Audiobooks Narrated by Roxanne Hernandez

You Can't Say That!: Writers for Young People Talk about Censorship, Free Expression, and the Storie

"What happens when freedom of expression comes under threat? In frank and wide-ranging interviews, historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus probes the experience of thirteen leading authors of books for young people. A powerful photo essay on transgender teens is called anti-religious and anti-family. A meticulously researched primer on sex education stirs up accusations of pornography and child abuse. Picture books about two mommies (or two penguin daddies) set off a hue and cry. Two hugely popular children’s series run afoul of would-be censors, one for its scatological humor, the other because it’s deemed too scary. Kids’ books that touch on race, sex, LGBTQ matters, the occult, “coarse language,” and more have found themselves under the scrutiny of those who challenge First Amendment rights. Tune in as thirteen top children’s and young adult authors speak out about what it’s like to have your work banned or challenged in America today. Prompted by Leonard S. Marcus’s insightful questions, they discuss why their books have faced censorship—both blatant and “soft”—how the challenges have or haven’t affected their writing, and why some people feel they have the right to deny access to books. In addition, Leonard S. Marcus puts First Amendment challenges in a historical context and takes a promising look at the vibrant support network that has risen up to protect and defend young people’s rights. Authors interviewed include: Matt de la Peña Robie H. Harris Susan Kuklin David Levithan Meg Medina Lesléa Newman Katherine Patterson Dav Pilkey Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Sonya Sones R. L. Stine Angie Thomas."

Leonard S. Marcus (editor) (Author), Arthur Morey, Janet Metzger, Roxanne Hernandez, Susan Dalian, Thom Rivera, Tom Parks (Narrator)

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Ones and Zeroes

"From Dan Wells, author of the New York Times bestselling Partials Sequence and the John Cleaver series, comes the second book in a dark, pulse-pounding sci-fi-noir series set in 2050 Los Angeles. Overworld. It’s more than just the world’s most popular e-sport—for thousands of VR teams around the globe, Overworld is life. It means fame and fortune, or maybe it’s a ticket out of obscurity or poverty. If you have a connection to the internet and four friends you trust with your life, anything is possible. Marisa Carneseca is on the hunt for a mysterious hacker named Grendel when she receives word that her amateur Overworld team has been invited to Forward Motion, one of the most exclusive tournaments of the year. For Marisa, this could mean anything—a chance to finally go pro and to help her family, stuck in an LA neighborhood on the wrong side of the growing divide between the rich and the poor. But Forward Motion turns out to be more than it seems—rife with corruption, infighting, and danger—and Marisa runs headlong into Alain Bensoussan, a beautiful, dangerous underground freedom fighter who reveals to her the darker side of the forces behind the tournament. It soon becomes clear that, in this game, winning might be the only way to get out alive."

Dan Wells (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Las Aventuras de Bella & Harry, Vol. 7: ¡Visitemos París!, ¡Visitemos Londres!, ¡Visitem

"Las Aventuras de Bella & Harry es una colección de libros que narra las escapadas de un cachorro llamado Bella, de su hermanito Harry, y de su familia según exploran las vistas y sonidos de nuevas y excitantes ciudades de todo el mundo. Esta colección ofrece una manera informativa y excitante de presentar a los niños todo sobre viajes, países y costumbres diferentes, su historia, sus puntos de interés y demás; lo que seguro se ganará el afecto de nuestros pequeños oyentes. Comparte momentos con Bella y Harry en su viaje familiar por Londres, y visita el Puente de la Torre (Tower Bridge), el Palacio de Buckingham, Stonehenge y otros lugares destacados. Por el camino presentarán típicos platos gastronómicos. A continuación, únete a Bella y a Harry en su viaje familiar por París, mientras descubren el Louvre, la Torre Eiffel, el Arco del Triunfo y otros fascinantes lugares. No faltará una introducción para nuestros jóvenes de la cocina local y de algunas frases básicas en francés. Prosigue tu viaje uniéndote a Bella, a Harry y a su familia en su viaje por Barcelona, descubriendo Las Ramblas, La Sagrada Familia y el Parque Guell, entre otros lugares magníficos. También oirás hablar de la cocina local (caso de las tapas) y frases útiles en catalán. Por último, sigue a Bella y Harry en su viaje por la Ciudad de Nueva York en plena Navidad. Los cachorros se pasearán por la Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue), sin perderse de vista el gran árbol navideño del Rockefeller Center, yendo a patinar sobre hielo, visitando el Radio City Music Hall y demás; todo mientras degustan los típicos bocados urbanos neoyorquinos. Las cómicas y informativas aventuras de Bella y Harry estimularán la imaginación de nuestros niños, fomentando una sed especial de conocimiento del mundo en el que habitan."

