Levar Burton Reads

Interest Level: Adult/Young Adult/Varies
Reading Level (Readng Counts Level): NR
Lexile: NR
Genre: All Types

I have recently discovered the "Levar Burton Reads" podcast. My children loved
Burton's  "Reading Rainbow" when they were kids and so did I. "Levar Burton Reads" is "Reading Rainbow" for adults. I listen to the podcast while I exercise; and I LOVE it. Burton reads short stories of all genres. In the first episode Burton reads "Kin" by Bruce McAllister. It is a sci-fi story about a boy who hires an alien hit-man. "The Lighthouse Keeper" by Daisy Johnson is a realistic tale entwined with some fable-like fantasy about a female lighthouse keeper who is obsessed with a certain fish. After each episode, Burton tells why he chose that particular story. I enjoyed hearing why he choose "The Lighthouse Keeper" and about the women in his family. His postscript of this story made me look at it in a whole new way. I felt like I was in a book club with Levar Burton! The latest episode I listened to was "Empty Places" by Richard Parks. It is a fantasy story about a wizard and a thief. Although not my favorite of the three I have listed to so far, I still found it enjoyable. As for recommending these stories to read on your own or listen to Levar Burton perform them, I would say all three are appropriate for 7th graders and older. I give "Kin" 5 out of 5 stars, "The Lighthouse Keeper" - 4 stars, and "Empty Places" - 3 1/2 stars. As for "Levar Burton Reads," I give the podcast 5 billions stars.