No Passengers Beyond This Point

Gr 5—7—Gennifer Choldenko blends fantasy and reality in her thought-provoking, moving, and often humorous novel (Dial, 2011). Finn, India, and Mouse Tompkins are already dealing with the loss of their father, and now their house is foreclosed and they must leave California and move to their uncle's home in Colorado while their mother stays behind. Things become really strange when their plane lands in Falling Bird, an alternate reality where nothing is as it seems, rather than in Colorado. Narrators Becca Batoe, Jessie Bernstein, and Tara Sands are a perfect match for the siblings, bringing each one to life as they literally race against the clock and deal with their own struggles in order to find where they belong. They are all exceptional, but the spotlight belongs to Bernstein as Finn. The boy is a chronic worrier who speaks little but always has a plan, and his grit and determination are captured in Bernstein's vocal portrait. Through the three siblings' alternate points of view, listeners are transported to the sometimes fantastic and sometimes frightening land of Falling Bird via Choldenko's lyrically descriptive text which works ideally in this format. Sure to keep listeners riveted throughout.—Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI