Tough Topics Audiobooks

Trash

"Brought to you by Penguin. Raphael is a dumpsite boy. He spends his days wading through mountains of steaming trash, sifting it, sorting it, breathing it, sleeping next to it. Then one unlucky-lucky day, Raphael's world turns upside down. A small leather bag falls into his hands. It's a bag of clues. It's a bag of hope. It's a bag that will change everything. Soon Raphael and his friends Gardo and Rat are running for their lives. Wanted by the police, it takes all their quick-thinking, fast-talking to stay ahead. As the net tightens, they uncover a dead man's mission to put right a terrible wrong. And now it's three street-boys against the world... © Andy Mulligan 2010 (P) Penguin Audio 2021"

Andy Mulligan (Author), Federico Louhau, Florencia Cordeu, Fran Canals, Javier Fernandez, Jot Davies, Luis Soto, Nathalie Buscombe (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Betrayed

"The sequel to THE BETROTHED, a glittering royal romance, from New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series. She gave her heart away. Now she’ll fight to get it back. Can you follow your heart when it’s already broken? After fleeing the court of Coroa and leaving the memory of her beloved, the assassinated Silas Eastoffe, behind, Hollis is unsteadily adjusting to life with his family. The Eastoffe's affection is a balm on Hollis’s weary spirt, though Etan, a surly cousin with a deep distate for Coroans, threatens to upset the uneasy peace that Hollis has found. While tensions at home are mounting, disquiet in the kingdom of Isolte is reaching fever pitch. The Eastoffes may have the power to unseat the tyrannical King Jameson, but only with Hollis’s help. Can a girl who’s lost it all put the fate of her adopted homeland over the secret longings of her heart?"

Kiera Cass (Author), Jasika Nicole (Narrator)

Audiobook

Words Composed of Sea and Sky

"A contemporary YA summer Cape Cod romance featuring poets divided by centuries. Michaela Dunn, living on present day Cape Cod, dreams of getting into an art school, something her family just doesn't understand. When her stepfather refuses to fund a trip for a poetry workshop, Michaela finds the answer in a local contest searching for a poet to write the dedication plaque for a statue honoring Captain Benjamin Churchill, a whaler who died at sea 100 years ago. She struggles to understand why her town venerates Churchill, an almost mythical figure whose name adorns the school team and various tourist traps. When she discovers the 1862 diary of Leta Townsend, however, she gets a glimpse of Churchill that she didn't quite anticipate. In 1862, Leta Townsend writes poetry under the name Benjamin Churchill, a boy who left for sea to hunt whales. Leta is astonished when Captain Churchill returns after his rumored death. She quickly falls for him. But is she falling for the actual captain or the boy she constructed in her imagination?"

Erica George (Author), Carly Robins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Rise to the Sun

"From the author of You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah Johnson delivers a stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark. Olivia is an expert at falling in love . . . and at being dumped. But after the fallout from her last breakup has left her an outcast at school and at home, she’s determined to turn over a new leaf. A crush-free weekend at Farmland Music and Arts Festival with her best friend is just what she needs to get her mind off the senior year that awaits her. Toni is one week away from starting college, and it’s the last place she wants to be. Unsure about who she wants to become and still reeling in the wake of the loss of her musician-turned-roadie father, she’s heading back to the music festival that changed his life in hopes that following in his footsteps will help her find her own way forward. When the two arrive at Farmland, the last thing they expect is to realize that they’ll need to join forces in order to get what they’re searching for out of the weekend. As they work together, the festival becomes so much more complicated than they bargained for. Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other, and music, more than they ever could have imagined. Packed with irresistible romance and irrepressible heart, bestselling author Leah Johnson delivers a stunning and cinematic story about grief, love, and the remarkable power of music to heal and connect us all."

