Life Poetry

Senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school with a stolen gun, threatens his girlfriend, Emily Beam, and then takes his own life. Soon after, angry and guilt-ridden Emily is sent to a boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where two quirky fellow students and the spirit of Emily Dickinson offer helping hands. But it is up to Emily Beam to heal her own damaged self, to find the good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.

A dear uncle takes his nieces, nephews, and dogs on an adventure in Mother Nature. But Mother Nature has a surprise in store for the group. Join in the fun as they discover that the real magic is in the journey, not the destination.

Ana Rosa is a blossoming young writer growing up in a poor seaside village in the Dominican Republic. At the young age of 12, she finds herself faced with turning points that will make up who she is, watching her brother's search for a future, learning to dance and to love, and finding out what it means to be a part of a community.

Award-winning author Lee Wardlaw’s books have been honored by such prestigious groups as the American Library Association and the Children’s Book Council. Using a Japanese form of short poetry that concentrates on human-like foibles, Won Ton follows a shelter cat as he gets a new home. When the cat, who considers himself a prince of his kind, is given the name Won Ton, he’s aghast. “How can I be soup?” he asks. But soup or not, Won Ton and his new owner soon find a way to live happily together.

Cuba has fought three wars for independence, and still she is not free. Her people have been rounded up in reconcentration camps, where there is always too little food and too much illness. Rosa knows how to heal sickness with medicines made from wild plants. But with a price on her head for helping the rebels, Rosa dares not go out in the open. Instead, she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her.

A funny book that makes you cry. A sad book that makes you laugh. A book about two sisters and their family that makes you wish you were part of it - and grateful that you are not. In short, this book is one surprise after another. The only thing that is not a surprise is that Vera B. Williams has created a wholly unforgettable, absolutely wonderful portrait of Amber, Essie, and their world. Listen to the book. You will never be the same again.

Born into the household of a wealthy slave owner in Cuba in 1797, Juan Francisco Manzano spent his early years by the side of a woman who made him call her Mama, even though he had a mama of his own. Denied an education, young Juan still showed an exceptional talent for poetry. His verses reflect the beauty of his world, but they also expose its hideous cruelty.

Written in free verse, Hidden is a compelling tale about an unlikely friendship between two girls. Darra Monson and Wren Abbott first cross paths when Darra’s deadbeat dad is arrested for theft and kidnapping after he steals a car - unaware that Wren was sitting in the back. Years later, the girls - now teens - attend the same summer camp, and are forced to confront the fateful event that changed their lives.

Run run run. That's what twelve-year-old Annie loves to do. When she's barefoot and running, she can hear her heart beating...Thump-THUMP, thump-THUMP. It's a rhythm that makes sense in a year when everything's shifting: Her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is forgetful, and her best friend, Max, is always moody. Everything is changing, just like the apple Annie's been assigned to draw a hundred times.

"My name is Colette. This book is about me. Who am I? To be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure who I am. I guess you could say I'm the 15-year-old daughter of an annoyingly famous movie star. Or maybe I'm the 18-year-old daughter of a famous movie star's stand-in. Or maybe I'm the thousand-year-old daughter of a vampire.... Having trouble guessing which one of these stories is true? Join the club. My friends have a joke about me: 'How can you tell if Colette is lying? Her mouth is open.'"

Rudy is not a very nice rat according to Rosa Raccoon and the other children. He does bad things and says mean stuff and no one wants to play with him. So Hamilton decides to have a talk with Rudy. However, when Rudy Rat sees Hamilton Troll, he gets so afraid he runs off, which clues in Hamilton that Rudy may need a friend more than they thought. Hamilton then encourages the children to put their "PAWS" together for friendship.

When you combine two great things, veganism and the raw food diet, you get something even greater yet - raw veganism. Raw veganism can take the world by storm. Other books focus on explaining raw veganism and providing raw vegan recipes; this audiobook focuses on celebrating raw veganism through poetry.

Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule - until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream.

Priscilla comes back to school after a long absence, anticipating how wonderful it will be to see her friends again, to discover that things at school have changed in a dramatic way and not for the better! There is a new kid named Dexter who has managed to have such a profound influence over her friends that they are all looking and acting very differently. Cilla has to decide what she is willing to do and how much she is willing to give up to please her friends.

Consider school days the worst days. Don't consider school a necessary evil because we don't need school. Break free from school. Unschooling is the way out so these poems hopefully will inspire you to unschool yourself and the world.

My Feet: An Ode is a charming tribute to our primary mode of transportation. With heartwarming verse, My Feet: An Ode celebrates the lifelong awe a young girl has for her remarkable feet. From infancy to senior citizen, the young girl amazement and appreciation for her feet reveal her dreams, joys and her life story.

Henry has been deaf from an early age. He's intelligent and aware of language, but by age six, he has decided it's not safe to speak to strangers. When the time comes for him to start school, he is labeled "unteachable." Because his family has very little money, his parents and older sister, Molly, feel powerless to help him. Henry's sent to Riverview, a bleak institution where he is misunderstood, underestimated, and harshly treated. Victor, a conscientious objector to World War II, is part of a Civilian Public Service program and arrives at Riverview to serve as an attendant in 1942.

Dolores loves collecting words! Come join her on an adventure that celebrates the joy of language. This light-hearted and word-driven story encourages listeners to expand their vocabularies as they follow a charming Dolores on an endearing adventure.

The little old woman who lives in a book has lost her children! But instead of sitting around and waiting for them to show up, in a refreshingly empowering, feminist take on the classic tale, she departs on a mission to find her kids herself - even if it means popping into every other fairy tale and nursery rhyme in town!

From New York Times best-selling author Kelly Corrigan comes a book that celebrates the people in our lives and the meaningful connections we make that come from asking each other questions.