Historical Audiobooks

Bud, Not Buddy

It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him: 1. He has his own suitcase filled with his own important, secret things. 2. He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. 3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers of Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!! Bud's got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road and find this mystery man, nothing can stop him--not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself. Bud, Not Buddy is full of laugh-out-loud humor and wonderful characters, hitting the high notes of jazz and sounding the deeper tones of the Great Depression. Once again Christopher Paul Curtis, author of the award-winning novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, takes readers on a heartwarming and unforgettable journey.

Christopher Paul Curtis (Author), James Avery (Narrator)

Audiobook

Building a New Nation: The Federalist Era, 1789–1801

Building a New Nation chronicles the development of the new government following the signing of the Constitution. It explores the political views of the young nation’s leaders as they struggled to form a strong nation, despite the foreign and domestic dilemmas that they faced. The authors describe the beginnings of the two-party system, the administrations of the first three presidents, and key decisions by each branch of the government that shaped the future of the country. 

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

Audiobook

Building a World with Toothpicks: Stan Munro Has Made a Career Out of Something He Learned in Elemen

The ups and downs of the umbrella, protecting people from sun and rain for thousands of years.

Linda Haas Manley (Author), Highlights For Children (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bull Run

Sixteen voices are skillfully woven together here-not the heroes, not those who would become eulogized in history books and synonymous with the glory of war. No, these are the voices of the common soldiers and their leaders, their families, their comrades. North/south, white/black, adult/child-a disparate and compelling choir of voices. Newbery Medal-winner Paul Fleischman has written a tour de force that lends itself perfectly to multivoiced narration. From eager eleven-year-old Toby Boyce to Colonel Oliver Brattle, they've seen it all and know the true face of war-creating an intimate tapestry of naiveté, broken dreams and carnage that transports the listener to the front lines of the Battle of Bull Run. Paul Fleischman makes an appearance as the voice of James Dacy and concludes this unique production with a personal author's note-allowing us to glimpse into his beginnings as a writer, as well as how Bull Run came to be written. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

Paul Fleischman (Author), A Full Cast, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bull Run

Winner of the Newbery Medal, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and a Publishers Weekly Best book of 1993, Bull Run has become a modern classic of historical fiction for young adults. In this brilliant narrative, Fleischman recreates the first great battle of the Civil War from the points of view of sixteen different participants. Through an unflinching narrative of the battle of Bull Run, human faces begin to emerge from the faded pages of history. Read by a varied cast of narrators, the characters on both sides spring to vivid life as they share their feelings as the battle of Bull Run rages around them. Intimate and instructive, this recording is a tour de force that will please parents and teachers who are looking for a way to interest youngsters in reading and history. Cast of narrators, in order of appearance, includes: George Guidall, Christina Moore, Andy Paris, Peter Francis James, Barbara Caruso, Robert Sevra, Johnny Heller, Tom Stechschulte, Richard Poe, Paul Hecht, John McDonough, Jeff Woodman, Sam Gray, Richard Davidson, Sally Darling, and Mark Hammer.

Paul Fleischman (Author), Andy Paris, Barbara Caruso, Christina Moore, George Guidall, Jeff Woodman, John Mcdonough, Johnny Heller, Mark Hammer, Paul Hecht, Peter Francis James, Richard Davidson, Richard Poe, Robert Sevra, Sally Darling, Sam Gray, Tom Stechschulte (Narrator)

Audiobook

Button Down

Ever since local boy Lester Ward got drafted by the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and football fever hit Goodhue, Iowa, scrawny Ned Button can think of nothing but the game. Sure, Lester's younger bully of a brother is determined to keep Ned and his gang from ever getting near a real pickup game. But Ned has a few tricks up his sleeve: he can catch and sometimes even throw, much to his surprise. And he's got his eccentric grandpa Ike, who has less get-up-and-go these days but no shortage of down-home wisdom to pass along. Like that being a football star is less about being big and more about strategy and playing as part of a team. And that having friends and family in your corner is a bigger prize than a lucky football will ever be. From the acclaimed author of The Luck of the Buttons comes another story about a sometimes hapless, always winning family that scores big points for humor and heart.

Anne Ylvisaker (Author), Sanjiv Jhaveri (Narrator)

Audiobook

Buttons for General Washington

'In Revolutionary times, spies sent secret messages in clever ways. In this true story, John Darragh, a teenaged spy from a Quaker family, carries a message to General Washington sewn inside his coat buttons..Young historians will appreciate the accompanying book's simple but evocative watercolor illustrations and the production's background music, including the fifes and drums of a revolutionary band. They'll enjoy the story's plentiful dialogue as gruff soldiers, family members, and even General Washington himself make this story vivid for young history buffs.' -AudioFile

Connie Roop, Peter Roop (Author), Jason Harris (Narrator)

Audiobook

By Land or Sea: Voices Leveled Library Readers

Highlights presents By Land or Sea written by Ellen Wettersten. This audiobook details the major events that led to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. The setting is colonial Boston. The audiobook tells of life in Boston during that period. It also tells of secret meetings, spies, and battles between Great Britain and the Continental Army that eventually resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Paris and the end of the Revolutionary War.

Ellen Wettersten (Author), Highlights For Children (Narrator)

Audiobook

By Right of Conquest: With Cortez in Mexico

The Henty Historical Novel Collection Bring history back to life through Jim Hodges' historically accurate, exciting and edifying audio recordings. The conquest of the Aztec Empire by Hernando Cortez and a mere handful of Spaniards is one of the greatest romances of history. A writer of fiction would scarcely have dared to invent so improbable a story, but it is true. Fortunately, Cortez was able to ally himself with many peoples conquered by the Aztecs who were all too happy to assist in their downfall. Roger Hawkshaw, a shipwrecked Englishman, presenting himself as a long-lost Spaniard, assists Cortez in his many adventures. The Henty Historical Novel Collection, written by George Henty in the 1800s, covers many time periods in history throughout the world. In this collection, you will learn history, geography, and vocabulary while also discovering hero characters for your children to emulate. Study guides to enrich your learning experience are available at www.jimhodgesaudiobooks.com/product-category/study-guides.

George Alfred Henty (Author), Jim Hodges (Narrator)

Audiobook

By the Shores of Silver Lake

Acclaimed author Michael Grant delivers a stunning follow-up to the globally bestselling Gone series perfect for fans of Stephen King's suspenseful writing. It's been four years since a meteor hit Perdido Beach and everyone disappeared. Everyone, except the kids trapped in the FAYZ an invisible dome that was created by an alien virus. Inside the FAYZ, animals began to mutate and teens developed dangerous powers. The terrifying new world was plagued with hunger, lies, and fear of the unknown. Now the dome is gone and meteors are hitting earth with an even deadlier virus. Humans will mutate into monsters and the whole world will be exposed. As some teens begin to morph into heroes, they will find that others have become dangerously out of control and that the world is on the brink of a monstrous battle between good and evil. Praise for the Gone series: 'Exciting, high-tension stories. I love these books.'Stephen King 'Intense, marvelously plotted, paced, and characterized.'ALA Booklist (starred review)

Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author), Cherry Jones (Narrator)

Audiobook

C is for Charlemagne: A Historic Alphabet

Did you know there was once a knight-king who named his sword “Joyous”? Did you know he suffered from insomnia? Did you know he had an archnemesis among the Saxons? Explore a series of beautiful historic images while meeting Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, through twenty-six fascinating, giggle-worthy, alphabetized parts of his life.

History Unboxed (Author), Caleb Hauris, Elizabeth Hauris (Narrator)

Audiobook

Caddie Woodlawn

No one would accuse eleven-year-old Caddie Woodlawn of being dainty and ladylike. In spite of her mother's best efforts, Caddie is as wild as the wind, playing freely and rambunctiously with her two brothers in the Wisconsin backwoods. There are rafts to build, and trees to climb, and pranks to play. Caddie especially likeds to watch her friend Indian John build birchbark canoes at the river. Everyday seems wide with possibility-as wide as the frontier. But living on the edge of civilization has its risks, too. And when Indians threaten to attack the settlers, it is Caddie's resourcefulness and bravery that save the day. The author, Carol Ryrie Brink-granddaughter of the real Caddie Woodlawn-based her book on the true stories her grandmother used to tell her about growing up on the frontier.

Carol Ryrie Brink (Author), Roslyn Alexander (Narrator)

Audiobook