Leah Johnson (Author), Alaska Jackson, Lexi Underwood (Narrator)

Audiobook

You & Me at the End of the World

"This is no ordinary apocalypse... Hannah Ashton wakes up to silence. The entire city around her is empty, except for one other person: Leo Sterling. Leo might bethe hottest boy ever (and not just because he's the only one left), but he's also too charming, too selfish, and too devastating forhis own good, let alone Hannah's.Stuck with only each other, they explore a world with no parents, no friends, and no school and realize that they can bethemselves instead of playing the parts everyone expects of them. Hannah doesn't have to be just an overachieving, music-boxperfectballerina, and Leo can be more than a slacker, 80s-glam-metal-obsessed guitarist. Leo is a burst of honesty and fun thatdraws Hannah out, and Hannah's got Leo thinking about someone other than himself for the first time.Together, they search for answers amid crushing isolation. But while their empty world may appear harmless . . . it's not. Becausenothing is quite as it seems, and if Hannah and Leo don't figure out what's going on, they might just be torn apart forever."

Brianna Bourne (Author), Kirby Heyborne, Taylor Meskimen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Up All Night: 13 Stories between Sunset and Sunrise

"When everyone else goes to bed, the ones who stay up feel like they're the only people in the world. As the hours tick by deeper into the night, the familiar drops away and the unfamiliar beckons. Adults are asleep, and a hush falls over the hum of daily life. Anything is possible. It's a time for romance and adventure. For prom night and ghost hunts. It's a time for breaking up, for falling in love-for finding yourself. Stay up all night with these thirteen short stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors like Karen McManus, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nina LaCour, and Brandy Colbert, as they take readers deep into these rarely seen, magical hours. Full contributor list: Brandy Colbert, Kathleen Glasgow, Maurene Goo, Tiffany D. Jackson, Amanda Joy, Nina LaCour, Karen M. McManus, Anna Meriano, Marieke Nijkamp, Laura Silverman, Kayla Whaley, Julian Winters, Francesca Zappia"

Laura Silverman (Author), Channie Waites, Imani Parks, Taylor Meskimen (Narrator)

Audiobook

When We Were Strangers

"How far would you go to unravel the truth? Seventeen-year-old Evie Parker is devastated in the wake of her father’s sudden death. But she knows something her mother doesn’t: the day of his heart attack, her dad was planning to move out. After finding his packed bags, she impulsively put everything away to spare her mom more heartache. To make matters worse, Evie soon learns the reason her father was going to leave: he had been dating his twenty-two-year-old receptionist, Bree, who is now six months pregnant with his child … Evie’s half-sibling. Desperate to distract herself, Evie signs up for a summer photography class, where she meets a motley crew of students, including quirky and adorable Declan. Still, Evie can’t stop thinking about the other woman. Armed with a telephoto lens, she caves in to her curiosity … and what starts as a little bit of spying on Bree quickly turns into an obsession. Then, when an emergency forces Evie to help Bree, she learns there’s more to the story than she ever knew. Alex Richards crafts a riveting and layered story about betrayal, complicated family secrets, and getting to the heart of what really matters."

Alex Richards (Author), Laura Knight Keating (Narrator)

Audiobook

Rescuers From Illur: A Dystopian Novel

"Very few in the worn encampment even notice the boy they have known since birth. With feelings of not being liked or cared for, Edan spends his days exploring and only returns for meager shelter during the night. Believing he is fine on his own, the quiet boy has adapted to rely only on himself.   Strangers arrive at a camp built around a structure that was long ago a wondrous house. They come on the heels of fear, but bring knowledge and the promise of travel to a thriving society. The possibility of prosperity within a world of hard work and nothingness would mean tremendous change for those living in the camp. Edan is wary, but interested in the strangers and soon connects with one who believes she is meant to save his people. As Edan’s bond grows with the captivating girl, Vita, the strangers ready themselves to return to Illur with the people of the encampment.   Even though he has every reason to go, it is a struggle for Edan to leave the only place he has known to travel somewhere he hopes exists. Trust is hard won for a boy who is used to being alone, but loyalty seems rooted in his soul. He wants to believe, for himself and all the others of his camp who wonder if they can find a better life in Illur."

