CRAZY WEEKEND

Hector and Mando visit Hector's Uncle Julio for a change of pace and for the experience of seeing a little of the world beyond East LA. Narrator Anthony Perez is terrific as he captures the fun-loving but sometimes bickering boys, as well as Uncle Julio, who is going on his first date "in a long time." The guys accompany Julio on an old airplane as he takes aerial pictures of a farm. That's when they observe an armored truck robbery and are featured as eyewitnesses in a newspaper article. Soon the robbers are after the duo. Perez deftly recreates the excited boys and the hapless thieves as they try to outmaneuver each other. The clever and realistic conclusion is perfect—and fun. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2012]