Health & Family Audiobooks

The Thing About Luck

The winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata. Kouun is "good luck" in Japanese, and one year my family had none of it. Just when Summer thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan. Right before harvest season. But the mortgage has to be paid, so Summer's grandparents are going on harvest instead, and taking Summer, her little brother Jaz, and their dog Thunder with them. Obaachan and Jiichan are well, they're old fashioned, and demanding. Between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her back pain worsens, and worrying about her little brother, who can't seem to make any friends, Summer has her hands full. Then one of the boys Summer has known forever starts paying extra attention to her. But what begins as a welcome distraction from the hard work soon turns into a mess of its own and Summer winds up, once again, disappointing Obaachan. But surelytheir badluck isup, surely? Well that's the thing--bad luck can alwaysget worse. And when that happens, Summer has to figure out how to change it, herself, even if it means further displeasing Obaachan. Because it might be the only way to save her family's job.

Cynthia Kadohata (Author), Joy Osmanski (Narrator)

Audiobook

Half a World Away

From National Book Award and Newbery Medal winning author Cynthia Kadohata, 11 year old Jaden's adoptive parents are traveling to Kazakhstan to adopt a new baby. All Jaden sees is him being replaced. To him, he has only ever been an epic fail to his parents with his stealing, hoarding, fire lighting, aggressive running, and obsession with electricity. He knows his parents love him, but he feels...nothing. Not a thing when it comes to them. But when they get to the Baby House, they find that the infant they've agreed to adopt has already been adopted, and literally within minutes are faced with having to choose from six other babies. While his parents agonize, Jaden couldn't be less interested. More interesting are the toddlers. One, a little guy named Dimash, who, despite being three years old, can only utter a word or two, spies Jaden, and begins to barrel over to him every time he sees him. Jaden finds himself increasingly intrigued by and worried about Dimash. Dimash will soon age out of the orphanage, and then his life will be as hopeless as Jaden feels now. For the first time in his life, Jaden actually feels something that isn't pure blinding fury, and there's no way to control it, or its power.... From camels rooting through garbage like raccoons, to eagles being trained like hunting dogs, to streets that are more pothole than pavement, the detailing is finely wrought and authentic. Cynthia Kadohata once again finds that one small story that speaks volumes, and introduces us to a world sealed to most of us, a world we'll find ourselves returning to again and again in our minds, wondering, what if, what if?

Cynthia Kadohata (Author), Kirby Heyborne (Narrator)

Audiobook

How It Went Down

When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth. Tariq's friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.

Kekla Magoon (Author), Various Narrators (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Parent Agency

A brilliantly funny, gripping novel – and The bestselling hardback children’s debut of 2014 – from a born storyteller, The Parent Agency is an epic wish-fulfilment adventure for every child – and for the child in everyone. Barry said, a third time, “I wish I had better parents!” And then suddenly the entire room started to shake… Barry Bennett hates being called Barry. In fact it’s number 2 on the list of things he blames his parents for, along with 1) ‘being boring’ and 3) ‘always being tired’. But there is a world, not far from this one, where parents don’t have children. That’s far too random for something so big and important. In this world, children are allowed to choose their parents. For Barry Bennett, this world seems like a dream come true. Only things turn out to be not quite that simple…

David Baddiel (Author), David Baddiel (Narrator)

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Breaking Butterflies

The closest he will ever come to happiness is when he's hurting her. Will she let him? A beautiful and twisted story of first love and innocence lost -- written when the author was just eighteen. Sphinxie and Cadence. Promised to each other in childhood. Drawn together again as teens. Sphinxie is sweet, compassionate, and plain. Cadence is brilliant, charismatic. Damaged. And diseased. When they were kids, he scarred her with a knife. Now, as his illness progresses, he becomes increasingly demanding. She wants to be loyal -- but fears for her life. Only the ultimate sacrifice will give this love an ending.

M. Anjelais (Author), Laura Knight Keating (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Friend the Enemy

Peter feels compelled to help a wounded German pilot, but he doesn't want to be a traitor--especially not to his father, who is off fighting the Nazis. A moving story about the moral dilemmas of war. Summer 1941: For Peter, the war is a long way away, being fought by his father and thousands of other British soldiers against the faceless threat of Nazism. But war comes frighteningly close to home one night when a German jet is shot down over the neighboring woods. With his feisty new friend Kim, Peter rushes to the crash site to see if there's anything he can salvage. What he finds instead is a German airman. The enemy. Seriously wounded and in need of aid... Continuing in the tradition of thought-provoking literature about the Second World War, Dan Smith's MY FRIEND THE ENEMY is a thrilling adventure that also personalizes the moral dilemmas faced by the children left behind on the home front.

Dan Smith (Author), Leon Williams (Narrator)

Audiobook

Anybody Shining

Can one mistake destroy the chance of a lifetime? A girl discovers there are many ways of being true in this magnificent ode to handwritten letters and the shining power of friendship from the author of "Dovey Coe," set in the Appalachian mountains of 1920s North Carolina. One true friend. Someone shining. That's all twelve-year-old Arie Mae wants. But shining true friends are hard to come by deep in the mountains of western North Carolina, so she sets her sights on a cousin unseen, someone who lives all the way away in the big city of Baltimore, Maryland. Three unanswered letters later, Arie Mae learns that a group of kids from Baltimore are coming to spend a summer on the mountain. Arie Mae loves her smudge of a town--she knows there's nothing finer than Pa's fiddling and Mama's apple cake, but she also knows Big City folk might feel differently. How else to explain the song catcher ladies who have descended upon the village in search of "traditional tunes" and their intention to help "save" the townspeople? But when the group from Baltimore arrives, it seems there just might be a gem among them, one shining boy who doesn't seem to notice Arie Mae wears the same dress every day and prefers to go barefoot. So what if he has a bit of a limp and a rumored heart problem--he also is keen about "everything "Arie Mae is keen about, and has all the makings of a true friend. And so what if the boy's mother warns him not to exert himself? He and Arie Mae have adventures to go on! In between writing letters to her cousin, Arie Mae leads her one shining friend on ghost hunts and bear chases. But it turns out those warnings were for a reason...

Frances O'Roark Dowell (Author), Suzy Jackson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Arcady's Goal

In Arcady's Goal, by Newbery Honor author Eugene Yelchin, for twelve-year-old Arcady, soccer is life. Sent to live in a children's home after his parents are declared enemies of the state, he plays to win his dinner, and to maintain his sanity. When a visiting inspector decides to adopt him, Arcady questions his motivations. Who could want an enemy of the people as a son? In his new life, Arcady will come to discover the power of believing in and loving another person and himself.

Eugene Yelchin (Author), Ari Fliakos (Narrator)

Audiobook

Day 21

It's been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They're the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries...or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself. In this pulse-pounding sequel to The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can -- together.

Kass Morgan (Author), Justin Torres, Phoebe Strole (Narrator)

Audiobook

Space Case

Like his fellow lunarnauts--otherwise known as Moonies--living on Moon Base Alpha, twelve-year-old Dashiell Gibson is famous the world over for being one of the first humans to live on the moon. What no one back on earth knows, though, is that life on the moon is nowhere near as exciting as it sounds. Kids aren't allowed on the lunar surface, meaning they're trapped inside the tiny moon base with next to nothing to occupy their time--and the only other kid Dash's age spends all his time hooked into virtual reality games. But when Dr. Ronald Holtz turns up dead--he went onto the lunar surface without his helmet properly affixed--Dash senses there's foul play afoot. The problem is, no one believes him. But when Dash finds out Dr. Holtz was on to an important new discovery, he wonders who might not want his secret to get out.

Stuart Gibbs (Author), Gibson Frazier (Narrator)

Audiobook

Blood of My Blood

Jazz Dent has been shot and left to die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is the true monster? The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.

Barry Lyga (Author), Charlie Thurston (Narrator)

Audiobook

Fantasy League

From the #1 bestselling author of Heat, Travel Team, and Million-Dollar Throw comes a story of every football kid's dream come true.   Twelve-year-old Charlie is a fantasy football guru. He may be just a benchwarmer for his school's football team, but when it comes to knowing and loving the game, he's first-string. He even becomes a celebrity when his podcast gets noticed by a sports radio host, who plays Charlie's fantasy picks for all of Los Angeles to hear. Soon Charlie befriends the elderly owner of the L.A. Bulldogs-a fictional NFL team-and convinces him to take a chance on an aging quarterback. After that, watch out . . . it's press conferences and national fame as Charlie becomes a media curiosity and a source of conflict for the Bulldogs' general manager, whose job Charlie seems to have taken. It's all a bit much for a kid just trying to stay on top of his grades and maintain his friendship with his verbal sparring partner, Anna.   Like the best Disney film in book form, like Moneyball for kids, Fantasy League is every football kid's dream scenario.   Praise for Fantasy League:   "This Moneyball story with kids is on the money."-Booklist, starred review   "The feel good book of the year."-VOYA   "Readers will be alternately cheering and reaching for a tissue during the final playoff-deciding game for the Bulldogs. This will be devoured by young football fans."-School Library Journal

Mike Lupica (Author), MacLeod Andrews (Narrator)

Audiobook