PAY IT FORWARD

William Dufris's voice is warm, clear, and easy to listen to. He characterizes each person in this story, succeeding best with Reuben, the social studies teacher who gives an extra-credit assignment, and Trevor, the 12-year-old boy who takes it to heart: What can you do that will change the world? The story is sentimental at times, and Dufris sometimes overplays the women's voices, but we care very much what happens to Reuben and Trevor and his mother, Arlene, and we also catch a glimpse of a world in which even the most unlikely people do extraordinarily good things for others. P.G. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 01]