Health & Family Audiobooks

Vive La Paris

Paris has just come for piano lessons, not chopped-liver sandwiches or French lessons or free advice. But when old Mrs. Rosen gives her a little bit more than she can handle, it might be just what Paris needs in order to understand the bully in her brother’s life . . . and the bullies of the world. This companion novel to the award-winning Sahara Special is an affecting look at what it means to be your brother’s keeper, and at how we hold on to hope when the world is more than we can handle. (Rose-colored glasses optional.)

Esme Raji Codell (Author), Tichina Arnold (Narrator)

Audiobook

Lucky Broken Girl

“A book for anyone mending from childhood wounds.”—Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street In this unforgettable multicultural coming-of-age narrative—based on the author’s childhood in the 1960s—a young Cuban-Jewish immigrant girl is adjusting to her new life in New York City when her American dream is suddenly derailed. Ruthie’s plight will intrigue readers, and her powerful story of strength and resilience, full of color, light, and poignancy, will stay with them for a long time. Ruthie Mizrahi and her family recently emigrated from Castro’s Cuba to New York City. Just when she’s finally beginning to gain confidence in her mastery of English—and enjoying her reign as her neighborhood’s hopscotch queen—a horrific car accident leaves her in a body cast and confined her to her bed for a long recovery. As Ruthie’s world shrinks because of her inability to move, her powers of observation and her heart grow larger and she comes to understand how fragile life is, how vulnerable we all are as human beings, and how friends, neighbors, and the power of the arts can sweeten even the worst of times.

Ruth Behar (Author), Ruth Behar (Narrator)

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How to Be a Supervillain

Victor Spoil comes from a long line of famous supervillains and he's fully expected to join their ranks one day. But to his family's utter disappointment, Victor doesn't have a single bad-guy bone in his body. He won't run with scissors, he always finishes his peas, and he can't stand to be messy. Hopeless! As a last-ditch effort before they give up and let him be a--gasp!--civilian, Victor's exasperated parents send him to apprentice under a disgraced supervillain called The Smear. This matchup starts off as a complete disaster, but Victor and The Smear eventually find that they have a lot to learn from each other. When the stakes get high as Victor is forced to choose between his mentor and his family morals (or lack thereof)...what will the world's nicest bad guy do? In this rollicking middle-grade adventure, Michael Fry's witty text and hysterical artwork combines superhero action with classic fish-out-of-water humor. **Contact Customer Service for Additional Material**

Michael Fry (Author), Noah Smith (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sweetheart of Prosper County

Drawing on her roots and a rich tradition of Southern literature, Jill Alexander presents her debut novel, The Sweetheart of Prosper County. Austin Gray is almost 15 and she's tired of not being noticed. So she hatches a plan to become Prosper County's Sweetheart in order to ride through town during the annual parade waving and smiling to everyone. To make her dream come true, however, she'll have to join the Future Farmers of America. But what's a little hunting and fishing (and livestock raising) to a determined teenager?

Jill S. Alexander (Author), Suzy Jackson (Narrator)

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Bang

When Sebastian was just four years old, he picked up a gun his father left unattended, and shot and killed his infant sister. With no recollection of the tragic event, the ramifications and guilt still have a profound effect on his daily life. Neither Sebastian nor his parents have been able to fully put their lives back together, and their divorce is yet another after effect from that day, long ago. Now fourteen, Sebastian has no hope for the future, and begins to secretly plan his suicide. That is, until he meets his new neighbor, Aneesa. As their friendship grows, so does Sebastian's reasons for living. With new plans, new hopes, and the ability to let go of the past, Sebastian realizes that maybe he can be happy for once in his life.

Barry Lyga (Author), Charlie Thurston (Narrator)

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Curiosity House: The Fearsome Firebird

New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart. Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. 'A place,' he said, 'where learning is a game.' Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym 'Truly, Devious.' It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history. True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder. The two interwoven mysteries of this first book in the Truly Devious series dovetail brilliantly, and Stevie Bell will continue her relentless quest for the murderers in books two and three.

H. C. Chester, Lauren Oliver (Author), Greg Steinbruner (Narrator)

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Apartment 1986

Bestselling middle grade author Lisa Papademetriou is back with a playful, poignant story that will resonate with anyone who’s ever had to learn that love means accepting people—even yourself—for who they really are. Callie never meant to let it go this far. Sure, she may have accidentally-on-purpose skipped a day at her fancy New York City prep school, but she never thought she’d skip the day after that! And the one after that . . . and . . . uh . . . the one after that. But when everything in your real life is going wrong (fighting parents! bullied little brother! girls at school who just. don’t. get. it!) skipping school starts to look like a valid mental-health strategy. And when Callie runs into Cassius, a mysterious and prickly “unschooled” kid doing research at museums all across the city, it seems only natural for her to join him. Because museums are educational, which means they’re as good as going to class. Right? Besides, school can wait. What can’t wait is the mystery of why her grandmother seems to wish she could travel back in time to 1986, or what she wants so much to relive there. As Cassius helps Callie see the world in a whole new light, she realizes that the people she loves are far from perfect—and that some family secrets shouldn’t be secret at all.

