Kids Stories Biography

At 16 years old, Laurie Hernandez has already made many of her dreams come true - and yet it’s only the beginning for this highly accomplished athlete. A Latina Jersey girl, Laurie saw her life take a dramatic turn last summer when she was chosen to be a part of the 2016 US Olympic gymnastics team. After winning gold in Rio as part of the Final Five, Laurie also earned an individual silver medal for her performance on the balance beam.

Meet the man who changed the game forever. Michael Jordan has always been competitive - even as a young boy, he fought for attention. His need to be the best made him a star player on his college basketball team and helped him become an NBA legend, both for his skills and his endorsements. His Nike contract for Air Jordan basketball shoes set an unmatched precedent for professional athletes. Author Kirsten Anderson takes listeners through each exciting moment, detailing the iconic reverse lay-ups and jump shots of Michael Jordan's storied career.

Growing up in suburban Detroit, David Hahn was fascinated by science. While he was working on his Atomic Energy badge for the Boy Scouts, David's obsessive attention turned to nuclear energy. Throwing caution to the wind, he plunged into a new project: building a model nuclear reactor in his backyard garden shed. Posing as a physics professor, David solicited information on reactor design from the US government and from industry experts. Following blueprints he found in an outdated physics textbook, David cobbled together a crude device that threw off toxic levels of radiation.

When you think about the evil in the world, you conjure up images of those who prey on children, serial murderers, and criminals who carry out sickening and violent acts toward the weak, vulnerable, and undeserving. Names like Bundy, Gacy, and Gein come to mind, alongside the many other murderous people out there who've gained notoriety because of their evil. When you're envisioning the unthinkable and heinous acts that are carried out in this world, it's unlikely you imagine a youngster as being a perpetrator of evil.

With the signature wit and humor that has garnered him legions of fans, Gantos instructs young writers on using their "writing radar" to find story ideas in their own lives. Incorporating his own misadventures as a developing writer, Gantos inspires listeners to build confidence and establish good writing habits as they create and revise their stories. More than just a how-to guide, Writing Radar is a celebration of the power of storytelling and an ode to the characters who - many unwittingly - inspired Gantos' own writing career.

Greg Stier was raised in a family of bodybuilding, tobacco-chewing, fist-fighting thugs. He never knew his biological father because his mom had met his dad at a party; she got pregnant, and he left town. Though his mom almost aborted him, in a last minute twist, Greg’s life was spared for so much more. Unlikely Fighter is the incredible story of how God showed up in Greg’s life - and how he can show up in yours as well. This is a memoir of violence and mayhem - and how God can transform everything.

The first self-made woman millionaire has quite the story to tell. Can you imagine being a female self-made millionaire in the early 1900s? That was quite the accomplishment. Madam C. J. Walker did it! Learn more about how she got her start in this audiobook about her life in our Black history series. Share this and more amazing stories with your children! Give them a true historical foundation and a sense of belonging.

The moving true story of how young Ukrainian Jewish piano prodigies Zhanna (alias “Anna”) and her sister Frina outplayed their pursuers while hiding in plain sight during the Holocaust. A middle grade nonfiction novel-in-verse by award-winning author Susan Hood with Greg Dawson (Zhanna’s son).

Listen to the story of one of the best storytellers of Canada’s Six Nations. Chief Dan George entered the silver screen to represent the indigenous people. He was Tsleil-Waututh actor and poet through and through. He turned down stereotypical roles. Learn about the colorful life of Chief Dan George.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice until his death - from an assassin's bullet - in 1968.

The follow-up to Ben Brooks' New York Times best-selling Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different, this book offers more extraordinary true stories of amazing people who broke the mold and changed the world for the better. The resulting message? Be yourself, and your dreams might come true.

Packed with exciting storytelling, A Kid’s Guide to Basketball Legends will captivate your child’s imagination and inspire a lifelong love for the game. Perfect for young sports enthusiasts or anyone curious about basketball’s greatest heroes!

Kateri Tekakwitha lost all reasons to smile when an epidemic of smallpox in her village made her an orphan. But instead of giving up, she persevered to live on. Kateri was a pious girl who defied tradition by choosing to convert to Christianity. She was the first North American aboriginal person to become a saint.

Minds That Move the World: ADHD-Fueled Extraordinary Lives. Discover the incredible stories of brilliant minds who saw the world differently and changed it forever. "Minds That Move the World" is a collection of biographies for children aged 8-12, especially those with ADHD, their parents, and educators.

Even as a child, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shocked by the terrible and unfair way African-American people were treated. When he grew up, he decided to do something about it - peacefully, with powerful words. He helped gather people together for nonviolent protests and marches, and he always spoke up about loving other human beings and doing what’s right. He spoke about the dream of a kinder future, and bravely led the way toward racial equality in America.

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great - the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of one of America's icons in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction listeners and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. This volume features Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.

Imagine tackling the exciting world of soccer and meeting its greatest players—Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Mbappe, and Haaland, even if you have never followed the sport before! Do you dream of scoring the perfect goal, just like your favorite soccer icon? Perhaps you seek inspiration to fuel your passion for the sport, and to learn how the biggest soccer stars made their mark on the world..

A funny, moving, and true story of an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face that's perfect for fans of Wonder - now available in the U.S. When Robert Hoge was born, he had a tumor the size of a tennis ball in the middle of his face and short, twisted legs. Surgeons removed the tumor and made him a new nose from one of his toes. Amazingly, he survived - with a face that would never be the same. Strangers stared at him. Kids called him names, and adults could be cruel, too. Everybody seemed to agree that he was “ugly”.

Louis Riel was a brilliant man who made change happen. He was a Metis leader who played a vital role in bringing Manitoba into the Confederation. He led the resistance to Canadian intrusion on Metis territory. Louis Riel died as a hero to his people. His name is still spoken of, and his legacy continues today.

Experience important moments in history with 20 young Americans - from the thrilling adventures of Powhatan's favorite daughter in 1607 to the horrifying day the Twin Towers fell in 2001.