Tough Topics Audiobooks

Who Killed Christopher Goodman?: Based on a True Crime

"Inspired by a tragic true event in his past, Allan Wolf examines the circumstances of one boy’s inexplicable murder and the fateful summer leading up to it.Everybody likes Chris Goodman. Sure, he’s a little odd. He wears those funny bell-bottoms and he really likes the word ennui and he shakes your hand when he meets you, but he’s also the kind of guy who’s always up for a good time, always happy to lend a hand. Everybody likes Chris Goodman, which makes it especially shocking when he’s murdered. Here, in a stunning multi-voiced narrative—including the perspective of the fifteen-year-old killer—and based on a true and terrible crime that occurred when he was in high school, author Allan Wolf sets out to answer the first question that comes to mind in moments of unthinkable tragedy: how could a thing like this happen?"

Allan Wolf (Author), Jesse Lee, Kate Rudd, Lauren Ezzo, Nick Podehl, Scott Lange, Scott Merriman, Whitney Dykhouse, Will Damron (Narrator)

Audiobook

Honestly Ben

"In the companion to Openly Straight, Ben confronts pressure at school, repression at home, and his passion for two very different people in figuring out what it takes to be Honestly Ben. The companion to the award-winning Openly Straight, called 'remarkable...deeply satisfying and as honest as its appealing protagonist' (Booklist). Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Andrew Smith, and John Green!Ben Carver is back to normal. He's working steadily in his classes at the Natick School. He just got elected captain of the baseball team. He's even won a full scholarship to college, if he can keep up his grades. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg the past semester is in the past.Except...There's Hannah, the gorgeous girl from the neighboring school, who attracts him and distracts him. There's his mother, whose quiet unhappiness Ben is noticing for the first time. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. And there's Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else . . . and maybe the real normal that Ben needs."

Bill Konigsberg (Author), Dan Bittner (Narrator)

Audiobook

Dead Little Mean Girl

"Quinn Littleton was a mean girl—a skinny blonde social terrorist in stilettos. She was everything Emma MacLaren hated. Until she died. A proud geek girl, Emma loves her quiet life on the outskirts, playing video games and staying off the radar. When her nightmare of a new stepsister moves into the bedroom next door, her world is turned upside down. Quinn is a queen bee with a nasty streak who destroys anyone who gets in her way. Teachers, football players, her fellow cheerleaders—no one is safe. Emma wants nothing more than to get this girl out of her life, but when Quinn dies suddenly, Emma realizes there was more to her stepsister than anyone ever realized. A meaningful and humorous exploration of teen stereotypes and grief, Dead Little Mean Girl examines the labels we put on people and what lies beyond if we're only willing to look closer."

Eva Darrows (Author), Reba Buhr (Narrator)

Audiobook

Capture of the Defiance

"Makayla Summerlin is excited to join her grandfather, Henry, in Hong Kong during a college break. She plans to help him sail the next leg of his journey around the world on the Defiance, but events take a frightening turn when her grandfather is kidnapped and the Defiance disappears! Unsure of what to do, Makayla reaches out to an old friend for help. Brian Jacobs’ work at the Consulate General in Hong Kong is just a stepping-stone for his political career. His life for the foreseeable future is carefully optimized for success, but everything is turned upside down when he receives a frantic call for help from a friend. Their meeting quickly turns into a race for survival when Makayla is almost kidnapped in front of him. Seeing Makayla again awakens old feelings inside Brian, and he knows he will do everything he can to help her, no matter the cost. When the situation turns deadly, both Brian and Makayla find unexpected help from another old friend and a Hong Kong detective. Together, the four race to find Henry and protect Makayla. Their efforts to unravel the mystery of why a wealthy crime lord would target Henry and Makayla, and to find the Defiance, will take them further than they ever expected to go, but will they be able to discover the truth before time runs out for Henry?"

S.E. Smith (Author), Paul Heitsch (Narrator)

Audiobook

Almost Adulting: All You Need to Know to Get It Together (Sort Of)

"For fans of Grace Helbig and Alexa Chung comes a fresh, hilarious guide to growing up your way from social media influencer and lifestyle vlogger Arden Rose. In Almost Adulting—perfect for budding adults, failing adults, and eaters of microwave mug brownies—Arden tells you how to survive your future adulthood. Topics include: - Making internet friends who are cool and not murderers - Flirting with someone in a way to make them think you are cool and not a murderer - Being in an actual relationship where you talk about your feelings in a healthy manner??? To the other person??????? - Eating enough protein - Assembling a somewhat acceptable adult wardrobe when you have zero dollars - Going on adventures without starting to smell - How sex is supposed to feel, but, like, actually though By the end of the book—a mash-up of essays, lists, and artwork—you'll have learned not only how to dress yourself, how to travel alone, how to talk to strangers online, and how to date strangers (in PERSON!), but also how to pass as a real, functioning, appropriately socialized adult."

Arden Rose (Author), Arden Rose (Narrator)

Audiobook

Openly Straight

"2017 Parents’ Choice Award Winner! Rafe is a normal teenager from Colorado. He's been out since 8th grade, accepted by his peers & championed by his progressive parents. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to be a regular guy. To have his sexuality be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time. So when Rafe transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down and realizes his own labels aren't well-concealed. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben...who doesn't even know that love is possible."

Bill Konigsberg (Author), Pete Cross (Narrator)

Audiobook

How To Get Over A Breakup For Women: Your Step By Step Guide To Getting Over A Break Up For Women

"If you have just undergone a break up, then get this 'How to Get Over a Breakup For Women' step-by-step guide. It is written by a person who has also gone through the break up and lose loved ones. In this step-by-step guide, you will discover how to overcome and endure the pain cause by the break up. - How to reflect and accept difficult situations. - How to get through the hatred. - How to accept the truth and move on forward. - How to handle the coping up stages. - How to learn how to forgive. - How to deal with the sudden loss of loved ones. - How to remove memory triggers. - How to make realizations and eventually move on. - Learn how to deviate from your usual routine. - And much more. HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts."

