Pick of the Day: Joshua Dread (Audio)

Joshua Dread. By Lee Bacon. 5 CDs. 5:46 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-8041-2185-9. $45.
Gr 4-7–Sixth grader Joshua Dread’s life is far from ordinary. As the son of the super villains, the Dread Duo, Josh spends most of his time traveling from town to town. Living in Sheepdale for a while, Josh has adjusted to a fairly normal existence, when he becomes “gyfted” with the power of spontaneous combustion.  When new girl Sophie shows up at school, Josh finds another “gyfted” teen, but Sophie is also the daughter of Captain Justice, his parents’ archenemy. When his parents are taken by smoke creatures, it is up to Josh, with help from Sophie and his “ungyfted” best friend, Milton, to help save the day. Bacon has developed an entertaining and clever plot and two dynamite tweens with superpowers in this novel (Delacorte, 2012). Narrator Maxwell Glick captures the comic antics of the superheroes and villains perfectly and his voices for Joshua and Sophie reflect their unique personalities. A fun read filled with comedy and daring antics. The second book in the series, Joshua Dread: The Nameless Hero, is scheduled for September 2013 publication.–Sarah Flood,BreckinridgeCounty Public Library,Hardinsburg,KY