Audiobooks by Valerie Houston

LoveReading4Kids Top 10

1. Peppa Pig: Bedtime Stories

   Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Peppa Pig: Bedtime Stories by Ladybird, read by John Sparkes. A collection of ten newly recorded audio stories based on Peppa Pig, the hit TV show! Includes dialogue, songs and sound effects from the show! Stories include: Bedtime Story, Night Animals, The Wishing Well, Teddy's Playgroup, Pet Competition, Mrs Rabbit's Bump, Naughty Tortoise, The Rainy Day Game, Madam Gazelle's Leaving Party, and Freddy Fox.

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2. Charlotte's Web

   Brought to life by Meryl Streep and a full cast, this beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is 'just about perfect.'* Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spider web tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter. E. B. White's Newbery Honor Book is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come. Includes an appreciation written and read by Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet, the cover artist of this edition and author/illustrator of Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White. Narrated by Meryl Streep featuring: January LaVoy as CHARLOTTE Kirby Heyborne as WILBUR MacLeod Andrews as TEMPLETON with additional performances by: Mark Bramhall as LURVY Scott Brick as THE MINISTER Cassandra Campbell as EDITH ZUCKERMAN Danny Campbell as HOMER ZUCKERMAN Mark Deakins as MR. ARABLE Kimberly Farr as MRS. ARABLE Tavia Gilbert as THE GOOSE Dion Graham as THE GANDER Almarie Guerra as NELLIE Johnny Heller as THE FAIR ANNOUNCER Lincoln Hoppe as AVERY Raymond Lee as THE BABY SPIDER Robin Miles as THE OLD SHEEP Adenrele Ojo as ARANEA Ray Porter as UNCLE THE PIG Emily Rankin as FERN John Rubinstein as DR. DORIAN Bahni Turpin as THE LAMB Julia Whelan as JOY *New York Times

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3. The Danger Gang

   Brought to you by Puffin. The electrifying new adventure from bestselling author of The Christmasaurus and The Creakers, Tom Fletcher! Franky can't wait to move to his new town - although he wishes he didn't have to leave his best friend Dani behind. But everything changes after the storm, when strange green lightning and powerful thunder crash down on the town. From that night on, the kids who live on Franky's street start to change. One by one, they become a little odd. A little unusual. A little... magical. Franky's always wanted to be part of an amazing gang - just like his hero, super-spy Zack Danger! And soon, he realises that there's real danger in store for himself and his new friends. And so the Danger Gang is born... © Tom Fletcher 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

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4. The Girl Who Drank the Moon

   A young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon must unlock the dangerous magic buried deep inside her in this epic coming-of-age fairy tale from the highly acclaimed author of The Witch's Boy. Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she's always known. The acclaimed author of The Witch's Boy has created another epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to become a modern classic.

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5. Deny All Charges

   The second book in the blockbusting new series from the bestselling author of Artemis Fowl. The second Fowl Twins adventure starts with a bang – literally. Artemis's little brothers Myles and Beckett borrow the Fowl jet without permission, and it ends up as a fireball over Florida. The twins plus their fairy minder, the pixie-elf hybrid Lazuli Heitz, are lucky to escape with their lives. The Fowl parents and fairy police force decide that enough is enough and the twins are placed under house arrest. But Myles has questions, like: who was tracking the Fowl jet? Why would someone want to blow them out of the sky? These questions must infuriate someone, because Myles is abducted and spirited away from his twin. Now Beckett and Lazuli must collaborate to find Myles and rescue him – not easy when it was Myles who was the brains of the operation. Their chase will take them across continents, deep underground, and into subaquatic super villain lairs. They will be shot at, covered in spit, and at the receiving end of some quite nasty dwarf sarcasm. But will Beckett be able to come up with a genius plan without a genius on hand…?

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6. The Wild Robot

   The Wild Robot: Booktrack Edition adds an immersive musical soundtrack to your audiobook listening experience! * Wall-E meets Hatchet in this New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from Caldecott Honor winner Peter Brown Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home--until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her. From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide. *Booktrack is an immersive format that pairs traditional audiobook narration to complementary music. The tempo and rhythm of the score are in perfect harmony with the action and characters throughout the audiobook. Gently playing in the background, the music never overpowers or distracts from the narration, so listeners can enjoy every minute. When you purchase this Booktrack edition, you receive the exact narration as the traditional audiobook available, with the addition of music throughout.

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7. The Hobbit: Prequel to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

   Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard's band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all-a treasure-troving dragon named Smaug. In his fantasy classic, master storyteller J.R.R. Tolkein creates a bewitching world filled with delightful creatures and thrilling dangers. Narrator Rob Inglis will hold listeners of all ages spellbound with his skillful portrayal of hobbits, dwarves, and enchanted beasts.

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8. The Boy at the Top of the Mountain

   Brought to you by Penguin. When Pierrot becomes an orphan, he must leave his home in Paris for a new life with his Aunt Beatrix, a servant in a wealthy household at the top of the German mountains. But this is no ordinary time, for it is 1935 and the Second World War is fast approaching; and this is no ordinary house, for this is the Berghof, the home of Adolf Hitler. Quickly, Pierrot is taken under Hitler's wing, and is thrown into an increasingly dangerous new world: a world of terror, secrets and betrayal, from which he may never be able to escape. ©John Boyne 2015 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

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9. Coraline

   Acompaña a Coraline y déjate transportar al mundo de fantasía y terror creado por el premiado autor Neil Gaiman. «Damas y caballeros, niñas y niños, pónganse en pie y aplaudan: Coraline es una obra maestra.» Philip Pullman, The Guardian Al día siguiente de mudarse de casa, Coraline explora las catorce puertas de su nuevo hogar. Trece se pueden abrir con normalidad, pero la decimocuarta está cerrada y tapiada. Cuando por fin consigue abrirla, Coraline se encuentra con un pasadizo secreto que la conduce a otra casa tan parecida a la suya que resulta escalofriante. Sin embargo, hay ciertas diferencias que llaman su atención: la comida es más rica, los juguetes son tan desconocidos como maravillosos y, sobre todo, hay otra madre y otro padre que quieren que Coraline se quede con ellos, se convierta en su hija y no se marche nunca. Pronto Coraline se da cuenta de que, tras los espejos, hay otros niños que han caído en la trampa. Son como almas perdidas, y ahora ella es su única esperanza de salvación. Pero para rescatarlos tendrá también que recuperar a sus verdaderos padres, y cumplir así el desafío que le permitirá volver a su vida anterior. Reseñas: «Este libro te producirá escalofríos y el miedo se te colará por los zapatos. Posee el delicado toque de terror de los mejores cuentos de hadas y es una obra maestra. Después de leerlo, no volverás a mirar un botón como antes.» Terry Pratchett «Delicado y extraordinario, se lee como un cruce de Alicia en el país de las maravillas y Stephen King.» Independent on Sunday «Una fantasía magnífica y siniestra; Gaiman muestra un gran conocimiento de los temores de los niños y de su capacidad para superarlos.» Kirkus Reviews «Un libro maravillosamente extraño y espeluznante [...]. Neil Gaiman es demasiado sutil para aludir a lo sobrenatural, es mucho más misterioso. Los peligros son reales y parte de la riqueza de esta historia se encuentra en el hecho de que ofrece muchos significados sin imponer ninguno [...].» Philip Pullman, The Guardian «Gaiman logra tejer una apasionante y adictiva narración, a caballo entre los mitos de los cuentos de hadas infantiles y el suspense propio de un filme de terror. [...] Tras su lectura no volveremos a mirar los botones de la misma manera y cada vez que tengamos que abrir una puerta nos lo pensaremos dos veces.» Sandra Pérez, ABC «Coraline es una digna heredera de las grandes heroínas de la literatura infantil, pero también lon es de las historias góticas de Poe, Lovecraft, etc. Gaiman sabe inventar ambientes y recrear la atmósfera necesaria para arañar e, incluso en ocasiones, hecer estremecerse al lector.» Pep Molist, Quadern, El País

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10. La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One

    The British Book Awards Audiobook of the Year 2018. Penguin presents the audio download edition of La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman, read by Michael Sheen. Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon, Asta, live with his parents at the Trout Inn near Oxford. Across the River Thames (which Malcolm navigates often using his beloved canoe, a boat by the name of La Belle Sauvage) is the Godstow Priory where the nuns live. Malcolm learns they have a guest with them; a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua . . . "As a reader and a fan, I was hugely excited on hearing that Phillip was returning to the story of Lyra and Dust and challenging the Authority. And, as an actor, it was a true privilege to be asked to record La Belle Sauvage, the first book of this new work." Michael Sheen 'The best piece of narration I've ever heard' - The Bookseller "Michael Sheen's narration of Philip Pullman's new novel is better than an army of voice actors his voice is impressive, from the crisp, definitive consonants of its higher registers to the rumbly bass notes Sheen summons when some menace enters the scene, to the vast, buttery expanse of his middle range." Slate

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