteen-year-old Cameron Smith doesn't like much, has few friends, and, frankly, isn't that likable. But when he finds himself in a hospital, he plans to escape to seek a cure--and then the journey begins. Bray crafts a fantastical story that is creative, laugh-out-loud funny, and poignant. It demands a creative narration. Erik Davies gives Cameron a steady, almost- nonchalant voice as his journeys take him to a jazz club, a cult, Daytona Beach, Disneyland, and other places. Davies relishes the characters Cameron meets--and there are many. They're challenging, but all receive unique voices and accents. His best are Cameron's sidekicks, a teenage dwarf and a talking gnome. Witty dialogue and creative voices make this production a standout. M.B. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from August 3, 2009
Cameron Smith, 16, is slumming through high school, overshadowed by a sister “pre-majoring in perfection,” while working (ineptly) at the Buddha Burger. Then something happens to make him the focus of his family's attention: he contracts mad cow disease. What takes place after he is hospitalized is either that a gorgeous angel persuades him to search for a cure that will also save the world, or that he has a vivid hallucination brought on by the disease. Either way, what readers have is an absurdist comedy in which Cameron, Gonzo (a neurotic dwarf) and Balder (a Norse god cursed to appear as a yard gnome) go on a quixotic road trip during which they learn about string theory, wormholes and true love en route to Disney World. Bray's surreal humor may surprise fans of her historical fantasies about Gemma Doyle, as she trains her satirical eye on modern education, American materialism and religious cults (the smoothie-drinking members of the Church of Everlasting Satisfaction and Snack 'N' Bowl). Offer this to fans of Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
seeking more inspired lunacy. Ages 14–up.