Marty McGuire

When the teacher announces that the third-grade class will present its own version of "The Frog Prince," little does anyone know how true those words will turn out to be. Marty McGuire is disgruntled with third grade. She has lost her best friend to her nemesis, the overbearing and princess-like Veronica Grace. Now Marty has no one to share her naturalist interests. To top it all off, Marty's been awarded an unexpected key role in the play. Cassandra Morris narrates with all the exasperation, pluck, and (eventually) pride of a third-grader. Morris uses tone and speed variations to render a totally believable and amusing Marty as she handles the tribulations of daily school routines. Characterizations of Marty's classroom compatriots are distinctive as well. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Marty, a tomboy frog-catcher who idolizes Jane Goodall, is strikingly voiced by Cassandra Morris as the third-grader finds herself the reluctant star of the class play. Marty has no empathy for princesses, such as her nemesis Veronica Grace Smithers, who has "hair the color of a golden lab." So Marty's starring role in "The Frog Prince" at first bewilders and then transforms her, as she puts her own spin on it. Morris is terrific at portraying the characters--snooty girls, chummy boys, and patient adults--and her depiction of Marty's transformation is especially elegant. Morris has the nuances and personalities of kids down pat as she shares subtle lessons about friendship and self-discovery with humor and grace. D.P.D. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine