Audiobooks by Lesa Cline-Ransome

One Big Open Sky

"A Newbery Honor Book & 2025 Audie Award® Finalist Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free—or cost them everything they have—in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement. 1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer Lettie may have her head in the stars, but her body is on a covered wagon heading westward. Her father, Thomas, promises that Nebraska will be everything the family needs: an opportunity to claim the independence they’ve strived for over generations on their very own plot of land. But Thomas’ hopes—and mouth—are bigger than his ability to follow through. With few supplies and even less money, the only thing that feels certain is danger. Right after the war ended/and we were free/we believed/all of us did/that couldn’t nothing hurt us/the way master had when we were slaves/Couldn’t no one tell us/how to live/how to die. Lettie, her mother, Sylvia, and young teacher Philomena are free from slavery—but bound by poverty, access to opportunity, and patriarchal social structures. Will these women survive the hardships of their journey? And as Thomas’ desire for control overpowers his common sense, will they truly be free once they get there? Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome’s striking verse masterfully portrays an underrepresented historical era. Tackling powerful themes of autonomy and Black self-emancipation, Cline-Ransome offers readers an intimate look into the lives of three women and an expansive portrait of generations striving for their promised freedom. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection A Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book"

Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Crystal Clarke, Emana Rachelle, Janina Edwards (Narrator)

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For Lamb

"Lamb's family strives to better their lives in Jackson, Mississippi, in the late 1930s. Lamb’s mother is a hard-working, creative seamstress who cannot reveal she's a lesbian. Lamb’s brother has a brilliant mind and has even earned a college scholarship for a black college up north—if only he could curb his impulsiveness and rebellious nature. Lamb herself is a quiet and studious girl. She is also naïve. As she tentatively accepts the friendly overtures of a white girl who loans her a book she loves, she sets a off a calamitous series of events that pulls in her mother, charming hustler uncle, estranged father, and brother—and ends in a lynching. Told with nuance and subtlety, avoiding sensationalism and unnecessary brutality, this young-adult novel from celebrated author Lesa Cline-Ransome pays homage to the female victims of white supremacy."

Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Angel Pean, Dion Graham, Jaime Lincoln Smith, Kevin R. Free, Rebecca Lee, Tyla Collier (Narrator)

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She Persisted Audio Collection: Volume 1: Harriet Tubman; Claudette Colvin; Virginia Apgar; and more

"Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, listeners can now get the first eight biographies in the chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds in one audio collection! She Persisted: Harriet Tubman by Andrea Davis Pinkney with introduction by Chelsea Clinton She Persisted: Claudette Colvin by Lesa Cline-Ransome with introduction by Chelsea Clinton She Persisted: Sally Ride by Atia Abawi with introduction by Chelsea Clinton She Persisted: Virginia Apgar by Dr. Sayantani DasGupta with introduction by Chelsea Clinton She Persisted: Nellie Bly by Michelle Knudsen with introduction by Chelsea Clinton She Persisted: Sonia Sotomayor by Meg Medina with introduction by Chelsea Clinton She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner by Rita Williams-Garcia with introduction by Chelsea Clinton She Persisted: Ruby Bridges by Kekla Magoon with introduction by Chelsea Clinton In each chapter book biography by an award-winning and/or best-selling author, listeners learn about the amazing life of an important woman--and how she persisted."

Andrea Davis Pinkney, Atia Abawi, Chelsea Clinton, Kekla Magoon, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Meg Medina, Michelle Knudsen, Rita Williams-Garcia, Sayantani DasGupta (Author), Bahni Turpin, Carolyn King, Janina Edwards, Tavia Gilbert, Various (Narrator)

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Being Clem

"Clem can make anybody, even his grumpy older sisters, smile with his jokes. But when his family receives news that his father has died in the infamous Port Chicago disaster, everything begins to fall apart. Clem's mother is forced to work long, tough hours as a maid for a wealthy white family. Soon Clem can barely recognize his home—and himself. Can he live up to his father's legacy? In her award-winning trilogy, Lesa Cline-Ransome masterfully recreates mid-twentieth century America through the eyes of three boys: Langston, Lymon, and, now, Clem. Exploring the impact of the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, Jim Crow laws, and much more, Lesa's work manages at once to be both an intimate portrait of each boy and his family as well as a landscape of American history."

Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Dion Graham (Narrator)

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She Persisted: Claudette Colvin

"Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds! In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome, readers learn about the amazing life of Claudette Colvin--and how she persisted.  Before Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin made the same choice. She insisted on standing up--or in her case, sitting down--for what was right, and in doing so, fought for equality, fairness, and justice. Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Claudette Colvin's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum. And don't miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Harriet Tubman, Ruby Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, and more! Praise for She Persisted: Claudette Colvin: 'Cline-Ransome brings the teen activist to life with great compassion and impressive brevity . . . A noteworthy start for chapter-book readers wishing to read more about young leaders of the movement.' --Kirkus Reviews   'Cline-Ransome's narrative provides a knowledgeable, interesting introduction to an ­important player in the civil rights movement.' --School Library Journal"

Chelsea Clinton, Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Chelsea Clinton, Janina Edwards (Narrator)

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Leaving Lymon

"It's 1946, and Lymon, uprooted from his life in the Deep South and moved up North, needs that chance. Lymon's father is, for the time being, at Parchman Farm—the Mississippi State Penitentiary--and his mother, whom he doesn't remember all that much, has moved North. Fortunately, Lymon is being raised by his loving grandparents. Together, Lymon and his grandpops share a love of music, spending late summer nights playing the guitar. But Lymon's world as he knows it is about to dissolve. He will be sent on a journey to two Northern cities far from the country life he loves—and the version of himself he knows. In this companion novel to the Coretta Scott King Honor-winning Finding Langston, listeners will see a new side of the bully Lymon in this story of an angry boy whose raw talent, resilience, and devotion to music help point him in a new direction."

Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Dion Graham (Narrator)

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Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician

"Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or astronauts walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used their knowledge, pencils, adding machines, and writing paper to calculate the orbital mechanics needed to launch spacecraft. Katherine Johnson was one of these mathematicians who used trajectories and complex equations to chart the space program. Even as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws were in place in the early 1950s, Katherine worked analyzing data at the NACA (later NASA) Langley laboratory. In 1962, as NASA prepared for the orbital mission of John Glenn, Katherine Johnson was called upon, and John Glenn said “get the girl” (Katherine Johnson) to run the numbers by hand to chart the complexity of the orbital flight. He knew that his flight couldn’t work without her unique skills. President Barack Obama awarded Katherine Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and her incredible life inspired the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures."

Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Bahni Turpin (Narrator)

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Finding Langston

"When eleven-year-old Langston's mother dies in 1946, he and his father leave rural Alabama for Chicago's brown belt as a part of what came to be known as the Great Migration. It's lonely in the small apartment with just the two of them, and Langston is bullied at school. But his new home has one fantastic thing. Unlike the whites-only library in Alabama, the local public library welcomes everyone. There, hiding out after school, Langston discovers another Langston, a poet whom he learns inspired his mother enough to name her only son after him."

Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Dion Graham (Narrator)

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Just a Lucky So and So

"Louis Armstrong has been called the most important improviser in the history of jazz. Although his New Orleans neighborhood was poor in nearly everything else, it was rich in superb music. Young Louis took it all in, especially the cornet blowing of Joe King Oliver. But after a run in with the police, 11-year-old Louis was sent away to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys where he became a disciplined musician in the school's revered marching band. By the time he returned to his neighborhood, the King himself became his mentor and invited Armstrong to play with him in Chicago. Here is a joyful tribute to the virtuoso musician and buoyant personality who introduced much of the world to jazz."

Lesa Cline-Ransome (Author), Arnell Powell (Narrator)

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