Audiobooks by Nikki Grimes

Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

Sixteen extraordinary authors subvert mental health stereotypes in this powerful and uplifting mix-genre collection of fiction. A boxer whose strength is tested more outside the ring than in it. A hiker who develops magical powers when her serotonin is finally balanced. A teen activist wrestling with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A boy whose uncontrollable tears help enable another’s healing … In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before. Through powerful prose and verse, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes and remind readers that living with a mental health condition doesn’t mean you are defined by it.

Alechia Dow, Anna Drury, Ebony Stewart, Francisco Stork, Isabel Quintero, James Bird, Jonathan Kastin, Karen Bao, Marcella Pixley, Mercedes Acosta, Nikki Grimes, Nora Shalaway Carpenter, Patrick Downes, Rocky Callen, Sonia Patel, Val Howlett (Author), Ana Osorio, Maxwell Glick, Merissa Czyz, Priya Ayyar, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Sophie Oda, Tamika Katon-Donegal, Vico Ortiz (Narrator)

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The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth

This powerful collection of short stories, essays, and poems is a call-to-action that invites all families to be anti-racist and advocates for change. Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators--including Renee Watson (Piecing Me Together), Grace Lin (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon), Meg Medina (Merci Suarez Changes Gears), and Adam Gidwitz (The Inquisitor's Tale)--engage young people in frank discussions about racism, identity and self-esteem. Featuring stories filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow, The Talk is an inspiring anthology and must-have resource published in partnership with Just Us Books, a black-owned children's publishing company that's been in operation for over 30 years. Just Us Books continues its mission grounded in the same belief that helped launch the company: Good books make a difference. So, let's talk. Featured contributors: Selina Alko, Tracey Baptiste, Derrick Barnes, Natacha Bustos, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Raúl Colón, Adam Gidwitz, Nikki Grimes, Rudy Gutierrez, April Harrison, Wade Hudson, Gordon C. James, Minh Lê, E. B. Lewis, Grace Lin, Torrey Maldonado, Meg Medina, Christopher Myers, Daniel Nayeri, Zeke Peña, Peter H. Reynolds, Erin K. Robinson, Traci Sorell, Shadra Strickland, Don Tate, MaryBeth Timothy, Duncan Tonatiuh, Renée Watson, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Sharon Dennis Wyeth This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF of sources and notes from the authors. 'The go-to book for talking to kids about race and privilege. Thoughtful. Thought-provoking. A must-read for every family.' -Ellen Oh, editor of Flying Lessons & Other Stories and cofounder of We Need Diverse Books 'The ingredients are all here. May this magnificent collection inspire us to move from dialogue to deep action.' -Kirkus, Starred Review

Adam Gidwitz, April Harrison, Christopher Myers, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Daniel Nayeri, Derrick Barnes, Don Tate, Duncan Tonatiuh, E. B. Lewis, Erin K. Robinson, Gordon C. James, Grace Lin, Marybeth Timothy, Meg Medina, Minh Lê, Natacha Bustos, Nikki Grimes, Peter H. Reynolds, Raúl Colón, Renée Watson, Rudy Gutierrez, Selina Alko, Shadra Strickland, Sharon Dennis Wyeth, Torrey Maldonado, Tracey Baptiste, Traci Sorell, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Wade Hudson, Zeke Peña (Author), Catherine Ho, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Feodor Chin, Gisela Chípe, Guy Lockard, James Fouhey, Janina Edwards, Jesus E. Martinez, Lisa Renee Pitts, Michael Crouch, Nicole Lewis, Omar Leyva, Renata Friedman (Narrator)

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Bedtime for Sweet Creatures

A sweet bedtime story from the award-winning author Nikki Grimes about a mother, her little boy, and their imagination-fueled and animal filled journey to get to sleep. It's bedtime. But Mommy's little one is not sleepy. He growls like a bear, he questions like an owl, he tosses his mane like a lion. He hunts for water like a sly wolf, and hides like a snake. Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature for sleep in this endearing and imagination-fueled journey to bedtime, from Children's Literature Legacy Awardwinning author Nikki Grimes and acclaimed illustrator Elizabeth Zunon.

Nikki Grimes (Author), Carra Patterson (Narrator)

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Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir

In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse. Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.

