Deliver Us From Normal.

DELIVER US FROM NORMAL. Kate Klise. 2005. Read by Johnny Heller. 4 tapes. 4.75 hrs. Recorded Books. 1-4193-3617-7 $39.75. Vinyl; plot, reader notes. J

From the KLIATT review of the book, March 2005: "Charles Harrison" is in the sixth grade and lives in Normal, Illinois. Or rather, he lived in Normal until one night when his father decides to take the family on a new adventure to the South and to the Gulf of Mexico. But more importantly, Charles comes to realize that his life is a journey and that along the way he has a pretty solid family to love and support him. Charles' father is a general contractor who makes a living working for other people. The family, which includes five children, lives in a rental home and shops at the discount stores. All this is difficult for Charles, who is a serious, sensitive boy. High on his list of things that embarrass him is his family ... It takes his father's spontaneous decision to leave the Midwest for a houseboat on the Gulf, and a crisis on the water, for Charles to overcome his fears and come to terms with his own identity and the realization that a family is never really normal..."

Heller is a born storyteller. He sounds like a kid's favorite uncle, the one a young boy imitates as he tries to sound grown-up. He keeps his audience hooked with his gravelly undertones, interesting pacing and well-placed pauses with just enough variety to portray the full range of characters. Nola Theiss, Sanibel FL