The Littlest Bigfoot

This sweet and engaging middle school story about a budding friendship translates beautifully to audio. Twelve-year-old Alice Mayfair feels like a misfit: ignored by her rich socialite parents, shuttled from school to school, self-conscious about her large size and wild untameable hair. Millie Maximus is part of a clan that lives in the woods, known to humans as “Bigfoots.” She longs for adventure and wants to learn more about the human world, but her tribe insists she must stay hidden for her own safety. When the two meet and become fast friends, but their friendship puts the Bigfoots in danger, especially when Jeremy, a teenage boy obsessed with finding Bigfoots, follows Alice into the woods. While all three voice actors are tremendous, actress Galvin gives the standout performance. She creates a memorable voice not only for Alice but also for several secondary characters, including a sniffling young girl with allergies, a snobby rich “mean girl,” and an idealistic, free-spirited school principal. As Millie, actor Ponton strays from the textual description of her character, giving her a grittier, tomboyish voice instead of the beautiful musical voice with the pure sound of a triangle described in the book, but her Millie is immediately likable and relatable. Nobbs sounds exactly like an awkward adolescent kid in his narration of Jeremy. This is a fun and engaging tale that kids will love. Ages 8–12. An Aladdin hardcover. (Sept.)