Lisa Papademetriou (Author), Tara Sands (Narrator)

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The Explorers: The Door in the Alley

Featuring a mysterious society, a secretive past, and a pig in a teeny hat, The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in a new series for fans of The Name of This Book Is a Secret and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Knock once if you can find it but only members are allowed inside. This is one of those stories that start with a pig in a teeny hat. It 's not the one you 're thinking about. (This story is way better than that one.) This pig-in-a-teeny-hat story starts when a very uninquisitive boy stumbles upon a very mysterious society. After that, there is danger and adventure; there are missing persons, hired thugs, a hidden box, a lost map, and famous explorers; and there is a girl looking for help that only uninquisitive boys can offer. The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in a series that is sure to hit young readers right in the funny bone. 'In this wildly funny adventure,...animals in teeny hats, Wonderland-style logic, and loads of wordplay and sarcasm will keep readers giggling all the way through.'-Kirkus Reviews 'Exhilarating....Fans of a Series of Unfortunate Events will be drawn to this.' Booklist 'A rollicking read, full of derring-do and old-fashioned villainy.' SLJ 'Funny, offbeat, and subversive...occasional footnotes and other humorous asides from the omniscient narrator break the fourth wall and ramp up the playfulness.' The Horn Book 'Narrated with a smart, brisk tone and plenty of snark...The Door in the Alley packs plenty of twists, turns and danger.' Shelf Awareness 'The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is a rollicking and clever adventure! Chock full of brilliant plot twists, pitch-perfect humor, and non-stop action. Kress has kicked off this series with a bang!' Arthur Slade, author of The Hunchback Assignments

Adrienne Kress (Author), Kristen Sieh (Narrator)

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This Would Make a Good Story Someday

From the author of The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher comes an epic cross-country train trip for fans of Dan Santat’s Are We There Yet? and Geoff Rodkey’s The Tapper Twins. Pack your suitcase and climb on board with the Johnston-Fischer family. Sara Johnston-Fischer loves her family, of course. But that doesn’t mean she’s thrilled when her summer plans are upended for a surprise cross-country train trip with her two moms, Mimi and Carol; her younger sister, Ladybug; her older sister, Laurel; and Laurel’s poncho-wearing activist boyfriend, Root. And to make matters worse, one of her moms is writing a tell-all book about the trip . . . and that means allllll, every ridiculous and embarrassing moment of Sara’s life. Sara finds herself crisscrossing the country with a gaggle of wild Texans. As they travel from New Orleans to Chicago to the Grand Canyon and beyond, Sara finds herself changing along with the landscape outside the train windows. And she realizes that she just might go home reinvented.

Dana Alison Levy (Author), Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

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Antisocial

What if your greatest secrets became public? For the students at Alexandria Prep, a series of hacks leads to a scandalous firestorm—and the students are left wondering whose private photos and messages will be exposed next. It’s Pretty Little Liars meets WikiLeaks. Senior spring at Alexandria Prep was supposed to be for sleeping through class and partying with friends. But for Anna Soler, it’s going to be a lonely road. She's just been dumped by her gorgeous basketball star boyfriend—with no explanation. Anna's closest friends, the real ones she abandoned while dating him, are ignoring her. The endearing boy she’s always had a complicated friendship with is almost too sympathetic. But suddenly Anna isn’t the only one whose life has been upended. Someone is determined to knock the kings and queens of the school off their thrones: one by one, their phones get hacked and their personal messages and photos are leaked. At first it's funny—people love watching the dirty private lives of those they envy become all too public. Then the hacks escalate. Dark secrets are exposed, and lives are shattered. Chaos erupts at school. As Anna tries to save those she cares about most and to protect her own secrets, she begins to understand the reality of our always-connected lives: Sometimes we share too much.

Jillian Blake (Author), Tara Sands (Narrator)

Audiobook

Shug

First-time novelist Jenny Han has penned a realistic story that all middle-graders will surely be able to relate to. Meet 12-year-old Annemarie "Shug" Wilcox. What's not to like about her? She's smart, she's tall, and she has lots of freckles. She lives in a small Georgia town with her popular, gorgeous older sister and intellectual mother. Shug is excited about starting the seventh-grade, but she's not prepared for all the vicious teasing that comes with the new school year.

Jenny Han (Author), Elizabeth Morton (Narrator)

Audiobook

Secret, Silent Screams

The coroner has ruled Barry Logan's death as the latest in a string of teen-age suicides. Marti Lewis was Barry's best friend, and she knows that he was murdered. She just can't get anyone to believe her. The evidence is clear to Marti. Barry was excited about being accepted at Texas A&M and had everything to live for. Why would he shoot himself in the head after watching a music video that disgusted him? The police found the gun in his right hand, but he was left-handed. Everyone is refusing to accept the obvious. Now Marti is being followed. The murderer is free to strike again, and she could be the next on his list. This popular four-time Edgar Award-winning author is famous for plots that build inexorably to hair-raising conclusions. Narrator Alexandra O'Karma does an excellent job capturing the struggle of a young heroine whose loyalty and integrity drive her to search for the truth.

Joan Lowery Nixon (Author), Alexandra O'Karma (Narrator)

Audiobook