Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (2007, Unabridged, Compact Disc)

Ray Bradbury’s poignant and lyrical tale of the last idyllic summer of a young boy on the brink of manhood is beautifully captured here in this full-cast audio production, complete with sound effects and music. 12-year old Douglas Spaulding believes that he’s in complete charge of his universe and that the joys he’s known thus far will last forever. But as strange events make him more aware of his environment, he is increasingly able to recognize the transitory nature of happiness.

Although this story is set in the late 1920s, listeners will relate to Doug’s love of movies, his first crush, and his desire for a brand new pair of trendy sneakers from the local shop. They will also be able to identify with Doug’s growing confusion and sense of isolation and loss. Nevertheless, teenage readers would do well to tackle the novel in print first before listening to this dramatic interpretation. Not a linear exposition but an impressionistic swirl of voices, sounds and nostalgic imagery, the first act of this play on disk might otherwise confuse them. The second act, more concrete and frequently even hauntingly powerful, pulls everything together memorably.