Nikki Grimes (Author), Nikki Grimes (Narrator)

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Jazmin's Notebook

Jazmin Shelby was "born with clenched fists"-which is okay, since she's got a lot of fighting ahead of her. Her dad died a couple of years back, and now that her mom's in the hospital, it's just her and her big sister, CeCe. But that's fine by Jazmin. She's got her friends, her school, lots of big plans for the future-and a zest for life and laughter that's impossible to resist. A Coretta Scott King Honor Book A Booklist Editors' Choice Book A Child Study Children's Book Committee Children's Book of the Year

Nikki Grimes (Author), Allyson Johnson (Narrator)

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Between the Lines

This thought-provoking companion to Nikki Grimes' Coretta Scott King Award-winning Bronx Masquerade shows the capacity poetry has to express ideas and feelings, and connect us with ourselves and others. Darrian dreams of writing for the New York Times. To hone his skills and learn more about the power of words, he enrolls in Mr. Ward's class, known for its open-mic poetry readings and boys vs. girls poetry slam. Everyone in class has something important to say, and in sharing their poetry, they learn that they all face challenges and have a story to tell-whether it's about health problems, aging out of foster care, being bullied for religious beliefs, or having to take on too much responsibility because of an addicted parent. As Darrian and his classmates get to know one another through poetry, they bond over the shared experiences and truth that emerge from their writing, despite their private struggles and outward differences.

Nikki Grimes (Author), Almarie Guerra, Cherise Boothe, Edward Lopes, Edward Lopez, James Shippy, Lori Gardner, Ruffin Prentiss, Sisi Aisha Johnson (Narrator)

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Voices of Christmas

Step into the shoes of Mary, Joseph, the Innkeeper, Elizabeth, the Shepherds, and more as we poetically recount the wonder of the birth of Jesus through the eyes of those who were witness Gabriel "paced the halls of heaven" as he memorized God's message to Mary. He wondered what she would say. The Christmas story unfolds, as never before, through the voices of those who witnessed the Messiah's birth. Listen to Joseph's struggle. Rejoice with Elizabeth and Zachariah. Worship with the magi. Hear the fear in Herod's voice. Receive the blessing of Simeon and Anna. And, like the shepherds, shout for joy!

Nikki Grimes (Author), Full Cast (Narrator)

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Garvey's Choice

Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in anything but sports. Garvey is kind, funny, smart and a loyal friend. He is also overweight, teased by bullies and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life begins to change. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to finally accept himself.

Nikki Grimes (Author), Imani Parks, James Shippy (Narrator)

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Garvey's Choice

Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading-anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father-by speaking the language of music instead of the language of sports. This emotionally resonant novel in verse by award-winning author Nikki Grimes celebrates choosing to be true to yourself.

Nikki Grimes (Author), James Shippy (Narrator)

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Poems in the Attic

During a visit to her grandma's house, a young girl discovers a box of poems in the attic, poems written by her mother when she was growing up. Her mother's family often moved around the United States and the world because her father was in the Air Force. Over the years, her mother used poetry to record her experiences in the many places the family lived. Reading the poems and sharing those experiences through her mother's eyes, the young girl feels closer to her mother than ever before. To let her mother know this, she creates a gift: a book with her own poems and copies of her mother's. And when she returns her mother's poems to the box in the attic, she leaves her own poems too, for someone else to find, someday. Using free verse for the young girl's poems and tanka for her mother's, master poet Nikki Grimes creates a tender intergenerational story that speaks to every child's need to hold onto special memories of home, no matter where that place might be.

Nikki Grimes (Author), Sisi Aisha Johnson (Narrator)

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Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Fa

Nikki Grimes offers a glimpse into the inspiring lives of Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman, with breathtaking illustrations by Michele Wood! What if Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony sat down over tea to reminisce about their extraordinary lives? What would they recall of their triumphs and struggles as they fought to achieve civil rights for African Americans and equal rights for women? And what other historical figures played parts in their stories? These questions led Coretta Scott King Award winner Nikki Grimes to create CHASING FREEDOM, an engaging work of historical fiction about two of the nineteenth century's most powerful, and inspiring, American women. With breathtaking illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award winner Michele Wood, CHASING FREEDOM richly imagines the experiences of Tubman and Anthony, set against the backdrop of the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and the Women's Suffrage Movement. Additional back matter invites curious young readers to further explore this period in history--and the larger-than-life figures who lived it.

Nikki Grimes (Author), Lizan Mitchell (Narrator)

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Words with Wings

Gabby's world is filled with daydreams. Now, what began as an escape from her parents' arguments has taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer. Written in vivid accessible poems, this verse novel is a celebration of one girl's indomitable spirit and of a teacher's ability to reach out and change a life. * ." . . Grimes has written a novel in verse that is an enthusiastic celebration of the power of words and imagination. . . Always accessible, Grimes' language is vivid, rhythmic, and figurative. . . Grimes' words speak to the daydreamer in every reader." - "Booklist", starred review. " . . . Grimes packs substantial emotional heft into her poems, especially the way that Gabby's parents' separation weighs on her. . . her poems lovingly convey the rich inner life (and turmoil) of a girl in the process of finding her voice." - "Publishers Weekly"

Nikki Grimes (Author), Mutiyat Ade-Salu (Narrator)

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