Historical Audiobooks

I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust

Imagine being a thirteen-year-old girl in love with boys, school, family-life itself. Then suddenly, in a matter of hours, your life is shattered by the arrival of a foreign army. You can no longer attend school, have possessions, talk to your neighbors. One day your family has to leave your house behind and move into a crowded ghetto, where you lose all privacy and there isn't enough food to eat. Still you manage, somehow, to adjust. But there is much, much worse to come...This is the memoir of Elli Friedmann, who was thirteen years old in March 1944, when the Nazis invaded Hungary. It describes her descent into the hell of Auschwitz, a concentration camp where, because of her golden braids, she was selected for work instead of extermination. In intimate, excruciating details she recounts what it was like to be one of the few teenage camp inmates, and the tiny but miraculous twists of fate that helped her survive against all odds. I Have Lived a Thousand Years is a searing story of cruelty and suffering, but at the same time it is a story of hope, faith, perseverance, and love. It will make you see the world in a new way-and it will make you want to change what you see.

Livia Bitton-Jackson (Author), Christine Williams (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mr. Lincoln's High-Tech War: How the North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Iro

Thomas B. Allen's expertise in military history and strategy is combined with Roger MacBride Allen's knowledge of technology to reveal a lesser known yet fascinating side of the sixteenth president of the United States. Their authoritative narrative reveals Lincolnas our nation's first hands-on commander in chief, whose appreciation for thepower of technology plays a critical role in the North's Civil War victory overthe less developed South.We meet Lincoln as he exchanges vitaltelegraph messages with his generals in the field; we witness his inspection ofnew ship models at the navy yard; we view the president target shooting withthe designer of a new kind of rifle; and we follow Lincoln, the man of action,as he leads a daring raid to recapture Norfolk, Virginia. The book's historicsweep also sets Abraham Lincoln in the context of his military era: we learnabout the North's Anaconda Plan and the South's counter strategies and how theconcept of total war replaced the old Napoleonic way of fighting.Readers will come away with a rich sense of aleader who lived through one of the most exciting ages of technological andsocial change in America. Mr. Lincoln'sHigh-Tech War brings alive a time when the railroad brought soldiers to andfrom the battlefields, when hot-air balloons were used for surveillance, andwhen ironclad warships revolutionized naval warfare. "The lively, well-researched text makes it clear that Lincoln grasped the concept of 'total war' and did not hesitate to exploit the latest know-how to ensure victory...this book is a vital addition to the Lincoln shelf and an exceptional and novel approach for students investigating the Civil War." -School Library Journal

Roger MacBride Allen, Thomas B. Allen (Author), Fred Sullivan (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials

Susanna desperately wants to join the circle of girls who meet every week at the parsonage. What she doesn't realize is that the leader of the group, the malicious Ann Putnam, is about to set off a torrent of false accusations leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless innocent people. When Susanna puts the pieces together, she faces a painful choice. She can keep quiet and let the witch-hunt panic continue, or she can "break charity" with the group-and risk having her family named as witches. "Rich with details...A Break with Charity portrays an excruciating era in American history from a unique perspective, and it will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy psychology, the supernatural, and history." -School Library Journal

Ann Rinaldi (Author), Laura Hicks (Narrator)

Audiobook

Clash of Cultures: Prehistory-1638

History is dramatic-and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in this compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation.

Christopher Collier, James Lincoln Collier (Author), Jim Manchester (Narrator)

Audiobook

B for Buster

Iain Lawrence is the best-selling author of such heralded books for young readers as Lord of the Nutcracker Men, which broached the complicated subject of human experience in war. His novels have been chosen as Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal on more than one occasion. Lawrence again contemplates war in this novel set in 1943 England. Sixteen-year-old Kak escaped his abusive family in Canada to join the Canadian Air Force. Now a crewman aboard a night-flying bomber bound for Germany, Kak learns of the terror and violence of war firsthand.

