General Audiobooks

The Tale of the Mandarin Duck: A Modern Fable

Inspired by the real-life rainbow-colored Mandarin Duck who appeared in New York's Central Park in 2018, this modern fable by Bette Midler celebrates the connections people make with each other and the world around them.    How do you get people to appreciate what is right in front of them? In The Tale of the Mandarin Duck, it takes a mysterious, beautiful duck and a clear-eyed kid to point out the obvious! This audiobook will have listeners of all ages coming back to visit the fantastical interpretation of New York City and its odd ducks-both feathered and human.    An afterword by Ms. Kakutani adds details to the facts behind this one-of-a-kind story of the Mandarin Duck.

Bette Midler (Author), Bette Midler (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ground Zero

September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. Out of nowhere, an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion. And Brandon is in the middle of it all. Can he survive -- and escape? September 11, 2020, Afghanistan: Reshmina has grown up in the shadow of war, but she dreams of peace and progress. When a battle erupts in her village, Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier named Taz. Should she help Taz -- and put herself and her family in mortal danger? Two kids. One devastating day. Nothing will ever be the same.

Alan Gratz (Author), Ariana Delawari, Bernardo De Paula (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Deepest Breath

Eleven-year-old Stevie is an avid reader and knows a lot of things about a lot of things. She knows how to send Morse code through her bedroom wall to her mom. She knows the names of the constellations. And she knows that an octopus has three hearts and nine brains. Knowing things makes her feel safe, powerful, and in control should anything bad happen. But there's one more thing Stevie doesn't know, one thing she wants to understand above everything else, and one thing she isn't quite ready to share with her mom: the fizzy feeling she gets in her chest when she looks at her friend Chloe. What does it mean, and why isn't she ready to talk about it? In this poetic exploration of identity and anxiety, Stevie must confront her fears to find inner freedom, all while discovering it is our connections with others that make us stronger.

Meg Grehan (Author), Heather O'Neill (Narrator)

Audiobook

Red, White, and Whole

A heartbreakingly hopeful #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia. Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart. Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick. Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life. From Indies Introduce author Rajani LaRocca comes a radiant story about the ties that bind and how to go on in the face of unthinkable loss. This is the perfect next read for fans of Jasmine Warga and Thanhhà Lại.

Rajani Larocca (Author), Priya Ayyar (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Tiger's Apprentice

Soon to be an animated movie! Don’t miss this middle grade fantasy adventure about a boy, a magical tiger, an outlaw dragon, and a mischievous monkey who carry the fate of the world on their shoulders. From two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Laurence Yep (Dragonwings, Dragon’s Gate), now with an all-new cover and introduction!  Tom Lee’s life changes forever the day he meets a talking tiger named Mr. Hu and discovers that he has magical powers and great responsibilities that he never imagined. Despite his doubts and fears, Tom joins Mr. Hu’s ragtag band of creatures in their fight to keep an ancient talisman out of the hands of the worst possible enemy. This action-packed fantasy from two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Laurence Yep reveals a hidden world within our own where animals take human form, where friendship is the final weapon in the battle between good and evil, and where a young boy is responsible for saving the world he knows . . . and the one he is just discovering. This updated edition includes an all-new introduction by Laurence Yep! 

Laurence Yep (Author), James Chen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Stick Dog Takes Out Sushi

Perfect for fans of Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the previous Stick Dog books, Tom Watson’s hilarious series continues, and Stick Dog is in the mood for takeout! When Stick Dog and his crew unknowingly discover chopsticks, their taste buds lead them to a lakeside sushi restaurant. They see the sushi. They smell the sushi. But how are they going to get the sushi? Several things stand in Stick Dog’s way. They include a squirrel eating a barbecue potato chip, a runaway canoe, and a little female human. Stick Dog must navigate around each of these obstacles if he’s ever going to get some sushi for his drooling friends. It’s another wacky food-snatching mission. If Stick Dog fails, Mutt, Karen, Stripes, and Poo-Poo will go to bed with empty stomachs. If he succeeds, it’s sushi for everyone! The bestselling Stick Dog series is perfect for fans of such series as The Last Kids on Earth, Dog Man, Big Nate, Timmy Failure, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. A favorite of readers ages 6 to 12, both avid and less so, Stick Dog is a winner for those looking for their next funny middle grade book series. Other favorites in the series include Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog, Stick Dog Chases a Pizza, and many more!

Tom Watson (Author), Andrew Eiden (Narrator)

Audiobook

Llama Llama Easter Egg

With short and simple rhyming text, the Llama Llama board books introduce Llama Llama to babies and toddlers before they're ready for longer full-length stories. And now they're available on audio, too! In Llama Llama Easter Egg, The Easter Bunny brings lots of treats for Llama Llama: jelly beans, colorful eggs, and a fluffy surprise!

