Audiobooks by Valerie Houston

LoveReading4Kids Top 10

1. The Beatrix Potter Collection

   Beatrix Potter (1866 - 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist. Her Children's stories are loved all around the world. Born into an upper-middle-class household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets and spent holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developing a love of landscape, flora and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Enjoy a collection of her stories, recorded in high quality audio. For more stories visit www.calmradio.com

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2. A Bear Called Paddington

   The classic story of Paddington, the bear from Darkest Peru, who was found lost on Paddington Station."A bear on Paddington Station?" said Mrs Brown in amazement. "Don't be silly - there can't be."The Browns first met Paddington on a railway station - Paddington station, in fact. He had travelled all the way from Darkest Peru with only a jar of marmalade, a suitcase and his hat.The Browns soon found that Paddington was a very unusual bear. Ordinary things - like having a bath, travelling underground or going to the seaside became quite extraordinary, if a bear called Paddington was involved.

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3. 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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4. Grimwood: Laugh your head off with the funniest new series of the year, from award-winning Nadia Shi

   'Funny, anarchic, original and gloriously silly.' -- Richard Osman 'Ted and Nancy are my favourite funny foxes EVER.' -- Liz Pichon, author of Tom Gates 'I CACKLED ALOUD on practically every page. Comic gold, tinged with such tenderness.' -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave   'Grimwood is like Winnie-the-Pooh written by the Pythons, and so madly inventive and funny I was howling with laughter by the third page. This is about to become a fundamental part of 21st century childhood' -- Caitlin Moran   Laugh your head off with this fully-illustrated new series from award-winning Nadia Shireen. Perfect for readers age 7 to 107, fans of Dog Man, Roald Dahl, Mr Gum and David Walliams, and anyone who loves to laugh.   Fox cub siblings Ted and Nancy are on the run from Princess Buttons, the scariest street cat in the Big City. They flee for Grimwood, expecting to find refuge in the peaceful countryside. Instead, they are met with thieving eagles, dramatic ducks, riotous rabbits and a whole host of unusual characters. Grimwood is . . . weird. But when Princess Buttons tracks them down, Nancy and Ted and the animals of Grimwood must unite in a mind-bending race against time . . .   This memorable, distinctive and warm-hearted comedy series will have kids begging to read more.   Nadia Shireen has won awards for her picture books including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf, and her latest, Barbara Throws a Wobbler, has been described as a 'little doorway of joy' by Caitlin Moran. She's also been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and has been Writer-Illustrator in Residence for BookTrust. Grimwood is her first series for older readers. PRAISE FOR GRIMWOOD: 'Gloriously anarchic, properly funny and highly illustrated with dynamic black-and-white art, this is a quirky delight for children - and their parents, too.'   ? The Bookseller 'Dark, original and laugh-out-loud funny' -- The Times 'This book made my face hurt! Relentlessly funny.' -- Rob Biddulph 'Like Watership Down, but funny. You'll laugh hysterically on every page.' -- Caitlin Moran 'Fantastic.' -- Lauren Laverne 'Pure genius!' -- Louie Stowell 'Made us laugh out loud.' -- Jim Smith, author of Barry Loser 'You're in for a treat!' -- Selom Sunu, illustrator of Look Both Ways 'Utterly HILARIOUS' -- Sophy Henn, author-illustrator of Pizazz   PRAISE FOR NADIA SHIREEN: 'Shireen's latest book confirms her as one of the brightest and best picture book creators working in Britain today ... Sensational.' - Observer    

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5. A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning

   Like a car alarm, bagpipe music, or a doorbell ringing in the middle of the night, hearing this all-new audio edition of The Bad Beginning will only upset you. This unique multi-voice recording brings the first book in Lemony Snicket's alarming A Series of Unfortunate Events to such terrible life that no one should really have to experience it. Unless you have an ear for such ghastly details as a tragic fire, a nefarious villain, itchy clothing, and cold porridge for breakfast, all narrated in chilly detail by the distinguished, and disturbed, Tim Curry with a team of talented readers, you would be better off listening to something else. Featuring Tim Curry

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6. Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest

   Set in the snowy northern forests of an imagined prehistoric world, Fireborn is the middle-grade debut of the decade. At turns exciting, funny and heart wrenchingly sad, it marks the introduction of an unstoppable new voice in children’s storytelling. Twelve has spoken the Pledge and now she is a Huntling. She has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters and keeping the peace, and she won’t get to choose a new one until she has earned it. But when the Lodge’s walls are breached for the first time, and a little girl is taken, Twelve is the only one interested in going after a child . . . Teaming up with Dog, the Stone Guardian of the Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name – and her entire world.

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7. New Kid

   An original full-cast audio adaptation of the graphic novel from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft, performed by the author with Jesus Del Orden, Nile Bullock, Robin Miles, Guy Lockard, Peyton Lusk, Rebecca Soler, Dan Bittner, Phoebe Strole, Marc Thompson, Miles Harvey, and Ron Butler. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real. Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself? Filled with sound effects and original music, this audio adventure is one the whole family will enjoy.

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8. Cane Warriors

   Moa is fourteen. The only life he has ever known is toiling on the Frontier sugar cane plantation for endless hot days, fearing the vicious whips of the overseers. Then one night he learns of an uprising, led by the charismatic Tacky. Moa is to be a cane warrior, and fight for the freedom of all the enslaved people in the nearby plantations. But before they can escape, Moa and his friend Keverton must face their first great task: to kill their overseer, Misser Donaldson. Time is ticking, and the day of the uprising approaches . . . Irresistible, gripping and unforgettable, Cane Warriors follows the true story of Tacky's War in Jamaica, 1760.

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9. When The World Was Ours

   A powerful and heart-breaking novel about three childhood friends living during the Second World War whose fates are closely intertwined, even when their lives take very different courses. For readers of Private Peaceful, The Book Thief and Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl. Three friends. Two sides. One memory. Vienna. 1936. Three young friends - Leo, Elsa and Max - spend a perfect day together, unaware that around them Europe is descending into a growing darkness, and that events soon mean that they will be cruelly ripped apart from each other. With their lives taking them across Europe - to Germany, England, Prague and Poland - will they ever find their way back to each other? Will they want to?   ? Inspired by a true story, WHEN THE WORLD WAS OURS is an extraordinary novel that is as powerful as it is heartbreaking, and shows how the bonds of love, family and friendship allow glimmers of hope to flourish, even in the most hopeless of times.  'When The World Was Ours is Liz's masterpiece . . . an instant classic' Anthony McGowan, winner of the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal

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10. Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood

    Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors--including Jason Reynolds (the Track series), Jerry Craft (New Kid), and Kwame Mbalia (the Tristan Strong series)! Black boy joy is…   Picking out a fresh first-day-of-school outfit. Saving the universe in an epic intergalactic race. Finding your voice-and your rhymes-during tough times. Flying on your skateboard like nobody's watching.   And more! From seventeen acclaimed Black male and non-binary authors comes a vibrant collection of stories and poems about the power of joy and the wonders of Black boyhood. Contributors include: B. B. Alston, Dean Atta, P. Djèlí Clark, Jay Coles, Jerry Craft, Lamar Giles, Don P. Hooper, George M. Johnson, Varian Johnson, Kwame Mbalia, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Tochi Onyebuchi, Julian Randall, Jason Reynolds, Justin Reynolds, DaVaun Sanders, and Julian Winters Cover illustration by Kadir Nelson

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