Lisa Manzione (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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Bluescreen

"“Bluescreen is a stunning deluge of imagination, filled with suspense and twists and unforgettable characters. This book is just plain awesome.”—James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze Runner From Dan Wells, author of the New York Times bestselling Partials Sequence, comes the first book in a new sci-fi-noir series. Los Angeles in 2050 is a city of open doors, as long as you have the right connections. That connection is a djinni—a smart device implanted right in a person’s head. In a world where virtually everyone is online twenty-four hours a day, this connection is like oxygen—and a world like that presents plenty of opportunities for someone who knows how to manipulate it. Marisa Carneseca is one of those people. She might spend her days in Mirador, but she lives on the net—going to school, playing games, hanging out, or doing things of more questionable legality with her friends Sahara and Anja. And it’s Anja who first gets her hands on Bluescreen—a virtual drug that plugs right into a person’s djinni and delivers a massive, nonchemical, completely safe high. But in this city, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and Mari and her friends soon find themselves in the middle of a conspiracy that is much bigger than they ever suspected."

Dan Wells (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Bird With the Heart of a Mountain

"I throw back my tumble of black hair, roll one bare shoulder forward, then the other. The stack of bangles on each wrist shimmies and slides as my hands rise like birds in flight. Set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War, sixteen-year-old Drina yearns to dance flamenco. When she dances, she forgets who she is. She forgets what seems to be her legacy: I am nothing. I belong nowhere. Why does her mother forbid her to dance, the very thing that makes her feel alive? She wonders about the secrets her mother holds, about the rumored life she had before Drina was born—a story that somehow still holds them both prisoner. From the wandering Gypsy campagna to the vineyard estate of a paternal grandmother she has never known and the dance halls of Seville where flamenco reigns, Drina fights to discover who she is and where she belongs. Not quite Gypsy, not quite Spanish, she must carve out an identity all her own and discover what it means to be a bird with the heart of a mountain. Full of mystery, loss, and longing, this powerful novel brilliantly captures a young girl’s yearning and her adventurous journey to discover her true home."

Barbara Mariconda (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out

"A 2015 Stonewall Honor Book A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves."

Susan Kuklin (Author), Janina Edwards, Marisol Ramirez, Nancy Wu, Nick Podehl, Roxanne Hernandez, Tanya Eby, Todd Haberkorn (Narrator)

Audiobook

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

"“Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass.” That’s what some girl tells Piddy Sanchez one morning before school. Too bad Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui Delgado is, let alone what she’s done to piss her off. All Piddy knows is that Yaqui hates her—and she better watch her back because Yaqui isn’t kidding around. At first Piddy just focuses on trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off and running away from her problems? In this poignant and all-too-realistic story from award-winning author Meg Medina, Piddy is forced to decide exactly who she is versus who others are trying to make her become—and ultimately discovers a rhythm that is all her own."

Meg Medina (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

Audiobook

Beacon Street Girls Special Adventure: Isabel's Texas Two-Step

"Isabel’s sister Elena Maria is turning fifteen, and the Martinez family is planning her quinceañera–at Uncle Hector’s ranch in San Antonio! ¡Hóla! Everything about San Antonio is awesome (except for my annoying cousin Ricardo)! The Southwestern art is giving me all sorts of ideas for new drawings. But Elena has turned Quincezilla–you’d think no one has ever turned fifteen before–and it’s like I’m invinsible. It’s a good thing there’s so much to see and do around here. And you won’t believe what I discovered when my cousin and I got stranded in a cave during a thunder and lightning storm! Un beso, Isabel"

Annie Bryant (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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