Health & Family Audiobooks

The Pants Project

"My name is Liv (Not Olivia)... I'm not technically a girl. "I'm transgender. Which is a bit like being a transformer. Only not quite as cool because I probably won't get to save the world one day." Liv knows he was always meant to be a boy, but with his new school's terrible dress code, he can't even wear pants. Only skirts. Operation Pants Project begins! The only way for Liv to get what he wants is to go after it himself. But to Liv, this isn't just a mission to change the policy; it's a mission to change his life. And that's a pretty big deal.

Cat Clarke (Author), Julia Whelan (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Single Stone

In an isolated society, one girl makes a discovery that will change everything—and learns that a single stone, once set in motion, can bring down a mountain.Jena—strong, respected, reliable—is the leader of the line, a job every girl in the village dreams of. Watched over by the Mothers as one of the chosen seven, Jena's years spent denying herself food and wrapping her limbs have paid off. She is small enough to squeeze through the tunnels of the mountain and gather the harvest, risking her life with each mission. No work is more important. This has always been the way of things, even if it isn’t easy. But as her suspicions mount and Jena begins to question the life she’s always known, the cracks in her world become impossible to ignore. Thought-provoking and quietly complex, Meg McKinlay’s novel unfolds into a harshly beautiful tale of belief, survival, and resilience stronger than stone.

Meg McKinlay (Author), Lauren Ezzo (Narrator)

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Bad News

In his first summer at Earth Ranch, Clay encountered a haunted library, a mysterious castaway boy, and a fire-breathing dragon--not to mention some pretty incredible magic. Now he faces his most dangerous foes yet: the mysterious white-gloved members of the Midnight Sun, and he must join forces with familiar faces from the Secret Series (including that series' main characters Max-Ernest and Cassie) in order to triumph over these villains once and for all. With action, adventure, magic, mystery, and even dragons, the final book in The Bad Books series delivers another unforgettable journey through the mind of bestselling author Pseudonymous Bosch.

Pseudonymous Bosch (Author), Aaron Landon (Narrator)

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Little Ree

Heed the call of the wild with this brand-new, action-packed animal fantasy series from the #1 nationally bestselling author of Warriors. Enter the Bravelands and discover the Erin Hunter series you've been waiting for. A lion cast out from his pride. An elephant who can read the bones of the dead. A baboon rebelling against his destiny. For generations, the animals of the African plains have followed a single rule: only kill to survive. But when an unthinkable act of betrayal shatters the peace, the fragile balance between predators and prey will rest in the paws of three unlikely heroes. Set in an epic new world and told from three different animals' points of view, Bravelands will thrill readers who love Spirit Animals and Wings of Fire, as well as the legion of dedicated fans who've made Erin Hunter a bestselling phenomenon.

Ree Drummond (Author), Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

Audiobook

King of the Bench: No Fear!

From the nationally syndicated cartoonist of “In the Bleachers” comes a new, highly illustrated middle grade series about Steve, who plays the same position in every sport: bench-warmer. Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Timmy Failure, King of the Bench is an ode to teammates, underdogs, and bench-warmers everywhere. Steve is King of the Bench. No brag. It’s just a fact. But this year, Steve and his friends are excited to try out for the Spiro T. Agnew Middle School baseball team. The only problem is, after watching another player get beaned by a fastball, Steve has developed a serious case of bean-o-phobia—the fear of getting hit by a pitch. If Steve ever wants to get off the bench and get in the game, he’s going to have to muster up some courage, and fast. Oh, and if you’re wondering why Steve would write a book and tell total strangers all about the humiliating phobia that almost ruined his first year on the baseball team? Duh. It’s pretty much a rule that you spill your guts when you write a book about yourself.

Steve Moore (Author), Maxwell Glick (Narrator)

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Fancy Nancy: JoJo and the Big Mess

Fancy Nancy’s little sister, JoJo, stars in her My First I Can Read debut! From bestselling author Jane O’Connor comes JoJo, Fancy Nancy’s little sister. JoJo adores making messes, but when her pillow fight gets too messy, Daddy is unhappy. After everything is cleaned up, JoJo thinks of the perfect gift for Daddy…it’s the best mess of all! Beginning readers will love joining JoJo in this My First I Can Read adventure—the perfect stepping stone to the Level 1 Fancy Nancy readers.

Jane O'Connor, Jane O'connor (Author), Courtney Shaw (Narrator)

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Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives, and Dreams Brought to Life

Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, Ashley Bryan offers a moving and powerful picture book that contrasts the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of life experiences and dreams that a slave owner could never take away. Imagine being looked up and down and being valued as less than chair. Less than an ox. Less than a dress. Maybe about the same as a lantern. You, an object. An object to sell. In his gentle yet deeply powerful way, Ashley Bryan goes to the heart of how a slave is given a monetary value by the slave owner, tempering this with the one thing that CAN'T be bought or sold--dreams. Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that lists the worth of each and every one of his workers, Bryan has created collages around that document, and others like it. Through fierce paintings and expansive poetry he imagines and interprets each person's life on the plantation, as well as the life their owner knew nothing about--their dreams and pride in knowing that they were worth far more than an Overseer or Madam ever would guess. Visually epic, and never before done, this stunning picture book is unlike anything you've seen.(from the print edition)

Ashley Bryan (Author), Jenny Sterlin, Kevin R. Free, Patricia R. Floyd (Narrator)

Audiobook

Love, Ish

A rich and moving story about how one girl's celestial-sized dreams for a future on Mars go heartbreakingly awry when an unexpected diagnosis threatens her future. Things Mischa "Ish" Love will miss when she goes to Mars: lying on the living room floor watching TV, ice cream, her parrot Buzz Aldrin. Things Ish Love will not miss when she goes to Mars: mosquitoes, heat waves, missing her former best friend Tig. Ish is convinced that she'll be one of the first settlers on Mars. She's applied to-and been rejected from-the Mars Now project forty-seven times, but the mission won't leave for ten years and Ish hasn't given up hope. She also hasn't given up hope that Tig will be her best friend again (not that she'd ever admit that to anyone, least of all herself). When Ish collapses on the first day of seventh grade, she gets a diagnosis that threatens all her future plans. As Ish fights cancer, she dreams in vivid detail about the Martian adventures she's always known she'd have-and makes unexpected discoveries about love, fate, and her place in the vast universe. In this story perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and The Thing About Jellyfish, Karen Rivers has once again created an unforgettable narrator who will pull readers into her orbit and keep them riveted until the very last page.

Karen Rivers (Author), Jill Frutkin (Narrator)

Audiobook

See You in the Cosmos

Winner of YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults 2018. Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng, read by Kivlighan de Montebello, Brittany Pressley, Graham Halstead, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Therese Plummer, Susan Bennett, Dan Bittner, Pete Larkin and Courtney Shaw. An astonishingly moving middle-grade debut about a space-obsessed boy's quest for family and home. All eleven-year old Alex wants is to launch his iPod into space. With a series of audio recordings, he will show other lifeforms out in the cosmos what life on Earth, his Earth, is really like. But for a boy with a long-dead dad, a troubled mum, and a mostly-not-around brother, Alex struggles with the big questions. Where do I come from? Who's out there? And, above all, How can I be brave? Determined to find the answers, Alex sets out on a remarkable road trip that will turn his whole world upside down . . . For fans of Wonder and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Jack Cheng's debut is full of joy, optimism, determination, and unbelievable heart. To read the first page is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To read the last is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time. A full cast, lead by Kivlighan de Montebello, brings this funny and sweet story to life. - YALSA Committee

Jack Cheng (Author), Brittany Pressley, Courtney Shaw, Dan Bittner, Graham Halstead, Jason Culp, Kivlighan De Montebello, Michael Croucher, Pete Larkin, Susan Bennett, Therese Plummer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Armstrong and Charlie

Charlie isn't looking forward to sixth grade. If he starts sixth grade, chances are he'll finish it. And when he does, he'll grow older than the brother he recently lost. Armstrong isn't looking forward to sixth grade, either. When his parents sign him up for Opportunity Busing to a white school in the Hollywood Hills, all he wants to know is "What time in the morning will my alarm clock have the opportunity to ring?" When these two land at the same desk, it's the Rules Boy next to the Rebel, a boy who lost a brother elbow-to-elbow with a boy who longs for one. From September to June, arms will wrestle, fists will fly, and bottles will spin. There'll be Ho Hos spiked with hot sauce, sleepovers, boy talk about girls, and a little guidance from the stars. Set in Los Angeles in the 1970s, Armstrong and Charlie is the hilarious, heartwarming tale of two boys from opposite worlds, Different, yet the same.

Steven B. Frank (Author), Christopher Gebauer, Karen Chilton, Ruffin Prentiss (Narrator)

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The Sea Lion

Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant brings the peaceful sounds, sights, and characters of the coast vividly to life in the seventh book of the Lighthouse Family series, in which the family cares for a baby sea lion. One morning, the lighthouse family wakes up to find a baby sea lion asleep in their kitchen! The baby, whose name is Topper, explains that his mother left him here and instructed him to wait for her return. Pandora the cat and Seabold the dog are happy to care for Topper, and mouse children Lila, Whistler, and Tiny are excited to make a new friend. Author bio: Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com.

Cynthia Rylant (Author), Mark Nelson (Narrator)

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Forever Geek

My name is Harriet Manners and I'll be a geek forever...The FINAL book in the bestselling, award-winning GEEK GIRL series is here!Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.Modelling isn't a sure-fire route to popularity. Neither is making endless lists.The people you love don't expect you to transform into someone else. Statistically you are more likely to not meet your Australian ex-boyfriend in Australia than bump into him there.So on the trip of a lifetime Down Under Harriet's to-do lists are gone and it's Nat's time to shine! Yet with nearly-not-quite-boyfriend Jasper back home, Harriet's completely unprepared to see supermodel ex Nick. Is the fashion world about to turn ugly for GEEK GIRL?It's time for Harriet to face the future. Time to work out where her heart lies. To learn how to let go...

Holly Smale (Author), Katy Sobey (Narrator)

Audiobook