Iain Lawrence (Author), Jeff Woodman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Blood Red Rose

When Rosie travels back in time she arrives on a ship bound for America. She soon discovers that she is on an illegal slave ship, trading after the abolition of slavery. First it seems there's nothing she can do until the crew all start turning blind. It's up to Rosie to keep the ship running until they reach America. A touching and thought provoking story, giving an insight into the cruelty of the slave trade

Anne Perry (Author), Julia Barrie (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wild Song

Anna is living a lonely life on a small island with only her ageing mathematician father and his helper Max as company. When Rob washes ashore after an accident, Anna's world is turned upside-down. Is Max really devoted to her father? Is Rob the love she's been waiting for? Could she really leave the island? Drawing inspiration from The Tempest, Jane Eagland has woven a rich and moving story of mystery, love and deception

Jane Eagland (Author), Caroline Guthrie (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Paradox of Jamestown: 1585-1700

History is dramatic-and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation.The Paradox of Jamestowndiscusses the circumstances surrounding English colonization of Virginia and the evolution of slavery in that colony. Beginning with an examination of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century life in England, the authors explain many of the reasons-social, political, religious, and economic-people chose to leave the Old World for a new life in the Americas. They describe the early interactions between the settlers and the Indians, the difficulties those groups had in establishing cooperative relationships, and the many difficulties the settlers had in adjusting to life in the New World. Read about the effects of the growing market for tobacco back in England, the gradual changes in how the new colony was governed, and the growing dependence on the slave trade.

Christopher Collier, James Lincoln Collier (Author), Jim Manchester (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Crooked Family

Sneaking into the majestic house on Park Row last night and unlocking the door for the well-dressed stranger had been exciting. Still, Roger knows that what he did for Circus was wrong, especially when he learns from the newspaper that one of the inhabitants was killed. But the fifty dollars he earned is a fortune! His mother never seems to have any change left over for dinner after she buys her daily supply of liquor. And his father is in the hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound. With fifty dollars Roger can buy those yellow trousers he’s been admiring and a decent dress for Lulu, his younger sister. Now Circus is asking him to pull another job. In spite of the temptation of easy money, Roger vows he won’t listen to that fast-talking redhead. Too many unanswered questions buzz through Roger’s mind. Who shot his father? Why does Circus take such an interest in his father’s health? Why does his father ask questions about a redheaded man? And what is Circus’ connection to his father? My Crooked Family is both a gripping mystery and a powerful coming-of-age novel about a fourteen-year-old’s decision to enter a world of professional crime. “Although fourteen-year-old Roger Hardy’s life of crime starts small (he heists a bucket of fried rice), the boy has played a key role in two major robberies by the time this novel is over. Collier does an excellent job in portraying the poverty, hunger, and abuse that drive Roger to illicit activity, and his novel—set in an unnamed city in the '20s—is suffused with a flawless sense of place.” —Publishers Weekly

James Lincoln Collier (Author), Joe Short (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hero on a Bicycle

Florence, Italy, 1944: The city is under heavy Nazi occupation, but for thirteen-year-old Paolo, war is a long and boring wait. Too young to fight for the resistance, yet desperate for action and adventure, he sneaks out each night to ride his bicycle along the darkened city streets. For Paolo, the risk is thrilling. But when he is accosted by Partisans - covert members of the anti-Nazi movement - thrilling quickly becomes dangerous as Paolo and his family are thrust into a terrifying and impossible situation. Finally at the center of the action, Paolo must figure out once and for all whether he has what it takes to truly be a hero.

Shirley Hughes (Author), Simon Vance (Narrator)

Audiobook

P. K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man

Author Caroline Lawrence returns to the Wild West with another action-packed mystery starring Master-of-Disguise, P.K. Pinkerton. After vanquishing three notorious Desperados, twelve-year-old P.K. Pinkerton opens a private-eye business in Virginia City. P.K.'s skills are quickly put to the test: When a maid named Martha witnesses a murder, she hires the young detective to track the killer before he finds her too. P.K. enlists a trusted ally, Poker Face Jace, to help crack the case—but collecting clues and keeping Martha safe will not be easy. Cunning liars, rogue gunslingers and deadly foes lurk at every turn, and time is running out to bring the murderer to justice. Sharp, thrilling and vividly imagined, P.K. Pinkerton's second action-packed adventure will keep your heart racing through to the very end.

Caroline Lawrence (Author), T. Sands (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Clock

When her spendthrift father goes into debt after buying a sheep and the inner workings of a clock, fifteen-year-old Annie Steele is sent to work in the town's new wool mill to help support her family. Her job is full of risk—especially after she and her friend Robert discover that the mill's cruel overseer is stealing bags of wool and decide to do something about it. Annie longs for the chance to continue her schooling and become a teacher. Will she ever be able to leave the mill?

Christopher Collier, James Lincoln Collier (Author), Rachel Dulude (Narrator)

Audiobook