The Accident Season

Actress Minifie’s audio performance of Fowley-Doyle’s debut YA novel is spot-on. Her lyrical, youthful brogue is the perfect match for protagonist Cara Morris, an Irish teen whose family—single mom, slightly older sister Alice, and step-brother Sam—becomes particularly susceptible to accidents once a year during the month of October. That’s just one supernatural aspect in a plot that’s layered in magical realism and filtered through Cara’s vivid imagination. Performing with an Irish accident seems to rolls off Minifie’s tongue, and she creates a slew of voices for the characters. Sam’s voice has a husky quality, and Alice’s speech incorporates teenage angst, carrying a touch of Valley Girl impatience. As for protagonist Cara, Minifie presents her with a childlike, at times dreamy delivery that shifts swiftly from emotional highs to lows as she deals with a ghostly specter, painful memories, her first love affair, and, of course, the Halloween’s potential for family mishaps. Ages 14–up. A Penguin/Dawson hardcover. (Aug.)