Audiobooks Narrated by Gilli Messer

For the Rest of Us: 13 Festive Holiday Stories to Celebrate All Seasons

"Fourteen acclaimed authors showcase the beautiful and diverse ways holidays are observed in this festive anthology. Keep the celebrations going all year long with this captivating and joyful read! From Lunar New Year to Solstice, Día de Los Muertos to Juneteenth, and all the incredible days in between, it’s clear that Americans don’t just have one holiday. Edited by the esteemed Dahlia Adler and authored by creators who have lived these festive experiences firsthand, this joyful collection of stories shows that there isn’t one way to experience a holiday. With stories by: Dahlia Adler, Sydney Taylor Honor winner of Going Bicoastal Candace Buford, author of Good as Gold A. R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, authors of the Once & Future series Preeti Chhibber, author of Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot Natasha Díaz, award-winning author of Color Me In Kelly Loy Gilbert, Stonewall Book Award winning author of Picture Us in the Light Kosoko Jackson, USA Today bestselling author of The Forest Demands Its Due Aditi Khorana, award-winning author of Mirror in the Sky Katherine Locke, award-winning author of This Rebel Heart Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall Book Award–winning author of Only This Beautiful Moment Laura Pohl, New York Times bestselling author of The Grimrose Girls Sonora Reyes, Pura Belpré Honor winner of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School Karuna Riazi, contributor to The Grimoire of Grim Fates  "

A. R. Capetta, Abdi Nazemian, Aditi Khorana, Candace Buford, Cory McCarthy, Dahlia Adler, Karuna Riazi, Katherine Locke, Kelly Loy Gilbert, Kosoko Jackson, Laura Pohl, Natasha Diaz, Preeti Chhibber, Sonora Reyes (Author), Abby Manning, Dana Wing Lau, Gilli Messer, Karen Malina White, Mark Sanderlin, Natasha Chandel, Nile Bullock, Rebecca Mozo, Sean Rohani (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Traitorous Heart

"A noblewoman in the scandalous French court finds herself under the dangerous and watchful eye of the Parisian royalty when she falls in love with the handsome king who is betrothed to her former lover in this bisexual The Three Musketeers by way of Bridgerton and F.T. Lukens. Paris, 1572. Seventeen-year-old Jacqueline "Jac" d'Argenson-Aunis is lady-in-waiting to her best friend and former lover, the French Princess Marguerite "Margot" de Valois, but she dreams of more. If Jac plays her cards right, one day, she'll become a full member of the Societas Solis, a secret society of spies—just like her uncle and guardian, Viscount Gabriel d'Argenson-Aunis. But it's hard to think about her own ambitions while France is on the brink of war, and the only thing that might save the country is an alliance—a marriage between the Catholic Princess Margot and Henry, the awful son of the Huguenot queen. Who would be the perfect person to play matchmaker? Jac, of course. Jac resents lying to her best friend almost as much as she resents the brazen and arrogant King Henry, but it's her one chance to prove to the Societas Solis that she belongs among their ranks before her uncle can marry her off or worse. The more time Jac spends in the French Court's clandestine corners, though, the more she starts to wonder if Henry is…not as terrible as she once believed. And the Societas Solis may not be what they seem. Politics. Spies. Chaos in the French court. Perhaps even witchcraft? Everything's more dangerous when love is involved."

Erin Cotter (Author), Gilli Messer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Night Owls: A Sydney Taylor and National Jewish Book Award Winner

"* National Jewish Book Award Winner * Green Mountain Book Award Nominee * Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner * In this thrilling paranormal YA romance debut steeped in folklore, two estries—owl-shifting female vampires from Jewish tradition—face New York's monstrous underworld to save the girl one of them loves with help from the boy one of them fears before they are, all of them, lost forever. Clara loves rules. Rules are what have kept her and her sister, Molly, alive—or, rather, undead—for over a century. Work their historic movie theater by day. Shift into an owl under the cover of night. Feed on men in secret. And never fall in love. Molly is in love. And she’s tired of keeping her girlfriend, Anat, a secret. If Clara won’t agree to bend their rules a little, then she will bend them herself. Boaz is cursed. He can’t walk two city blocks without being cornered by something undead. At least at work at the theater, he gets to flirt with Clara, wishing she would like him back. When Anat vanishes and New York’s monstrous underworld emerges from the shadows, Clara suspects Boaz, their annoyingly cute box office attendant, might be behind it all. But if they are to find Anat, they will need to work together to face demons and the hungers they would sooner bury. Clara will have to break all her rules—of love, of life, and of death itself—before her rules break everyone she loves. In this stand-alone debut, A. R. Vishny interweaves mystery, romance, and lore to create an unputdownable story about those who have kept to the shadows for far too long."

A. R. Vishny (Author), Gilli Messer, Josh Bloomberg (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Teacher Is the Best!

"From the bestselling author of the hugely popular Kindergarten, Here I Come! comes an ode to that special teacher in every young child's life! Children can celebrate the special teacher in their life with this collection of short poems -- one to a page -- that sings the praises of the excellent educator they know and love. From their kindness working with their students to their ability to make the most complicated of topics make sense, this is the perfect gift book for any teacher, written by the author of the bestselling Here I Come! series, D. J. Steinberg."

D.J. Steinberg (Author), Gilli Messer (Narrator)

Audiobook

More Than Enough: A Passover Story

"A family's Passover celebration is equal parts warmth and charm in this cozy picture book, adapted for audio, with the traditional seder song "Dayenu" as the grateful refrain.   In this story told in spare, lyrical prose, a Jewish family prepares for their Passover seder, visiting the farmer's market for walnuts, lilacs, and honey (and adopting a kitten along the way!), then chopping apples for the charoset, and getting dressed up before walking to Nana's house. The refrain throughout is "Dayenu"-a mind-set of thankfulness, a reminder to be aware of the blessings in each moment. At Nana's, there's matzo ball soup, chicken, coconut macaroons, and of course, the hidden afikomen. After opening the door for Elijah and singing the verses of "Chad Gadya,"Nana tucks the children in for a special Passover sleepover.   This warm, affectionate story embraces Passover in the spirit of dayenu-it's a perfect listen for the entire family in anticipation and celebration of the holiday."

April Halprin Wayland (Author), April Halprin Wayland, Gilli Messer (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Polio Pioneer: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine

"A SYDNEY TAYLOR NOTABLE BOOK • Learn about the importance of vaccines and the scientific process through the fascinating life of world-renowned scientist Jonas Salk, whose pioneering discoveries changed the world forever. Dr. Jonas Salk is one of the most celebrated doctors and medical researchers of the 20th century. The child of immigrants who never learned to speak English, Jonas was struck by the devastation he saw when the soldiers returned from battle after WWII. Determined to help, he worked to become a doctor and eventually joined the team that created the influenza vaccine. But Jonas wanted to do more. As polio ravaged the United States--even the president was not immune!--Jonas decided to lead the fight against this terrible disease. In 1952, Dr. Jonas Salk invented the polio vaccine, which nearly eliminated polio from this country. For the rest of his life, Dr. Salk continued to do groundbreaking medical research at the Salk Institute, leaving behind a legacy that continues to make the world a better place every day. This compelling picture book biography sheds light on Dr. Salk's groundbreaking journey and the importance of vaccination."

Linda Elovitz Marshall (Author), Gilli Messer, Linda Elovitz Marshall (Narrator)

Audiobook