Audiobook Review: SAVVY

Audiobook Review, Genre 6, SAVVY

Author: Ingrid Law

Title: Savvy (unabridged)

Read by: Lily Blau (adult)

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Publication Date: 2008

ISBN: 9780143143482

Format: CD

Number of discs: 8

Plot summary: Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont and her family and friends just as she turns 13 and her "savvy" is revealed. Will her special savvy power be able to save her beloved Poppa after he gets in a terrible accident?

Sound quality, effects: I would rate the sound quality of the audiobook CD as excellent. I had no issues with static or erratic volume control. It helped that the CDs were in good condition, despite being 8 years old. This audiobook did not use sound effects.

Reading: Lily Blau was the reader of the audiobook of Savvy. According to the packaging, she is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and has spent time as an actress in the theatre. Using clear pronunciation, Blau created voices for each of the characters in the book (very common in audiobooks with one reader). The voices were distinct and after a while, you could tell which character was talking before they were identified. I liked how she made the voices of Will Sr. and Will Jr. very similar as they are father and son in the book – the cadence was the same and the difference was the pitch. The only character voice that grated on my nerves was Grandpa Beaumont – it seemed a very stereotypical voice one would use for senior adults.

Front and backmatter: Reader Lily Blau gave the front and backmatter in a very efficient manner. The only music was at the very beginning of the book and at the very end while the reader gave the bibliographical information for the audiobook.  

Listening experience: I listened to this audiobook CD in my car and only when my 12-year-old son was with me. I wasn’t sure if my son would enjoy listening to the audiobook until he ordered me not to listen to the book without him!  It became an experience we shared together which gave me insight to a child’s perspective of the audiobook. We both found the audiobook entertaining and it quickly engaged our interest. Sometimes I would pause the audiobook to discuss a plot twist or air a theory on the main character’s “savvy.” There was one line: “some people don’t know they have a savvy. Like people who never get bitten by mosquitos.” My son and I immediately laughed and discussed that his dad (my husband) must have an anti-bite savvy because he NEVER gets bitten by mosquitos!

Critical analysis: The story of Savvy opens with an explanation of the book’s setting, located in the middle of America at Kansas and Nebraska. The characters spend most of the book traveling on a pink bus – which sounds silly but is very believable with the descriptions that helps the reader visualize the surroundings.  The plot centers around the main character, Mibs Beaumont, and her journey to get to her father, who was hospitalized after a horrific car accident. True to the fantasy format, the plot involves obstacles to overcome (Mibs learning to control her savvy) and villains to vanquish (evil girlfriend Charlene and the goody-two-shoes Rosemary Meeks).

The author’s writing style was humorous, causing listeners to laugh. The theme of family love and unity flowed throughout the book. As listeners learn about Mibs through her feelings and her savvy, they stand behind her, feeling distraught when things look bleak for Mibs and cheer for her when she finally makes it to the hospital to see her father.

Overall, the experience I had listening to a book on CD with my son in the car was rewarding in that he asked to listen to more audiobooks. Because of this one positive experience, my son has now listened to two more audiobooks and we are currently on our third. We have even branched out to listening to Playaway, an all-in-one audiobook format that you can take anywhere. We check these out from our local public library and all you need to listen to a Playaway is one AAA battery and a set of earbuds (or a cord to hook up to your car stereo). I suspect my son’s trend of audiobook listening will continue to evolve into a habit!

Connections:

• Listeners can learn more about author Ingrid Law at her website: http://www.ingridlaw.com/about

• Other audiobooks by Ingrid Law featuring the Beaumont family:

1. Scumble, ISBN: 9780142428146
2. Switch, ISBN: 9781101925690

Bibliography

Cover, Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Personal photograph by Amy Wilson. November 27, 2016.

Law, Ingrid, and Lily Blau. 2008. Savvy. New York: Penguin Audio. 9780143143482