THE UNEXPECTED LIFE OF OLIVER CROMWELL PITTS Being an Absolutely Accurate Autobiographical Account of My Follies, Fortune, and Fate

Narrator James Langton smoothly transitions from young to old and male to female characters, and his delivery of dialogue ranges believably from refined to coarse. These traits amplify the historical authenticity of this Dickensian adventure by the award-winning author Avi. From the moment 12-year-old Oliver Cromwell Pitts is awakened by a raging storm, his life careens from one disastrous event to another. With his father and sister gone, Oliver must find a way to fend for himself in Victorian England, not an easy place for a boy on his own. Avi melds seamy historical details with healthy doses of derring-do, and Langton manages all the characters—from highwaymen to tavern keepers to prison officials, and more—with first-rate pitch and pacing, fully connecting young listeners to another time and place. S.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2017]