Audiobooks by Steve Cole

LoveReading4Kids Top 10

1. Circus Maximus Rivals on the Track

   Circus Maximus, the greatest sporting stage of the ancient Roman world, where the best horses and charioteers compete in a race to the death, and one girl dreams of glory. Ben Hur meets National Velvet in the ultimate 9-12 adventure story by debut children's author, Annelise Gray. Twelve-year-old Dido dreams of becoming the first female charioteer at the great Circus Maximus. She's lost her heart to Porcellus, a wild, tempestuous horse she longs to train and race. But such ambitions are forbidden to girls and she must be content with helping her father Antonius - the trainer of Rome's most popular racing team, The Greens - and teaching the rules of racing to Justus, the handsome young nephew of the Greens' wealthy owner. When her father is brutally murdered, she is forced to seek refuge with an unlikely ally. But what of her dream of Circus triumphs and being reunited with the beloved horse she left behind in Rome? And the threat to her life isn't over as she faces a powerful and terrifying new enemy... the emperor Caligula. 'I loved this adventure - full of brilliant horses, and a determined heroine following her dreams against all the odds. Looking forward to discovering what's in store for them next' Pippa Funnell, MBE

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2. The Burpee Bears

   Meet the Burpee Bears in this glorious picture book created by “the Nation's Favourite PE Teacher”, Joe Wicks! For this bear family, every day is a new day: a day for adventure and discovery, and true to Joe’s ethos, each book will feature a fun and positive story with added exercises and recipes – perfect for families to share and enjoy together!   The Burpee Bears is the first book in the series and is infused with Joe’s signature sense of fun. Join the bears as they explore the everyday ups and downs of family life. Children will fall in love with the Burpee Bear characters; they bring a little bit of Wicks magic and a whole lot of Joe energy to each and every page. The Burpee Bears will delight and engage children as they read, laugh and leap into action!   Created by Joe, with the story co-written with acclaimed author Vivian French.

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3. Armadillo and Hare and the Flamingo Affair

   Armadillo and Hare are an unlikely pair. Armadillo is often a little grumpy, while Hare is a more cheerful sort. But, despite their differences, they are very best friends. One day, something incredible happens. Someone rather fabulous is singing and dancing in the Big Forest. Who could it be? It's Flamingo! Has this flamboyant new friend found a forever home in the Big Forest? Fun, friendship and flamingo fabulousness abound in these delightful, charming tales.

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4. The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone

   Bronte Mettlestone is ten years old when her parents are killed by pirates. This does not bother her particularly: her parents ran away to have adventures when she was a baby. She has been raised by her Aunt Isabelle, with assistance from the Butler, and has spent a pleasant childhood of afternoon teas and riding lessons. Now, however, her parents have left detailed instructions for Bronte in their will. (Instructions that, annoyingly, have been reinforced with faery cross-stitch, which means that if she doesn't complete them, terrible things could happen!) She travels the kingdoms, perfectly alone, delivering gifts to ten other aunts: a farmer aunt who owns an orange orchard, a veterinarian aunt who specializes in dragon care, a pair of aunts who captain a cruise ship, and a former rock star aunt who is now the reigning monarch of a small kingdom. But as she travels from aunt to aunt, Bronte suspects there might be more to this journey than the simple delivery of treasure.

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5. The Mapmakers

   Brought to you by Puffin. Return to the spellbinding world of Cordelia Hatmaker in this soaring magical sequel to The Hatmakers. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor, A Pinch of Magic and Harry Potter. Ever since Cordelia discovered the hidden map in her father's precious telescope, she's been searching the streets of London by starlight and trying to uncover its secrets. She's sure that her missing father is out there somewhere, and that if she follows his map, she'll finally discover the truth about his disappearance. She never expects to stumble upon a secret society of Mapmakers - or to learn that magic isn't limited to the few Maker families, but is instead is all around, if you just know where to look . . . But danger is lurking around every corner, and Cordelia must convince the rival Maker families to work together for once - not only to bring her father home, but to save the very essence of magic itself . . . A gorgeous adventure from exceptional new storytelling talent, Tamzin Merchant. Praise for The Hatmakers 'Wildly inventive . . . full of laugh-out-loud humour, enchanting magic and rebellious hope. I loved it' Catherine Doyle 'Imaginative' The Times 'An utterly charming adventure full of wildness, wit, magic and heart' Anna James 'Absolutely wonderful' Emma Carroll 'A swashbuckling romp for lovers of history and magic . . . Will appeal to Philip Pullman and Harry Potter fans' Kirkus 'A cosy magical adventure peppered with charming detail' The Bookseller © Tamzin Merchant 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

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6. The Elephant in the Room

   It's been almost a year since Sila's mum travelled halfway around the world to Turkey, hoping to secure the immigration paperwork that would allow her to return to her family in the United States. The long separation is almost impossible for Sila to bear. But things change when Sila accompanies her father (who is a mechanic) outside their Oregon town to fix a truck. There, behind an enormous stone wall, she meets a grandfatherly man who only months before won the state lottery. Their new alliance leads to the rescue of a circus elephant named Veda, and then to a friendship with a unique boy named Mateo, proving that comfort and hope come in the most unlikely of places. A moving story of family separation and the importance of the connection between animals and humans, this novel has the enormous heart and uplifting humour that readers have come to expect from the beloved author of Counting by 7s.

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7. Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow

   The rainbow-filled, JOYOUS debut from a hugely exciting new talent. Perfect for 9+ readers and fans of Lisa Thompson, Elle McNicoll and Onjali Rauf's bestselling THE BOY AT THE BACK OF THE CLASS. My name's Archie Albright, and I know two things for certain:   1. My mum and dad kind of hate each other, and they're not doing a great job of pretending that they don't anymore.   2. They're both keeping a secret from me, but I can't figure out what. Things aren't going great for Archie Albright. His dad's acting weird, his mum too, and all he wants is for everything to go back to normal, to three months before when his parents were happy and still lived together. When Archie sees a colourful, crumpled flyer fall out of Dad's pocket, he thinks he may have found the answer. Only problem? The answer might just lie at the end of the rainbow, an adventure away.  Together with his best friends, Bell and Seb, Archie sets off on a heartwarming and unforgettable journey to try and fix his family, even if he has to break a few rules to do it... Praise for ME, MY DAD AND THE END OF THE RAINBOW:   'One of the most joyful books you'll read this year' - The Bookseller 'Joyful, funny and heartfelt' - Katie Tsang, co-author of SAM WU IS NOT AFRAID and DRAGON MOUNTAIN 'This joyful book has such heart, expertly navigating serious subjects around family, gender, and sexuality. Celebratory and advocating kindness, I'd recommend this book to all middle-grade readers. A real tear-jerker!' - Steven Butler, author of THE NOTHING TO SEE HERE HOTEL 'So adorable, funny, and heartwarming. I loved it!' - Alice Oseman, author of the HEARTSTOPPER series 'A joyful and thoughtful celebration of family, identity and inclusivity' - Anna James, author of the PAGES & CO. series 'A brilliant, smart book with a good heart. It's like a warm hug and I can't wait for the next one' - Danny Wallace, author of HAMISH AND THE WORLDSTOPPERS and THE DAY THE SCREENS WENT BLANK   'A powerful new voice in children's fiction' - Aisha Bushby, author of A POCKETFUL OF STARS  'I will recommend this book to everyone for years and years to come' - Gavin Hetherington, BookTuber - How to Train Your Gavin

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8. All American Boys

   In an unforgettable new novel from award-winning authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, two teens-one black, one white-grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.A bag of chips. That's all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad's pleadings that he's stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad's resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad's every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement? But there were witnesses: Quinn Collins-a varsity basketball player and Rashad's classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan-and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team-half of whom are Rashad's best friends-start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before. Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken from the headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.

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9. Everything Sad is Untrue: (a true story)

   At the front of a middle school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls 'Daniel') stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny; who makes things up and talks about poop too much. But Khosrou's stories, stretching back years, and decades, and centuries, are beautiful, and terrifying, from the moment his family fled Iran in the middle of the night with the secret police moments behind them, back to the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy...and further back to the fieldsnear the river Aras, where rain-soaked flowers bled red like the yolk of the sunset had burst over everything, and further back still to the jasmine-scented city of Isfahan. Like Scheherazade in a hostile classroom, Daniel weaves a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth. And it is (a true story).

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10. Cookie! (Book 3): Cookie and the Most Mysterious Mystery in the World

    In her third adventure, Cookie finds mysteries everywhere - but can she solve them, and save the science show? Hurray, Cookie's Nani is coming to stay from Bangladesh! But she doesn't speak English and Cookie is the only one in the family who doesn't speak Bengali. Luckily, science-mad Cookie realises that her coding lessons at school might help her crack the language code and help her bond with Nani. Other mysteries are harder to solve, though - like, why is Jake's mum acting so weird? Who is the mystery gamer who keeps levelling-up in Cookie's computer game? And who is the Woodburn Hacker, who keeps posting teachers' secrets on the school website? Why does it look like it might be Cookie herself? Can Cookie solve these mysteries, clear her name and save the science show?

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