Sunday, September 1, 2013

Audiobook: Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

 
Read by Mamie Gummer

Synopsis: From a debut author comes a heart-warming novel about a unique girl and her seventh grade experiences.
Emma-Jean Lazarus is the smartest and strangest girl at William Gladstone Middle School. Her classmates don't understand her, but that's okay because Emma-Jean doesn't quite get them either. But one afternoon, all that changes when she sees Colleen Pomerantz crying in the girl's room. It is through Colleen that Emma-Jean gets a glimpse into what it is really like to be a seventh grader. And what she finds will send her tumbling out of a tree and questioning why she ever got involved in the first place.

My thoughts: I needed a fun, light, and quick audio to listen to during my hectic schedule. I came across this middle school book and became interested in its title. This book was very enjoy and quite cute.

Emma-Jean was an interesting character. She was very intelligent and her manner of speaking showed that she was well educated for a seventh grader. Emma-Jean was also a social outcast because of her "weirdness." Though it does not explain what Emma-Jean has, it lead me to believe that the was autistic. Her obsession in doing things that are right, taking things very literal, not wanting to socialize, and how she reacted when one of the characters sobbed lead me to believe this. I really enjoyed listening to the things she said. She was observant and very wise. She was a very fun character.

Thoughts on performance: Mamie Gummer did a pretty good job in reading this book. She knew how to portray the characters very well. She was able to capture Emma-Jean's awkwardness and smartness, while at the same time she was able to portray the friend Colleen's dramatic character. Mamie Gummer kept me hooked to the story.

This was a great audio. Though the story was very simple, I loved it. I enjoyed the main character so much that I want to share this book with my students. I rate this:

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