The Surfing Corpse (P.C. Hawke Mysteries) - Softcover

Paul Zindel is the best-selling author of many books for teens, including the classic The Pigman. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-on-the-Moon Marigolds. Most recently, he has turned to writing his very popular horror novels, including Loch, The Doom Stone, Rats, and Night of the Bat. Paul Zindel lives in New Jersey.

Grade 6-10-Graduates of the Cam Jansen or Something Queer series of detective stories who are too young to move into adult who-dunits or who have weak reading skills make a likely audience for this addition to Paul Zindel's P.C. Hawke mysteries. The stand-out feature of this audio version of The Surfing Corpse (Hyperion, 2001) is the narration by Jeff Woodman whose impeccable diction and enormous talent for using slight shadings of voice, accent, and tone manage to convey a different personality for every voice in the story. The plot, range of characters, and current teen language make this a book that will appeal to young teenagers whose reading tastes are not too sophisticated. The likable main characters, P.C. and his friend Mackenzie Riggs, come complete with a sure-fire personal quirk to warn of things not right that will remind readers of brace-tapping or photographic memory gimmicks from the series mentioned above. The teen characters have absolute freedom to pursue their suspicions by plane, motor scooter, and surfboard with no qualms whatsoever on the part of parents or school. A fairly gruesome crime scene early in the story is not described in any detail, but the implications are there for listeners to discern, so this might not be a good choice for readers below middle school even though the story line would make it appealing. For collections that need current teen reading for lower reading and comprehension levels, this title will work well and make entertaining listening.
Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, Painted Post, NY
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