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The Composer Is Dead, by Lemony Snicket, narrated by Lemony Snicket, music by Nathaniel Stookey, performed by The San Francisco Symphony, 2009, New York, NY: HarperCollins. 30 minutes.
Age/Interest Level: 5-8 years
Lexile Level: AD710L
Awards: N/A
Reader Annotation: Based on the writings of Lemony Snicket, the Composer is dead and the Inspector has set out to interrogate the entire orchestra.
Plot Summary: This is an adaptation of the book by the same name by Lemony Snicket. It is intended as an introduction to the orchestra for children. After the death of the Composer, the Inspector arrives on the scene to determine just who did it. He interrogates each section of the orchestra before picking through individual instruments all while collecting clues.
Critical Evaluation: Lemony Snicket has devised an ingenious plot around the idea of showcasing an orchestra to children. While the piece works as a book, the addition of a full orchestra being interrogated by only the voice of the Investigator is both hilarious and intriguing. Even more so since the author narrates the pieces, embellishing the role and heightening it to a sense of melodrama. The orchestra plays beautifully and, by the end, children have a basic grasp on the various general sounds of the instruments as well as how they can come together.
Why Included: This is really an interactive audiobook, so it plays at two levels. Children both learn about instruments as well as take part in a murder mystery. Snicket drops clues along the way, allowing for some critical thinking becoming engrossed in the quirky story.
Age/Interest Level: 5-8 years
Lexile Level: AD710L
Awards: N/A
Reader Annotation: Based on the writings of Lemony Snicket, the Composer is dead and the Inspector has set out to interrogate the entire orchestra.
Plot Summary: This is an adaptation of the book by the same name by Lemony Snicket. It is intended as an introduction to the orchestra for children. After the death of the Composer, the Inspector arrives on the scene to determine just who did it. He interrogates each section of the orchestra before picking through individual instruments all while collecting clues.
Critical Evaluation: Lemony Snicket has devised an ingenious plot around the idea of showcasing an orchestra to children. While the piece works as a book, the addition of a full orchestra being interrogated by only the voice of the Investigator is both hilarious and intriguing. Even more so since the author narrates the pieces, embellishing the role and heightening it to a sense of melodrama. The orchestra plays beautifully and, by the end, children have a basic grasp on the various general sounds of the instruments as well as how they can come together.
Why Included: This is really an interactive audiobook, so it plays at two levels. Children both learn about instruments as well as take part in a murder mystery. Snicket drops clues along the way, allowing for some critical thinking becoming engrossed in the quirky story.