Anna Dewdney (Author), Anna Dewdney (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Weirder-est School #7: Ms. Jo-Jo Is a Yo-Yo!

With more than 27 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading! In this seventh book in the My Weirder-est School series, A.J. and his friends learn some very weird ways to prepare for a difficult test. Test scores are low and stress levels are high at Ella Mentry School. Wellness expert Ms. Jo-Jo has come to help A.J. and his friends relax so they can ace the upcoming Fundamental Arithmetic/Reading Test. But can turtle yoga and crystal salt lamps really help A.J. and his friends relax and focus? Or will the F.A.R.T. end up blowing them all away? Perfect for reluctant readers and all kids hungry for funny school stories, Dan Gutman’s hugely popular My Weird School chapter book series has something for everyone. Don’t miss the hilarious adventures of A.J. and the gang!

Dan Gutman (Author), Maxwell Glick (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. Native families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from faraway, mysterious strangers, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog). They are the heroes of their own stories. Featuring stories and poems by: Joseph Bruchac Art Coulson Christine Day Eric Gansworth Carole Lindstrom Dawn Quigley Rebecca Roanhorse David A. Robertson Andrea L. Rogers Kim Rogers Cynthia Leitich Smith Monique Gray Smith Traci Sorell, Tim Tingle Erika T. Wurth Brian Young In partnership with We Need Diverse Books Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Cynthia Leitich Smith (Author), Delanna Studi, Kenny Ramos (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Hatmakers

Brought to you by Puffin. The first adventure in a spellbinding new magical world. 'Wildly inventive . . . full of laugh-out-loud humour, enchanting magic and rebellious hope. I loved it' Catherine Doyle Cordelia comes from a long line of magical milliners, who weave alchemy and enchantment into every hat. In Cordelia's world, Making - crafting items such as hats, cloaks, watches, boots and gloves from magical ingredients - is a rare and ancient skill, and only a few special Maker families remain. When Cordelia's father Prospero and his ship, the Jolly Bonnet, are lost at sea during a mission to collect hat ingredients, Cordelia is determined to find him. But Uncle Tiberius and Aunt Ariadne have no time to help the littlest Hatmaker, for an ancient rivalry between the Maker families is threatening to surface. Worse, someone seems to be using Maker magic to start a war. It's up to Cordelia to find out who, and why . . . 'An utterly charming adventure full of wildness, wit, magic and heart' Anna James © Tamzin Merchant 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Tamzin Merchant (Author), Tamzin Merchant (Narrator)

Audiobook

Middle School: Field Trip Fiasco: (Middle School 13)

Brought to you by Penguin. Rafe Khatchadorian is back in the latest adventure in the bestselling Middle School series Things have quietened down for lovable troublemaker Rafe Khatchadorian, and after all the mishaps and adventures he's been through, he's feeling a little restless. So when he's invited to attend an all-expenses paid art field trip in California, Rafe jumps at the opportunity. But things go sideways, as they always do for Rafe, when he arrives and realises his trip isn't the Hollywood vacation he thought it would be. Instead, he'll be participating in a 'Cultural Campout' in the desert. What follows is a series of unfortunate events that only Rafe could find himself in, including an encounter with a cranky crocodile, a claustrophobic trip into an ancient cave, and a set of cave ancient cave paintings that may or may not have been faked. To make matters worse, Rafe finds himself smack dab in the middle of a plot to smuggle a legendary missing diamond. Has he finally stumbled his way into an adventure he can't get himself out of? Previously published in Australia as Middle School: Going Bush © James Patterson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

James Patterson (Author), Michael Crouch (Narrator)

Audiobook

All of the Above

We know there's a lot of people out there who think our school is a dead end. And that all the kids inside it are dead ends, too. ... But they've got it all wrong. Just you wait and see! James, Rhondell, Sharice, and Marcel are four inner-city students on a quest to build the world's largest tetrahedron with their math teacher, Mr. Collins. If they succeed, maybe Rhondell will make new friends, Sharice's foster mother may start to care, James will discover something he's good at, and Marcel's dad will finally see that there is more to life than barbecue. Maybe they'll even end up in the Guinness Book of World Records! Weaving together the stories of the kids, their teacher, and the community that surrounds them, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly engaging story about math, life, and the importance of friendship.

Shelley Pearsall (Author), Channie Waites, Chris Henry Coffey, Corey Allen, Karen Chilton, Kevin R. Free, Landon Woodson, Lynette R. Freeman (Narrator)

Audiobook