Starters

In this audio edition of Price’s dystopian fantasy, in an effort to save her ailing brother and acquire some much needed money, young Callie—who lost her parents during the Spore Wars—allows her body to be used as a shell by senior citizens wanting to be young again. As a shell in a disease-ravaged world, Callie makes two terrible discoveries: that shells are dying and that orphans are being forced to serve as permanent shells. Rebecca Lowman provides well-paced, clear narration and captures the spirit of the novel’s young protagonist. The voices Lowman lends to male characters are distinct and appropriate, but many of her female characters sound melodramatic. Ages 12–up. A Delacorte hardcover. (Mar.)