All six Bastable children--Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel and Horace Octavius--are ambitious adventurers, digging detectives and intrepid treasure seekers by nature. Unfortunately, the Bastable family is currently facing an uncertain financial future. When father takes ill, and his business partners abandon him, the six children team up in an effort to restore their family's wealth. Although they devise some ingenious escapades, their efforts usually end up unprofitable but fun--and sometimes their digging gets downright dangerous. But one day their adventure leads them to completely unexpected results. Author E. Nesbit's classic children's stories have entertained countless readers since their original publication over 100 years ago. With Simon Prebble's exceptional narration this marvelously written tale shines as brightly as gold coins.
Some kids want to be President when they grow up. Twelve-year-old Judson Moon wants to be President right now! "Grown-ups have had a thousand years to mess up the world," Judson explains. "Now it's our turn." But running for President is hard. You have to kiss a zillion babies and shake a zillion hands, and say a zillion "hellos." There's the tough decision about which girl in your school you should ask to be First Babe. Also, selling 80 million cups of lemonade is a slow way to finance a campaign. And there's an unfair constitutional provision against kids running for President that needs to be changed. Dan Gutman's entertaining account of Judson's quest for the White House slyly mixes lessons about U.S. history and government with a story full of unexpected twists. Scott Shina's hilarious narration will have listeners laughing as they hum "Hail to the Chief."
Life on the Waller plantation is harsh and bleak. Twelve-year-old Sarny knows that it won't be long before she will be forced to leave Mammy and join the other young women who serve the master's household as breeders. Then one day a new slave arrives, bought from an overseer for a thousand dollars. He comes in a bad way, walking in front of the horses and Waller's ready whip. His back is covered with scars as thick as Sarny's hand, but he holds his head high and doesn't seem to mind that everyone is watching him. Sarny doesn't know yet, but Nightjohn's arrival is about to change everything. For that very night, in exchange for a plug of tobacco, Nightjohn begins to teach Sarny the letters of the alphabet. With enough time and tobacco, she will be able to read. Sarny has gotten as far as the letter J, when Waller catches her tracing the word BAG in the dust on the road. The punishment for teaching someone to read is severe. What will happen if Waller finds out who Sarny's teacher is? Will her precious gift of learning be lost forever? Newberry honor-winner, Gary Paulsen, offers a graphically realistic and historically accurate portrayal of slave society in mid-19th century America.
Hai Li Bu lives in a small Chinese village. Even though he is a good hunter, there is a drought, and he can no longer find enough food to feed the village. One day, while hunting deep in the forest, Hai Li Bu rescues the Dragon King of the Sea's daughter. As a reward, Hai Li Bu is given the ability to understand the speech of animals. There is one condition-if Hai Li Bu tells anyone about his gift he will turn to stone. Soon Hai Li Bu is able to feed everyone again. Then the animals tell him a huge storm is coming that will destroy the village. When he tries to warn everyone they refuse to believe him unless he tells them how he knows. Now, Hai Li Bu must decide whether to save himself or his village. Mary Casanova's adaptation of this Chinese folktale, combined with Richard Poe's subtle yet powerful narration brings to life a story listeners won't soon forget.
Three key stories from the mists of Irish legend retold by Benedict Flynn, with atmospheric music and sound effects. Enter a mysterious world where the line between the fantastical and the real is blurred mortals and immortals live strange entwined lives and nature and high magic exist side by side.
In an enchanting performance, two-time Academy Award® winner Sally Field takes us on a topsy-turvy adventure through Wonderland. Irresistibly delightful, fascinating and funny, Ms. Field's stunning interpretation brings Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat and all of Lewis Carroll's remarkable characters to life.
Produced in a simple manner that allows imaginations to soar, Carroll's triumph will charm the entire family. Destined to become an instant classic, this audiobook will help introduce our family to the unique pleasure of classic literature.
A portion of the proceeds from this audiobook will be donated to the National Center for Family Literacy, a non-profit organization that improves the lives of tens of thousands of families annually by creating and assisting programs that teach the entire family basic literacy skills that expand their economic and social well-being.
Lois Lowry's The Giver is the quintessential dystopian novel, followed by its remarkable companions, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.
Two boys, separated by the canyons of time and two vastly different cultures, face the challenges by which they will become men.Coyote Runs, an Apache boy, takes part in his first raid. But he is to be a man for only a short time.More than a hundred years later, while camping near Dog Canyon, 15-year-old Brennan Cole becomes obsessed with a skull that he finds, pierced by a bullet. He learns that it is the skull of an Apache boy executed by soldiers in 1864. A mystical link joins Brennan and Coyote Runs, and Brennan knows that neither boy will find peace until Coyote Runs' skull is carried back to an ancient sacred place.In a grueling journey through the canyon to return the skull, Brennan confronts the challenge of his life.From the Paperback edition.
Gene was a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas was a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happened between them at school one summer during the early years of World War II is the subject of A Separate Peace. A great bestseller for over thirty years--one of the most starkly moving parables ever written of the dark forces that brood over the tortured world of adolescence.
Life has been difficult for 10-year-old Colley Trevelyan ever since he lost his mother and father in a fatal carriage accident. Most of the servants have been dismissed, and the house feels empty. To make matters worse, soon he will be living with his aunt and uncle who have never liked him. One night he suddenly wakes up wrapped tightly in a rough blanket. As he struggles to free himself, a strange man carries him to a waiting carriage. The next thing Colley knows, he is in London at the dreadful Broggin Home for Boys-and people are calling him Jed Broggin. Why is this happening to him? Barbara Brooks Wallace packs suspense and plot twists into this tale of a young boy finding a reason to live amidst horrible conditions. Sparrows in the Scullery won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award. With narrator Steven Crossley's dramatic flair and authentic accent, he transports youngsters to historical England to discover what life was like there a hundred years ago.
Long ago in a land by the sea, 12-year-old Aaron lives with his mother in the wooded countryside. Because the boy is mute, he depends on his mother completely. But when a sudden blizzard strands his mother in a distant town, Aaron finds himself alone for the first time in his life. Setting out in the snow to look for his mother, the boy embarks on a perilous, silent journey that will carry him to the eerie Half-A-Moon Inn. There, held captive by the sharp-eyed Miss Grackle, Aaron will discover her wicked powers-ones that Aaron must destroy if he is ever to see his mother again. Paul Fleischman, an award-winning author of children's books, writes stories that capture the attention of even the most reluctant readers. Throughout Aaron's exciting adventure, The Half-A-Moon Inn fills with the sights and sounds of a magical, medieval world.
