From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up–In British author Geraldine McCaughrean's 1988 Carnegie Medal-winning novel, Ailsa Povey finds MCC Berkshire annoying the librarian one day and brings him home where, to her surprise, her widowed mother puts him to work in their failing antique store. He refuses payment, taking room and board instead. All he seems to want is a quiet place to read, and plenty of books. Other than saying he's from Reading, MCC never talks about himself, but is eloquent in telling the story of each piece he sells. He uses a different literary style, technique, or genre for each item: romance, comedy, tragedy, adventure. Customers are intrigued and pay the outrageous prices MCC sets for the items. Ailsa is convinced that everything out of this mysterious man's mouth is a lie. Who is he and where did he come from? Narrator Andrew Sachs uses a number of accents as MCC, ranging from Chinese to Irish to American, to make this complex and sophisticated story come alive. This multifaceted piece deserves a place in every library.–Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
When MCC talks himself into a job and a place to live in Ailsa Povey's mother's down-in-the-dumps antique shop, business immediately improves. Berkshire spins one engaging story after another for potential customers about the treasures for sale there. The individual stories are woven chapter by chapter into the larger tale. Are they the truth or a pack of lies? Andrew Sachs draws listeners into Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean's captivating yarns with a master storyteller's ease. His wide scope of accents and voices beguiles the listener as MCC offers stories ranging in style from romance to gothic, from horror to folktale. McCaughrean's literary fancies couldn't be in better voice as Andrew Sachs's performance takes her 12 enchanting tales and makes them even more magical. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
