HOW TO BUILD A BOAT

Not many 13-year-olds have favorite mathematicians, but Jamie O'Neill is not an ordinary 13-year-old. He's a math genius; he's stuck mourning the loss of his mother, who died when he was born; he's on the spectrum; and he's voiced by the very fine Gary Furlong. Jamie and his father, Eoin (Owen), live in a small fishing town on the west coast of Ireland, where Jamie is starting secondary school and facing enormous changes. All the characters are from the same town, so there isn't much range of accents, but Furlong brings a range of timbres, pitches, and even tempos to his portrayals. Jamie's teachers, Tess Mahon and Tadhg (Tige) Foley, are also struggling with trauma. Furlong brings everyone vividly to life. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2024]