Historical Audiobooks

The Shadow War

"Inglourious Basterds meets Stranger Things in this dark and thrilling tale of power, shadow, and revenge set during World War II. World War II is raging, and five teens are looking to make a mark. Daniel and Rebeka seek revenge against the Nazis who slaughtered their family; Simone is determined to fight back against the oppressors who ruined her life and corrupted her girlfriend; Phillip aims to prove that he's better than his worst mistakes; and Liam is searching for a way to control the portal to the shadow world he's uncovered, and the monsters that live within it--before the Nazi regime can do the same. When the five meet, and begrudgingly team up, in the forests of Germany, none of them knows what their future might hold. As they race against time, war, and enemies from both this world and another, Liam, Daniel, Rebeka, Phillip, and Simone know that all they can count on is their own determination and will to survive. With their world turned upside down, and the shadow realm looming ominously large--and threateningly close--the course of history and the very fate of humanity rest in their hands. Still, the most important question remains: Will they be able to save it? Praise for The Shadow War: 'Nonstop action, consistent worldbuilding, and a large cast of sympathetic characters, all of them marginalized in some way, create an engaging story.' --Kirkus Reviews 'An action-packed historical novel with a science fiction twist, Smith has crafted a novel where Stranger Things meets Nazi hunting. A solid purchase for YA shelves and any reader who wants to fight Nazis.' --School Library Journal"

Lindsay Smith (Author), Cary Hite (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Dead Years: Holocaust Memoirs

"A Jewish teenager. Four concentration camps. His family and home lost forever. This is his unforgettable story of survival.When the Nazis entered Poland in September 1939, Joseph lost his entire family and his Hevra. They were murdered because they were Jewish. At the young age of seventeen he had to learn how to survive, all on his own. There was no escape possible. Joseph was transported to the worst places conceivable, first Majdanek, then Auschwitz, Dora and Bergen-Belsen. In these camps he experienced desperation, illness, starvation and unimaginable brutality. Yet, Joseph survived - against all odds. Was it cunningness, determination or just luck? Upon his return to Poland to reclaim possessions, he encountered the same fierce antisemitism. Mentally scarred, Joseph confronted his traumatic wartime memories in the form of this testimony, thereby fulfilling an obligation to the six million who lost their lives. The Dead Years is a deeply personal, poignant and devasting read.Schupack accounts in exceptional detail the harrowing events of WW2. It’s an important memoir from a young man’s experience of a history that should never be forgotten."

Joseph Schupack (Author), Mark Shupac (Narrator)

Audiobook

Yesterday's Dead

"It is the end of the First World War, and thirteen-year-old Meredith yearns to become a teacher. But she must leave school to help support her family, moving to the city to work as a maid in a wealthy doctor's home. As the deadly Spanish Flu sweeps across the city, members of the household fall ill one by one. With the doctor working night and day at the hospital, only Meredith and the doctor's children, Maggie and Jack, are left to care for them. Every day the newspapers' lists of "Yesterday's Dead" add to Meredith's growing fears. When Jack becomes gravely ill, Meredith must stop fighting with Maggie so they can work together to save him. As Meredith wrestles with questions of duty and responsibility, she opens the door to a future that she thought had been closed forever."

Pat Bourke (Author), Michelle Ferguson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Awakening of Malcolm X: A Novel

"This program includes a bonus interview with the author. The Awakening of Malcolm X is a powerful narrative account of the activist's adolescent years in jail, written by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz along with 2019 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe award-winning author, Tiffany D. Jackson. No one can be at peace until he has his freedom. In Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little struggles with the weight of his past. Plagued by nightmares, Malcolm drifts through days, unsure of his future. Slowly, he befriends other prisoners and writes to his family. He reads all the books in the prison library, joins the debate team and the Nation of Islam. Malcolm grapples with race, politics, religion, and justice in the 1940s. And as his time in jail comes to an end, he begins to awaken -- emerging from prison more than just Malcolm Little: Now, he is Malcolm X. Here is an intimate look at Malcolm X's young adult years. While this audiobook chronologically follows X: A Novel, it can be listened to as a stand-alone historical novel that invites larger discussions on black power, prison reform, and civil rights. A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux 'In this fictionalized biography of Malcom X's young adult life, written by his daughter, narrator Landon Woodson brings deep emotion to a man whose youth was fraught with injustice. Woodson transitions smoothly between Malcom's childhood/teens and his early 20s, evoking both the desperation and hope of a young Black man who could no longer stand for the unjust treatment of his people.' -- AudioFile Magazine"

Ilyasah Shabazz, Tiffany D. Jackson (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Court of Swans

"Where there is wealth and power, there's always someone willing to do anything to take it. When Delia's father dies, her stepmother accuses her seven brothers of treasonous crimes. Seeking to free them from Richard II's grasp, Delia's only ally is Sir Geoffrey, the man who arrested them. Can she trust him? England, 1381: Delia's idyllic life as daughter of an earl is shattered when her father dies and his wife accuses Delia's seven brothers of treason and murder. The youngest is only ten years old, but this doesn't stop the guards from hauling them off to the Tower of London. There they await a grim fate, as child-king Richard II is executing anyone who poses a threat to his throne. Delia is their only hope for pardon and freedom. Sir Geoffrey did not expect his first assignment as captain of the guard to be the arrest of boys so young. He dutifully imprisons the brothers, but he can't ignore the feeling, rooted in personal experience, that injustice and treachery are at work. Determined to rescue her brothers, Delia secures a position as a seamstress for the queen. Her quest is all but impossible as the executions continue. Sir Geoffrey offers to be her ally, but should she trust him in a court where everyone has an agenda? From New York Times bestselling author Melanie Dickerson comes a tender retelling of "The Wild Swans," where the virtues of loyalty and love face a harrowing showdown with power and fear. - The first installment in a brand-new series set in England: The Dericott Tales - Book 1: Court of Swans - Book 2: Castle of Refuge - Book 3: Veil of Winter - Full-length clean fairy-tale reimagining"

Melanie Dickerson (Author), Jude Mason (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mapping the Bones

"From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Devil's Arithmetic, Jane Yolen, comes her first Holocaust novel in nearly thirty years. Influenced by Dr. Mengele's sadistic experimentations, this story follows twins as they travel from the Lodz ghetto, to the partisans in the forest, to a horrific concentration camp where they lose everything but each other. It's 1942 in Poland, and the world is coming to pieces. At least that's how it seems to Chaim and Gittel, twins whose lives feel like a fairy tale torn apart, with evil witches, forbidden forests, and dangerous ovens looming on the horizon. But in all darkness there is light, and the twins find it through Chaim's poetry and the love they have for each other. Like the bright flame of a Yahrzeit candle, his words become a beacon of memory so that the children and grandchildren of survivors will never forget the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust. Filled with brutality and despair, this is also a story of poetry and strength, in which a brother and sister lose everything but each other. Nearly thirty years after the publication of her award-winning and bestselling The Devil's Arithmetic and Briar Rose, Yolen once again returns to World War II and captivates audiences with the authenticity and power of her words."

Jane Yolen (Author), Josh Bloomberg, Rebecca Gibel (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Arrow of Apollo

"The gods are abandoning the earth, tempted by other worlds where they can live in peace. Only a few keep an interest in mortals. In their place, darker, more ancient forces are wakening... Silvius is given a task by a dying centaur. The dark god Python is rising and massing an army of immense power. The only thing that can save the world is the Arrow of Apollo – but it has been split into two. Silvius and his friend Elissa must travel to the land of their sworn enemies, the Achaeans. Meanwhile, Tisamenos is facing his own dangers in Achaea. A plot is afoot against him and his father, and it falls to him to stop it. When Silvius, Elissa and Tisamenos meet, they enter a final, terrifying race to bring together the pieces of the Arrow and use it to lay Python low once more."

Philip Womack (Author), Steve Campbell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Murder in Macedon

"In this third installment of The Agency, Cassidy and Jay find themselves traveling back through time to ancient Macedonia. There, the two come face-to-face with a young Alexander the Great, his father, Philip II, and his formidable mother, Olympias, a priestess of Dionysus who has an unfortunate love of snakes. This time, Cassidy and Jay are tasked with ensuring that Philip is assassinated in October of 336 BCE so that Alexander of Macedon can become Alexander the Great. This mission, however, will test Cassidy and Jay in different ways as they grapple with how far they are willing to go to keep history from changing."

Adam Walsh (Author), Adam Walsh (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Hands Hold My Story

"In 1874, Ivy Steele's deafness is more than a handicap. It's a disease. Surrounded by a family that doesn't understand her, she's learned to cope and find solace where she can. Then, the unexpected happens. Her aunt dies, and her uncle sends her away to rejoin her father's family in Montana. Left to fend for herself, after the companion hired to escort her abandons her, sixteen-year-old Ivy faces continual hardship and danger. Several men see an unaccompanied Ivy as a flower ripe for the picking, and things only get worse when masked men hold up their stagecoach. Barely scraping through, Ivy makes it to Montana with her nerves shaken and what little money she has in her boot. Expecting a peaceful if not affectionate welcome, Ivy finds herself in greater hardship than she's ever known. Surrounded by a stepfamily that hates her, and flung into a life where hearing is vital, Ivy finds solace in a handsome cowboy named Remy. But things with her new family are not what they seem. And Ivy is about to find out that the danger she faced on the journey west, has followed her to Montana... Bethany Swafford dazzles with her stunning young adult debut, introducing a strong heroine, the hardships of frontier life, shocking twists, and a slow-burning romance that will leave you wanting more."

Bethany Swafford (Author), Bethany Swafford (Narrator)

Audiobook

White Rose

""In a searing indictment of silent complicity, White Rose shines a light on one remarkable young woman's insistence on the power of truth, no matter the cost. A timely call to resistance." - Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint "White Rose is a resonant testament to courage. In a time of horrific brutality, young people found a nonviolent way to resist. Told in the form of poetry, the story of their hopes is honored and brought back to life, still relevant today, when regimes that spread hatred are once again thriving, and words are our most powerful defensive weapon."  - Margarita Engle, author of Newbery Honoree The Surrender Tree and 2017-2019 Young People's Poet Laureate. "Both heart-wrenching and inspiring, Sophie Scholl's story, as retold by Kip Wilson in White Rose, is a stunning reminder to stand against evil, even when you stand alone. This is the kind of book that sticks in your heart long after you've finished. An incredible story of heroism incredibly told." - Mackenzi Lee, author of New York Times Bestseller The Gentleman's Guide to Vice & Virtue "White Rose is a deftly plotted, absorbing read. A bold tribute to a brave hero of the German resistance during World War II. Wilson's debut is a triumph!" -Melanie Crowder, author of National Jewish Book Award finalist Audacity "A graceful, moving portrait of a heroic young woman's defiant refusal to remain complicit with Nazi oppression." - Julie Berry, Printz Honor author of The Passion of Dolssa  A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group. Disillusioned by the propaganda of Nazi Germany, Sophie Scholl, her brother, and his fellow soldiers formed the White Rose, a group that wrote and distributed anonymous letters criticizing the Nazi regime and calling for action from their fellow German citizens. The following year, Sophie and her brother were arrested for treason and interrogated for information about their collaborators. This debut novel recounts the lives of Sophie and her friends and highlights their brave stand against fascism in Nazi Germany."

Kip Wilson (Author), Nicola Barber (Narrator)

Audiobook

Roaring

"Colt Clemmons is an agent in a specialized division within the Bureau of Investigation—one that hunts down not just mobsters, but also monsters. For reasons that are kept top secret, Colt is the only person who can resist a siren's voice. But he's never had a chance to test this ability. The last siren left in the world mysteriously disappeared years ago. Then one night, with a single word, she reveals herself. It seems too good to be true. And it is. Because nothing about this siren—her past, her powers, or her purpose—is what it seems . . ."

Lindsey Duga (Author), Charlie Thurston, Rachel L. Jacobs (Narrator)

Audiobook

On Midnight Beach

"When a dolphin takes up residence in Carrig Cove, Emer and her best friend, Fee, feel like they have an instant connection with it. Then Dog Cullen and his sidekick, Kit, turn up, and the four friends begin to sneak out at midnight to go down to the beach, daring each other to swim closer and closer to the creature... But the fame and fortune the dolphin brings to their small village builds resentment amongst their neighbours across the bay. As the summer days get longer and hotter, something wild and intense simmers in the air. Love feels fierce, old hatreds fester, and suddenly everything feels worth fighting for."

Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick (Author), Alana Kerr Collins (Narrator)

Audiobook