Historical Audiobooks

The Sky We Shared

In southern Japan, Tamiko spends her time writing in her diary, dreaming of making theatrical costumes, and praying her brother Kyo makes it back from the war. She wishes she could be brave like him and help the war effort. In rural Oregon, Nellie spends her time lying in the grass, studying the stars, and wishing for her pa to return from the war. She also wishes the boy next door, Joey, would talk to her again like he used to. Soon the girls' lives become inextricably linked. Tamiko and her classmates are brought to a damp, repurposed theater to make large paper balloons to help the military. No one knows what they are for. Nellie and her classmates ration food, work in salvage drives, and support their community. No one knows what's coming. Based on Japan's Project Fu-Go during the last stretch of World War II, The Sky We Shared uses the alternating perspectives of Nellie and Tamiko to depict the shared tragedies of two countries at war.

Shirley Reva Vernick (Author), Sandy Rustin, Sophie Oda (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Slave Dancer

Jessie Bollier often played his fife to earn a few pennies down by the New Orleans docks. One afternoon a sailor asked him to pipe a tune, and that evening Jessie was kidnapped and dumped aboard The Moonlight, a slave ship, where a hateful duty awaited him. He was to play music so the slaves could "dance" to keep their muscles strong, their bodies profitable. Jessie was sickened by the thought of taking part in the business of trading rum and tobacco for blacks and then selling the ones who survived the frightful sea voyage from Africa. But to the men of the ship a "slave dancer" was necessary to ensure their share of the profit. They did not heed the horrors that every day grew more vivid, more inescapable to Jessie. Yet , even after four months of fear, calculated torture, and hazardous sailing with a degraded crew, Jessie was to face a final horror that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Paula Fox (Author), Peter MacNicol (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party

In powerful, vivid verse, the master behind The Watch That Ends the Night recounts one of history’s most harrowing—and chilling—tales of survival. In 1846, a group of emigrants bound for California face a choice: continue on their planned route or take a shortcut into the wilderness. Eighty-nine of them opt for the untested trail, a decision that plunges them into danger and desperation and, finally, the unthinkable. From extraordinary poet and novelist Allan Wolf comes a riveting retelling of the ill-fated journey of the Donner party across the Sierra Nevadas during the winter of 1846–1847. Brilliantly narrated by multiple voices, including world-weary, taunting, and all-knowing Hunger itself, this novel-in-verse examines a notorious chapter in history from various perspectives, among them caravan leaders George Donner and James Reed, Donner’s scholarly wife, two Miwok Indian guides, the Reed children, a sixteen-year-old orphan, and even a pair of oxen. Comprehensive back matter includes an author’s note, select character biographies, statistics, a time line of events, and more. Unprecedented in its detail and sweep, this haunting epic raises stirring questions about moral ambiguity, hope and resilience, and hunger of all kinds.

Allan Wolf (Author), Bahni Turpin, Eric G. Dove, Lauren Ezzo, Ramón De Ocampo, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Teri Schnaubelt, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Whitney Dykhouse (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Snow Walker

'As 12-year-old Milton Daub braves the 1888 snowstorm in the Bronx, the sound of icy, howling winds and cracking trees enhances the experience. The narrator maintains the tension throughout with a tight, slightly hushed reading...The excitement, danger and heroism of Milton's day of rescue and delivery in the storm will cause young listeners to wish for their own blizzards.' - AudioFile

Charles Wetterer, Margaret K. Wetterer (Author), Larry Robinson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Snowy Day

No story has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snow Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever. The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.

Ezra Jack Keats (Author), Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sojourner Truth Story

Follow the life of slave Sojourner Truth and her family as they face one difficult hardship after another at the hands of cruel slave masters. Despite numerous hardships, Sojourner, through her faith and determination, is able to win an important personal battle and ultimately help others by becoming a public speaker.

