Health & Family Audiobooks

Here Today

"In 1963, Ellie's mother, Doris Day Dingman, was crowned the Bosetti Beauty at Mr. Bosetti's supermarket, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the Dingmans began to fall apart." So begins 11-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt Dingman's story. Ellie is the oldest child in her off-center family. Her father works construction jobs, while her mother, Doris, has only one dream-to become a rich and famous actress. But when that dream leads to Doris's abandonment of the family, it is Ellie who is called upon to take charge.

Ann M. Martin, M. Martin Ann (Author), Judy Kaye (Narrator)

Audiobook

Count Karlstein

Can you hear the distant howling of hounds and the thunder of ghostly hooves? It's All Souls' Eve and Zamiel the Demon Huntsman has come to claim his prey! He's headed straight for Castle Karlstein, where the evil count has hatched an evil plan; he'll sacrifice his two young nieces to save himself. Can Lucy and Charlotte outwit their uncle and his oily henchmen to escape their dreadful fate? From the award-winning author of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife comes a spooky, funny thriller just right for those middle-grade readers looking for horror--and humor.

Philip Pullman (Author), Jo Thurley (Narrator)

Audiobook

Saffy's Angel

Saffron's two sisters, Cadmium and Rose, and her brother Indigo were all named from a color chart by their mother Eve, a fine-arts painter. When Saffron, known as Saffy, discovers that her name is not on the chart, it soon leads to another discovery. She has been adopted. Life in the Banana House, as their home is called, is never dull. Caddy, the eldest, is taking driving lessons from an instructor who happens to be a very attractive young man. Indigo dreams up ways, sometimes quite dangerous, to conquer fear. Rose, the youngest, has learned how to get her own way without upsetting the other. As for Saffy, all she remembers from when she was very small is a stone angel in a garden in Italy. With the help of a newfound friend, Saffy sets out on an adventurous and sometimes hilarious search for her angel.

Hilary McKay (Author), Julia Sawalha (Narrator)

Audiobook

On the Blue Comet

Oscar Ogilvie is living with his dad in a house at the end of Lucifer Street, in Cairo, Illinois, when world events change his life forever. The great stock market crash has rippled across the country, and the bank takes over their home - along with all their cherished model trains. Oscar's dad is forced to head west in search of work, and Oscar must move in with his no-nonsense aunt Carmen. Only a mysterious drifter who stops by each day for food after school helps alleviate Oscar's loneliness - until Oscar witnesses a crime so stunning that it catapults him into a miraculous, time-hopping train journey. Filled with suspense and peppered with witty encounters with Hollywood stars and other bigwigs of history, this captivating novel by Rosemary Wells resonates with imagination, humor, and the magic of a timeless adventure story.

Rosemary Wells (Author), Malcolm Hillgartner (Narrator)

Audiobook

Philippa Fisher and the Dream-Maker's Daughter

Philippa Fisher is feeling lonely. She misses her fairy godsister, Daisy. But while on vacation with her parents, she befriends a local girl named Robyn. Though she's excited to have a friend again, Philippa can't help but feel that there's something strange about Robyn and her father. Meanwhile, Daisy, who is hard at work on a new mission, misses Philippa as well, so she decides to break the rules to visit her friend. Though the girls are happy to be reunited, things soon begin to go horribly wrong with Daisy's assignment. And when all three of the girls find themselves in danger, Philippa must work quickly to save herself and her friends. Fairies, magic, and friendships old and new are all woven together in this intriguing adventure from Liz Kessler.

Liz Kessler (Author), Julia Whelan, Kate Reinders (Narrator)

Audiobook

Summerkin

Down through the Way she fell, feeling the wind and the pressing darkness, the dizzy thump when she landed on the bank. She was through. The air felt softer here, the shadows deeper-and the pull of her connection to the land settled into her bones. In the Summerlands, time moves slowly, roots grow deeply, and change is not welcomed. But change is needed. After defeating the wicked Mor and freeing her kin from deadly oaths made to this false ruler, Fer is now the rightful Lady of the land. Yet her people don't know what to make of their new Lady's strange ways, and neither do the High Ones, the rulers of the magical realm, for Fer is an outsider-half human. To prove herself worthy of the Summerlands crown, Fer is summoned to compete in an epic contest where her strengths and skills will be tested and her loyalties challenged. Can she trust Rook, the puck she calls friend? Can she trust herself? If Fer fails, she will lose her land and the Way will be closed to her forever. With stunning prose, Sarah Prineas weaves an enchanting adventure in which Fer must decide if she's ready to rule and just how far she'll go to protect her kin.

Sarah Prineas (Author), Erin Moon (Narrator)

Audiobook

Twerp

"A vivid, absorbing story about one boy's misadventure, heartache, and hope for himself." --Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me It's not like I meant for Danley to get hurt. . . . Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear. Inspired by Mark Goldblatt's own childhood growing up in 1960s Queens, Twerp shines with humor and heart. This remarkably powerful story will have readers laughing and crying right along with these flawed but unforgettable characters.

Mark Goldblatt (Author), Everette Plen (Narrator)

Audiobook

District Doubleheader: Little League Series, #2

Little League Baseball® players Liam and Carter are still adjusting to changes since Liam's family moved across the country to California. Liam is faced with having to prove himself all over again to his new teammates. Carter, on the other hand, is having his best season ever. His pitches are unstoppable and it looks like his team might just sweep the competition. That is, until a new pitcher hits the scene. © 2013 Little League Baseball, Incorporated.

Matt Christopher (Author), Nick Sullivan (Narrator)

Audiobook

Fallout

It’s the summer of 1962, and Scott and his friends spend their days playing baseball and thinking about girls. But the threat of nuclear war looms over everything they do, and they are haunted by the idea that they could all be dead tomorrow. Even though the possibility of war is all anyone talks about, Scott’s dad is the only one in the neighborhood who actually prepares for the worst, building a bomb shelter to protect his family and stocking it with enough supplies to keep them alive for two critical weeks. The neighbors scoff, but then, in the middle of the night in late October, the unthinkable happens. Suddenly ten people are crammed into a shelter built for four. Ten people eating the food meant for four, breathing the air meant for four. Ten people struggling to survive — but what will await them when they eventually emerge? Internationally bestselling author Todd Strasser has written his most impressive and personal novel to date, painstakingly yet sensitively exploring the terrifying what-ifs of one of the most explosive moments in history.

Todd Strasser (Author), Jeff Cummings (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things, Mister Max 1

Newbery medalist Cynthia Voigt presents a rollicking mystery in three acts! Max's parents are missing. They are actors, and thus unpredictable, but sailing away, leaving Max with only a cryptic note, is unusual even for them. Did they intend to leave him behind? Have they been kidnapped? Until he can figure it out, Max feels it's safer to keep a low profile. Hiding out is no problem for a child of the theater. Max has played many roles, he can be whoever he needs to be to blend in. But finding a job is tricky, no matter what costume he dons. Ironically, it turns out Max has a talent for finding things. He finds a runaway child, a stray dog, a missing heirloom, a lost love. . . . So is he a finder? A detective? No, it's more. Max finds a way to solve people's problems he engineers better outcomes for them. He becomes Mister Max, Solutioneer. Now if only he could find a solution to his own problems . . . From the Hardcover edition.

Cynthia Voigt (Author), Paul Boehmer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ghost Hawk

On the winter day Little Hawk is sent into the woods alone, he can take only a bow and arrows, the tomahawk his father crafted, and the amazing metal knife that his father traded for with the new white settlers. If Little Hawk survives three moons by himself, he will be a man. But his triumphant return is crushed by the death of his entire village by disease. The rest of his life is shaped by interactions between his people and the new settlers. John Wakely is ten when his father dies, but he has already experienced the warmth and friendship of the native tribes. He is a minority in the settlements, though. When he is apprenticed to a barrel-maker, John sees how quickly the relationships between settlers and natives are deteriorating. Through his lifelong friendship with Little Hawk, John develops his beliefs in tolerance and acceptance. The intertwining stories of Little Hawk and John Wakely are a fascinating tale of friendship illuminating the history of our nation.

Susan Cooper (Author), Jim Dale (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Real Boy

On an island on the edge of an immense sea there is a city, a forest, and a boy. The city is called Asteri, a perfect city saved by the magic woven into its walls when a devastating plague swept through the world years before. The forest is called the Barrow, a vast wood of ancient trees that encircles the city and feeds the earth with magic. And the boy is called Oscar, a shop boy for the most powerful magician in the Barrow, who spends his days in the dark cellar of his master's shop grinding herbs and dreaming of the wizards who once lived on the island. Oscar's world is small, but he likes it that way. The real world is vast, strange, and unpredictable. And Oscar does not quite fit in it. But it's been a long time since anyone who could call himself a wizard walked the world, and now that world is changing. Children in the city are falling ill; something sinister lurks in the forest. Oscar has long been content to stay in his small room, comforted in the knowledge that the magic that flows from the trees will keep his island safe. Now, even magic may not be enough to save it. Anne Ursu has written an unforgettable story of transformation and belonging,a spellbinding tale of the way in which the power we all wield, great and small, lies in the choices we make. Anne Ursu is the author of Breadcrumbs, which Kirkus Reviews called a "transforming testament to the power of friendship" in a starred review, and was acclaimed as one of the best books of 2011 by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Amazon.com, and the Chicago Public Library. It was also on the IndieBound Next List and was an NPR Backseat Book Club featured selection. She was also the recipient of the 2013 McKnight Fellowship Award in Children's Literature. Anne teaches at Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Minneapolis with her son and three cats,monster fighters, all.

Anne Ursu, Erin McGuire (Author), Chris Sorensen (Narrator)

Audiobook