Pick of the Day: Pi in the Sky | Audio

Pi in the Sky. By Wendy Mass. 6 cassettes or 6 CDs. 7 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-5297-4, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4787-1. $51.75.
Gr 5–8–Joss lives in a mysterious place known as the Realms and is the 7th son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. He is content to let his older brothers and parents deal with keeping the galaxy in order while he tends to his routine of going to school and hanging with his best bud Kal, and his seemingly mundane job of delivering magic pies. Everything changes when an Earth girl named Annika peers through a telescope, leading to dire consequences for Earth as well as the entire universe. It’s up to Joss, with help form Annika, his friends, and his family, to save the day. Mark Turetsky vocalizes a huge cast of characters both alien and human, making each unique through pitch, volume, and tone. His female voices are especially impressive. Mass is a true spinner of yarns, and her novel (Little, Brown, 2013) is full of colorful language that creates immediate visuals, and Turetsky’s humorous vocalizations bring it all together. Given the detailed storytelling and the variety of kooky characters, middle school listeners will be engaged.–Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI