Historical Audiobooks

Hunting Prince Dracula: Booktrack Edition

"Hunting Prince Dracula: Booktrack Edition adds an immersive musical soundtrack to your audiobook listening experience! * Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend. But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again. *Booktrack is an immersive format that pairs traditional audiobook narration to complementary music. The tempo and rhythm of the score are in perfect harmony with the action and characters throughout the audiobook. Gently playing in the background, the music never overpowers or distracts from the narration, so listeners can enjoy every minute. When you purchase this Booktrack edition, you receive the exact narration as the traditional audiobook available, with the addition of music throughout."

Kerri Maniscalco (Author), Nicola Barber (Narrator)

Audiobook

Billy

"‘Billy were six foot tall and weighed about sixty pounds soaking wet. Paint him white and light him up in the dark he would’ve looked like one of those skeletons you see on Halloween. That’s what Mr Cooper used to say, what he told everyone who came by.’So begins the story of Billy, part of a travelling Freak Show, and told through the eyes of his best friend. It hurts to look at Billy, but Billy’s best friend believes that if everyone could only get past that hurt they would see Billy was just like them after all. But not everyone thinks that way. No matter how hard they look, some people just can’t see the real you."

Ken Preston (Author), Ken Preston (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Silence of Bones

"June Hur's elegant and haunting debut The Silence of Bones is a bloody YA historical mystery tale perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco and Renée Ahdieh. I have a mouth, but I mustn't speak; Ears, but I mustn't hear; Eyes, but I mustn't see. 1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: "May you live in interesting times." Indentured to the police bureau, she's been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman. As they delve deeper into the dead woman's secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder. But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly. Praise for The Silence of Bones: ABA Indies Introduce Selection 'At once haunting and evocative, June Hur's The Silence of Bones is a gorgeous, tightly-woven debut. Prepare to delve deep into the lush and dangerous world of Korea in the 1800's for a page-turner you won't soon forget.' -Hafsah Faizal, New York Times-bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame 'This gripping drama is definitely one you're not going to want to miss.' -Buzzfeed"

June Hur (Author), Greta Jung (Narrator)

Audiobook

They Went Left

"A tour de force historical mystery from Monica Hesse, the bestselling and award-winning author of Girl in the Blue Coat. Germany, 1945. The soldiers who liberated the Gross-Rosen concentration camp said the war was over, but nothing feels over to eighteen-year-old Zofia Lederman. Her body has barely begun to heal, her mind feels broken. And her life is completely shattered: Three years ago, she and her younger brother, Abek, were the only members of their family to be sent to the right, away from the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone else-her parents, her grandmother, radiant Aunt Maja-they went left. Zofia's last words to her brother were a promise: Abek to Zofia, A to Z. When I find you again, we will fill our alphabet. Now her journey to fulfill that vow takes her through Poland and Germany, and into a displaced persons camp where everyone she meets is trying to piece together a future from a painful past: Miriam, desperately searching for the twin she was separated from after they survived medical experimentation. Breine, a former heiress, who now longs only for a simple wedding with her new fiancé. And Josef, who guards his past behind a wall of secrets, and is beautiful and strange and magnetic all at once. But the deeper Zofia digs, the more impossible her search seems. How can she find one boy in a sea of the missing? In the rubble of a broken continent, Zofia must delve into a mystery whose answers could break her-or help her rebuild her world."

Monica Hesse (Author), Caitlin Davies (Narrator)

Audiobook

Kent State

"From two-time National Book Award finalist Deborah Wiles, a masterpiece exploration of one of the darkest moments in our history, when American troops killed four American students protesting the Vietnam War. May 4, 1970.Kent State University.As protestors roil the campus, National Guardsmen are called in. In the chaos of what happens next, shots are fired and four students are killed. To this day, there is still argument of what happened and why.Told in multiple voices from a number of vantage points -- protestor, Guardsman, townie, student -- Deborah Wiles's Kent State gives a moving, terrifying, galvanizing picture of what happened that weekend in Ohio . . . an event that, even 50 years later, still resonates deeply."

Deborah Wiles (Author), Christina Delaine, Christopher Gebauer, David deVries, Johnny Heller, Korey Jackson, Lauren Ezzo, Roger Wayne (Narrator)

Audiobook

28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto

"Warsaw, 1942. Sixteen-year-old Mira smuggles food into the Warsaw ghetto to keep herself and her family alive. When she discovers that the entire ghetto is to be “liquidated”—killed or “resettled” to concentration camps—she desperately tries to find a way to save her family. She meets a group of young people who are planning the unthinkable: an uprising against the occupying forces. Mira joins the resistance fighters who, with minimal supplies and weapons, end up holding out longer against the SS than anyone had thought possible. Much longer. For twenty-eight days. During this time, Mira has to decide where her heart belongs. To Amos, who wants to take as many Nazis as he can with him to the grave? Or to Daniel, who wants to help the orphans in the shelter? These are twenty-eight days in which Mira experiences moments of great humanity, betrayal, suffering, and even moments of happiness."

David Safier (Author), Amanda Dolan (Narrator)

Audiobook

In the Shadow of the Sun

"It’s 1661 in Paris, and magicians thrill nobles with enchanting illusions. Exiled in France, seventeen-year-old Henriette of England wishes she could use her magic to gain entry at court. Instead, her plan is to hide her magical talents, and accept an arranged marriage to the French king’s younger brother. Henriette soon realizes her fiancé prefers the company of young men to hers, but court magicians turn up killed by a mysterious sorcerer who uses forbidden magic and an accident forces Henriette to reveal her uniquely powerful gift for enchantments to Louis, he asks for her help. For she alone can defeat the dark magician threatening his authority, and aid his own plans to build the new, enchanted seat of his power—the Palace of Versailles."

Em Castellan (Author), Heather Wilds (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Light in Hidden Places

"The extraordinary story of Stefania Podgórska, a Polish teenager who chose bravery and humanity by hiding thirteen Jews in her attic during WWII -- from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sharon Cameron. One knock at the door, and Stefania has a choice to make... It is 1943, and for four years, sixteen-year-old Stefania has been working for the Diamant family in their grocery store in Przemysl, Poland, singing her way into their lives and hearts. She has even made a promise to one of their sons, Izio -- a betrothal they must keep secret since she is Catholic and the Diamants are Jewish. But everything changes when the German army invades Przemysl. The Diamants are forced into the ghetto, and Stefania is alone in an occupied city, the only one left to care for Helena, her six-year-old sister. And then comes the knock at the door. Izio's brother Max has jumped from the train headed to a death camp. Stefania and Helena make the extraordinary decision to hide Max, and eventually twelve more Jews. Then they must wait, every day, for the next knock at the door, the one that will mean death. When the knock finally comes, it is two Nazi officers, requisitioning Stefania's house for the German army. With two Nazis below, thirteen hidden Jews above, and a little sister by her side, Stefania has one more excruciating choice to make."

Sharon Cameron (Author), Beata Poźniak (Narrator)

Audiobook

One Life One Chance: A story of adrenalin and adventure in the most unforgiving places on earth.

"Born to nomadic parents and humble beginnings, Luke Richmond grew up running wild and free in the Australian outback. After finishing school, he joined the Australian Army and served his country overseas as an infantry soldier – an experience that sparked in him an unrelenting desire for adventure. But when he leaves the army Luke finds himself broke and adrift in London, caught up in a soulless world of drug and alcohol addiction. When he wakes up in a police cell with no memory of how he got there, he knows he has hit rock bottom, and makes the snap decision to turn his life around. Within days he is in Thailand, training his mind and body at a Muay Thai boxing camp in the jungles of Phuket. In suffering Luke finds his salvation, and he decides to make the most out of life by seeking adventure in the remote corners of the world. Since then Luke has climbed the highest mountains on six continents, set a new world record for ocean rowing across the Atlantic, battled -60 degree temperatures in the Antarctic, witnessed death at high altitude, was held captive in the humid jungles of West Papua and has thrown himself from cliffs in the adrenalin-fueled world of BASE jumping. More than an awe-inspiring story of endurance and adventure, One Life One Chance will ultimately remind you that we only have one shot, so don’t waste a second of it. "

Luke Richmond (Author), Luke Richmond (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Blossom and the Firefly

"From the award-winning author of Flygirl comes this powerful WWII romance between two Japanese teens caught in the cogs of an unwinnable war, perfect for fans of Salt to the Sea, Lovely War, and Code Name Verity. Japan 1945. Taro is a talented violinist and a kamikaze pilot in the days before his first and only mission. He believes he is ready to die for his country . . . until he meets Hana. Hana hasn't been the same since the day she was buried alive in a collapsed trench during a bomb raid. She wonders if it would have been better to have died that day . . . until she meets Taro. A song will bring them together. The war will tear them apart. Is it possible to live an entire lifetime in eight short days? Sherri L. Smith has been called 'an author with astonishing range' and 'a stellar storyteller' by E. Lockhart, the New York Times-bestselling author of We Were Liars, and 'a truly talented writer' by Jacqueline Woodson, the National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming. Here, with achingly beautiful prose, Smith weaves a tale of love in the face of death, of hope in the face of tragedy, set against a backdrop of the waning days of the Pacific War."

Sherri L. Smith (Author), Greg Watanabe, Traci Kato-Kiriyama (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition

"Filled with anecdotes and portraits of unique characters from the era, this fascinating audiobook by an award-winning author looks at the rise and fall of the disastrous social experiment known as Prohibition. It began with the best of intentions. Worried about the effects of alcohol on American families, mothers and civic leaders started a movement to outlaw drinking in public places. Over time, their protests, petitions, and activism paid off―when a Constitutional Amendment banning the sale and consumption of alcohol was ratified, it was hailed as the end of public drunkenness, alcoholism, and a host of other social ills related to booze. Instead, it began a decade of lawlessness, when children smuggled (and drank) illegal alcohol, the most upright citizens casually broke the law, and a host of notorious gangsters entered the public eye. Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition is fast-paced non-fiction perfect for anyone who's interested in American history, paricularly the 1920s, gangsters, bootleggers, the history of alcohol in the US, the Eighteenth Amendment and the Constitution, and American politics. Praise for Bootleg: A Kirkus Best Teen Book of the Year A School Library Journal's Best Nonfiction Book A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist "A fast-paced, gripping narrative . . . An informative, insightful account of a fascinating period of American history." ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Gangsters, guns, and political battles―this book has them all―and presents them in compelling prose . . . a lively read." ―School Library Journal, starred review "Lively anecdotes and personal stories keep the reading brisk and often quite jovial." ―Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review "A highly readable, well-shaped look at the Eighteenth Amendment . . . a top-notch resource." ―Booklist, starred review "The scope is ambitious, but Blumenthal investigates various tangents with telling anecdotes, quotes, statistics . . . without losing her focus on the bigger picture. Whether you consider ongoing problems with substance abuse or increasingly polarized political discourse, the book is startlingly relevant to modern times in many ways, marking Blumenthal as one of the more intellectually adventurous authors writing for young adults today." ―Horn Book Magazine"

Karen Blumenthal (Author), Maggie-Meg Reed (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tommy: The Gun That Changed America

"The fascinating and topical nonfiction story of how one gun changed American courtrooms, streets, and homes, told for a YA audience by award-winning author Karen Blumenthal John Taliaferro Thompson had a mission: to develop a lightweight, fast-firing weapon that would help Americans win on the battlefield. His Thompson submachine gun could deliver a hundred bullets in a matter of seconds―but didn't find a market in the U.S. military. Instead, the Tommy gun became the weapon of choice for a generation of bootleggers and bank-robbing outlaws, and became a deadly American icon. Following a bloody decade―and eighty years before the mass shootings of our own time―Congress moved to take this weapon off the streets, igniting a national debate about gun control. Critically-acclaimed author Karen Blumenthal, author of Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History, and Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929, reveals the fascinating story of this famous and deadly weapon―of the lives it changed, the debate it sparked, and the unprecedented response it inspired in Tommy: The Gun That Changed America. Praise for Tommy: The Gun that Changed America: "The Thompson rapid-firing submachine gun is the crux of Blumenthal's accessible social history, which encompasses military weaponry, gangster warfare, and gun-control legislation. . . . Engrossing and grisly." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review "Blumenthal's fascinating biography of the weapon is most dramatic in its chapters on the famous gangsters. . . . A gripping look at guns, gangsters, and finding the 'right balance between individual freedoms and community safety.'" ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review"

Karen Blumenthal (Author), Maggie-Meg Reed (Narrator)

Audiobook