THREE TIMES LUCKY

Michal Friedman’s soft Southern accent and enthusiastic tone bring authenticity to the most important facets of this award-winning book—its setting and main character. The engaging heroine is rising sixth-grader Mo LoBeau, who lives with the amnesiac Colonel, who fished her out of a flood when she was a baby, and caring Miss Lana, who serves up famed food in a café that keeps the 148 inhabitants of Tupelo Landing coming back for seconds. Friedman not only portrays a large cast of eccentric characters but also gives full expression to Turnage’s vivid vernacular and fresh imagery. Friedman’s narration depicts Mo’s longing to find her mother and the tension of the plot, which involves multiple mysteries as well as complexities in character that sometimes make it impossible to tell the good guys from the bad. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2013]