Despicable Me

Despicable, indeed! Narrator Tim Curry brings the wicked, lovable character of Gru to life. Both those new to the story and those who loved the movie will be captured from the opening minutes of this production. The motley characters--the slightly over-the-hill villain, Gru; his nerdy nemesis, Vector; and the three orphan girls who steal his heart--are full of surprises, and a soundtrack enhances the fast-paced action. Curry expertly differentiates a cast of malefactors, including Mr. Perkins of the Bank of Evil and Gru's staff genius, Dr. Nefarious. Curry also excels at giving orphans Margo, Edith, and Agnes distinct, youthful-sounding personalities. With Curry's narration, it's perfectly clear who will boldly go where no girl has sold robot cookies before, who will make a mess, and who will hug a unicorn. M.C.T. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

November 1, 2010

Gr 3-6-Whereas children's novels often prove excellent fodder for successful films, the reverse is occasionally true. This novelization (Little, Brow, 2010) by Annie Auerbach of the 2010 animated movie release from Universal Studies does justice to a delightful story that seems inspired by Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series. The self-proclaimed villain, Gru, is prodded by his mother to come up with a more devious crime after the Great Pyramid is stolen by a competitor. He decides to steal the moon, but the bank will not loan him the funds. Enter three orphan girls, knocking on the door to sell cookies. The girls are later used to steal a shrink ray from another villain (who loves their cookies), and Gru is forced to temporarily adopt them. Though he attempts to maintain control, the girls wind their way into his heart, demanding bedtime stories, dance lessons, and a stuffed unicorn. The theft of the moon proves to be successful, but only briefly. Tim Curry's excellent narration is spot-on. Listeners need not have seen the movie to enjoy this audiobook. This is a more satisfying novel than the very abbreviated movie spin-off by Lucy Rosen (Little, Brown, 2010) intended for a much younger audience.-Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, MI

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