Howexpert (Author), Krystle L. Minkoff (Narrator)

Audiobook

Denton Little's Still Not Dead

"'Denton and his quirky friends are laugh-out-loud funny, even as their riotous adventures raise deeper questions about science, government control, life, and death.' -- SLJ You only live once-unless you're Denton Little!   Denton Little lives in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day on which they will die. The good news: Denton has lived through his deathdate. Yay! The bad news: He's being chased by the DIA (Death Investigation Agency), he can never see his family again, and he may now die anytime. Huh. Cheating death isn't quite as awesome as Denton would have thought. . . .   Lance Rubin's debut novel, Denton Little's Deathdate, showed readers just how funny and poignant imminent death could be. Now in this sequel, he takes on the big questions about life. How do we cope, knowing we could die at any time? Would you save someone from dying even if they were a horrible person? Is it wrong to kiss the girl your best friend is crushing on if she's really into you instead? What if she's wearing bacon lip gloss? Praise for Denton Little's Deathdate:   "Highly original, fantastically entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny, Denton Little's Deathdate is a wild romp through a night like no other." -Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Geography of You and Me   "Let's all pray the grim reaper is even half as witty (and wise) as the deadly talented Lance Rubin. Till then: skip this book at your own peril." -Tim Federle, author of Better Nate than Ever and The Great American Whatever "Rubin is really funny, but like John Green, he manages to be poignant. . . . In other words, it's a keeper." -Bustle"

Lance Rubin (Author), Lance Rubin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Crazy Messy Beautiful

"From National Book Award finalist Carrie Arcos--a fresh take on happily ever after, and friendship, that is anything but a love story. When your namesake is Pablo Neruda-the greatest love poet of all time-finding "the one" should be easy. After all, sixteen-year-old aspiring artist Neruda Diaz has been in love many times before. So it's only a matter of time before someone loves him back.   Callie could be that someone. She's creative and edgy, and nothing like the girls Neruda typically falls for, so when a school assignment brings them together, he is pleasantly surprised to learn they have a lot in common. With his true love in reach and his artistic ambitions on track, everything is finally coming together.   But as Neruda begins to fall faster and harder than ever before, he is blindsided by the complicated nature of love-and art-in more ways than one. And when the relationships he's looked to for guidance threaten to implode, Neruda must confront the reality that love is crazier, messier, and more beautiful than he ever realized-and riskier, too, than simply saying the words. Praise for Crazy Messy Beautiful: 'This satisfying and unconventional love story explores the various meanings of the word.' --Kirkus Reviews 'Arcos has written a classic story of a budding artist finding out the reality behind the artifice, and does sowhile keeping a wonderful sense of humor.' --Booklist   'Arcos capably probes the mysterious without attempting to solve it as Neruda discovers the difference between crushing on someone he doesn't know and loving someone he does, learning that friendship, too, is a kind of love.' --Publishers Weekly  'With readily relatable characters who, nonetheless, surprise readers as they tackle life's many challenges and gifts, Crazy Messy Beautiful . . . explores the complexities of human emotions, aspirations, creativity, and relationships. This eminently readable book will appeal to male and female readers alike.' --VOYA 'The thematic thread of love as work between flawed people is woven through both language and situations, its subtlety affording different readings; romantics like Neruda will empathize with his frustration and failures, while more pragmatic readers may feel wryly superior and even slightly amused at the ways his heightened expectations butt up against modern high school life and characters.'--BCCB"

Carrie Arcos (Author), Michael Crouch (Narrator)

Audiobook

Useless Bay

"On Whidbey Island, the Gray quintuplets are the stuff of legend. Pixie and her brothers have always been bigger and blonder than their neighbors, as if they were birthed from the island itself. Together, they serve as an unofficial search-and-rescue team for the island, saving tourists and locals alike from the forces of wind and sea. But, when a young boy goes missing, the mysteries start to pile up. While searching for him, they find his mother’s dead body instead—and realize that something sinister is in their midst."

M. J. Beaufrand (Author), Caitlin Davies, Michael Crouch (Narrator)

Audiobook

American Street

"A National Book Award Finalist with five starred reviews and multiple awards! A New York Times Notable Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time * A Parade Best Young Adult Book of All Time * A Kirkus Best Book Of the Century * Publishers Weekly Flying Start * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * ALA Booklist Editors' Choice of 2017 (Top of the List winner) * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * BookPage Best YA Book of the Year An evocative and powerful coming-of-age story perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jason Reynolds In this stunning debut novel, Pushcart-nominated author Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this lyrical exploration of America with magical realism and vodou culture. On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie—a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?"

Ibi Zoboi (Author), Robin Miles (Narrator)

Audiobook

#famous

"Debut author Jilly Gagnon bursts onto the scene with a story equal parts bite and romance, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Jennifer E. Smith, about falling for someone in front of everyone. In this modern day love story: Girl likes boy. Girl snaps photo and posts it online. Boy becomes insta-famous. And what starts out as an innocent photo turns into a whirlwind adventure that forces them both to question whether fame—and love—are worth the price…and changes both of their lives forever. Told from alternating points of view, #famous captures the sometimes-crazy thrill ride of social media and the equally messy but wonderful moments of liking someone in real life."

Jilly Gagnon (Author), Arielle DeLisle, James Fouhey (Narrator)

Audiobook