The Monsters of Morley Manor

The adventure begins at a Nebraska garage sale, where a boy and his younger sister buy a wooden box containing five monster figurines. The action doesn't let up until sixth-grader Anthony and his sister have been transported across the galaxy and back. Bruce Coville's funny sci-fi adventure is read in its entirety by a thirteen-person cast, including Leslie Nobel narrating as Anthony and Coville as the lizard-headed Gaspar Morley. The story--something that can only come out of a mind like Coville's--is irresistibly entertaining and constantly surprising, not only for the preteen crowd but for their parents as well. There are no bells and whistles; this production is a straight reading from the book without staging or sound effects. Leslie Nobel does a good reading but is not quite convincing as a 12-year-old boy. Nevertheless, this intergalactic adventure is ultimately satisfying. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine