OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA

In her 2000 Newbery Honor Book and first novel, Jennifer Holm brings her Finnish-American grandaunt into the realm of historical fiction. May Amelia Jackson, a sister with seven brothers, lives on the Nasel River in Oregon in 1899. Emmy Rossum's presentation of this spunky 12-year-old is intense and genuine. Rossum lets the listener be the heroine's ever-present companion in the logging camp, the woods, or nearby Astoria. Through Rossum, the reader shares the intensity of May Amelia's frustration with her grandmother, disappointment with the role her family wants for her, and heartbreak at her sister's death. Rossum brings the action and characters close to our hearts. A.R. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]