Cajah Reed (Author), Cajah Reed (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sky Breaker

"Wicked Saints meets the Grishaverse in this stunning and relentless conclusion to the Night Spinner duology.Enebish has been deceived by everyone she once considered a friend. On the run across the tundra, her only allies are her best friend Serik and a band of ill-tempered shepherds. Her only hope of bringing peace to Ashkar is to unite the people of the Protected Territories and make a stand against the tyrannical Sky King and the hostile nation of Zemya. But that’s easier said than done. As supplies dwindle, the shepherds become far more desperate for food than freedom.Meanwhile, Zemyan forces have stormed the Ashkarian capital. Imperial Army Commander Ghoa throws all of her power into a last-ditch effort to save her king, only to be abandoned by her fellow warriors. Held captive in a prison forged of magic and tortured by the zealous sorcerer Kartok, Ghoa learns his true ambitions lie far beyond the warring countries―he wants vengeance on the gods themselves.The war between Ashkar and Zemya began centuries ago as a feud amongst the gods. Now it’s up to the two most hated people on the continent―the monstrous outcast, Enebish, and the notorious war criminal, Ghoa―to heal that spiritual divide before Kartok brings the skies crashing down on all of them."

Addie Thorley (Author), Caitlin Davies, Natalie Naudus (Narrator)

Audiobook

Stone Cold

"If being bullied through every school Billy went to wasn’t enough, being attacked in her own home just pushed her over the edge. Now severely depressed and suicidal, Billy takes matters into her own hands and sees a counsellor. After just one session, she’s now on her way to Scotland as a volunteer to help the Professor of Edinburgh university, dig and clean up an archaeological site that has just been discovered. Although she tries to shy away from the others, not wanting them to find a reason to dislike her, she’s soon accepted as one of them. Without realising it’s happening, she becomes closer to Shane, a motocross enthusiast who has taken her under his wing. However, whilst working at the site, Billy comes across an unusual stone. She takes it to the Professor to be looked at, but he dismisses it as a pendant probably dropped by a hiker and so threads the stone with a black leather cord and gives it back to Billy. Only the peace they once had, the friendships they had all formed, gets tested as bodies start to pile up."

Karina Kantas (Author), Emma Faye (Narrator)

Audiobook

Crow Country

"Sadie is upset when her mum uproots them from the city to move to the remote small town of Boort. But before long she has discovered a powerful place and crows that speak to her, and she is drawn to two boys, Lachie and Walter. Then Sadie is thrown back in time to witness a dreadful crime in which her family is involved. Sadie, Walter and Lachie must find a way to atone for past wrongs, or be doomed to repeat them. Crow Country won the CBCA Book of the Year, Younger Readers, in 2012 and is studied in many Australian high schools. Kate Constable was born in Melbourne but grew up in Papua New Guinea, within reach of a library where she devoured stories. She studied Arts/Law at university before working in the music industry while she began her life as a writer. Kate had several stories published in literary magazines before realising she was actually a children’s and YA author. Kate has written eleven novels for young people, including the internationally-published Chanters of Tremaris fantasy series. She lives on Wurundjeri country in a northern suburb of Melbourne. Text copyright 2011 Kate Constable. Production copyright 2021 Elizabeth Chambers. Produced by Sarah Bacaller for Voices of Today."

Kate Constable (Author), Elizabeth Chambers (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Dutch; Flemish] - Mijn nacht met Vedder

"Hoe een nachtelijke roadtrip helpt bij het verwerken van een verlies Buddy Tegenbosch won met Match de Prijs van de Jonge Jury 2020 'Ik wil ervoor zorgen dat ik niet vergeten word.' Eigenlijk bedoelt Noor hiermee niet zichzelf, maar haar vader. Hij is plotseling overleden en hoewel Noor hem ontzettend mist, merkt ze tot haar schrik dat ze soms een paar uur niet aan hem heeft gedacht. De angst om haar vader te vergeten wordt steeds groter. Dan klopt Vedder op haar slaapkamerraam. Hij neemt haar een nacht mee op zijn Harley en zorgt ervoor dat ze het verlies van haar vader letterlijk een plek kan geven. Mijn nacht met Vedder is het verhaal van twee jongeren die elkaar weten te vinden tijdens een nacht die ze nooit zullen vergeten."

Buddy Tegenbosch (Author), Kevin Hassing (Narrator)

Audiobook