Harriet Isecke (Author), Teacher Created Materials (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sound of Danger

England is in trouble! A priceless violin has been stolen, and there's only one person who can help: Mac B., kid spy. Mac's adventure takes him on a top-secret museum night watch, zip-lining in Italy with his trusty corgi sidekick, and on an undercover mission in the heart of enemy territory. But when he ends up as a captured prisoner, is the mission lost for good?With fascinating historical facts masterfully sprinkled throughout, the fifth entry in the Mac B., Kid Spy series offers adventure, intrigue, absurdity, and humor.

Mac Barnett (Author), Mac Barnett (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill

Hazel Kaplansky and new student Samuel Butler investigate rumors that a Russian spy has infiltrated their small Vermont town, amidst the fervor of Cold War era McCarthyism, but more is revealed than they could ever have imagined.

Megan Frazer Blakemore (Author), Meredith Orlow (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Star of Kazan

Annika never has a birthday - no one knows the date she was born. She celebrates her Found Day instead. For Annika was abandoned as a baby and found by a cook and a housemaid from Vienna. Her upbringing in the servants' quarters of the house of three eccentric professors means that at an early age she can bake and ice a three-tier cake, and polish parquet floors to perfection. One summer's evening a very old lady comes to stay with Annika's awful neighbours. The stories of her extraordinary life as a famous dancer are spellbinding. Especially the tale of the besotted Russian count who gave her the legendary emerald, the Star of Kazan. Then suddenly a glamorous stranger arrives at Annika's door. Her mother, after years of guilt and searching, has come to claim her. Annika is no servant but a Prussian aristocrat whose true home is a great castle. But at crumbling, spooky Spittal she discovers that all is not as it seems in the lives of her new-found family . . . Eva Ibbotson's hugely entertaining The Star of Kazan is a timeless classic for listeners young and old.

Eva Ibbotson (Author), Ruth Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Star That Always Stays

'Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories—stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage. Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia’s mother forces her to pretend she’s not Native at all—even to Mr. Ward, Ma’s new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia’s irritating new stepbrother. In fact, there are a lot of changes in the city: ten-cent movies, gleaming soda shops, speedy automobiles, ninth grade. It’s dizzying for a girl who grew up on the forested shores of Lake Michigan. Despite the move and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings—all five of them—are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future depends upon it…and upon her discretion. But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she is? Sensitive, enthralling, and classic in sensibility (perfect for Anne of Green Gables fans), this coming-of-age story about an introspective and brilliant Native American heroine addresses assimilation, racism, and divorce, as well as everygirl problems like first crushes, making friends, and the joys and pains of a blended family. Often funny, often heartbreaking, The Star That Always Stays is a fresh, vivid story directly inspired by Anna Rose Johnson’s family history.'

Anna Rose Johnson (Author), Elise Randall Modica (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Story Collector: A New York Public Library Book

The Story Collector by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb is a middle-grade historical fiction audiobook inspired by the real life of Viviani Joffre Fedeler, born and raised in the New York Public Library. Eleven-year-old Viviani Fedeler has spent her whole life in the New York Public Library. She knows every room by heart, except the ones her father keeps locked. When Viviani becomes convinced that the library is haunted, new girl Merit Mubarak makes fun of her. So Viviani decides to play a harmless little prank, roping her older brothers and best friend Eva to help out. But what begins as a joke quickly gets out of hand, and soon Viviani and her friends have to solve two big mysteries: Is the Library truly haunted? And what happened to the expensive new stamp collection? It's up to Viviani, Eva, and Merit (reluctantly) to find out.

Kristin O'donnell Tubb (Author), Brittany Pressley (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Story of Blue Jeans

During the California Gold Rush, German immigrant Levi Strauss moves to San Francisco to sell clothing to the gold miners. After a tailor suggests making pants with metal rivets, Strauss agrees, and the two men begin selling pants as fast as they can make them. More than 150 years later, blue jeans are now worn by people around the world.

Annalise Abbott (Author), Highlights For Children (Narrator)

Audiobook