Young Adult Classics

The St. Charles Players present a unique telling of Jules Verne's classic underwater adventure, in a new multi-cast dramatization performed in exciting Radio Theatre style.

This classic book brings out the true spirit of the Gold Rush days at the turn of the last century. It portrays the brutality, kindness, love, and folly that Jack London experienced first-hand during his time in the far north. It was his first successful book, and catapulted him to literary fame.

Jessie Bollier often played his fife to earn a few pennies down by the New Orleans docks. One afternoon a sailor asked him to pipe a tune, and that evening Jessie was kidnapped and dumped aboard The Moonlight, a slave ship, where a hateful duty awaited him. He was to play music so the slaves could "dance" to keep their muscles strong, their bodies profitable. Jessie was sickened by the thought of taking part in the business of trading rum and tobacco for blacks and then selling the ones who survived the frightful sea voyage from Africa.

Lad: A Dog is a novelized version of twelve short stories about a fantastic collie named Lad. Lad is a noble creature, risking life and limb in defense of the vulnerable. Many people believe Lad: A Dog was the basis for the highly popular "Lassie" series which gripped the imagination of children and adults alike, as has this book for generations past.

This is a full-cast performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis, enabling any student to fully understand and appreciate the novel. Orwell's political fable is told from the viewpoint of its key characters, the animals, who are quizzed and questioned about how "some animals are more equal than others" in this vibrant guided drama.

"The King of the Golden River" is the magical story of a boy named Gluck, his evil brothers, and a dangerous quest to find treasure lurking in the Golden River. It is a classic tale and the only fairy tale the famous English author and critic ever wrote. It could also be classified as a fable or parable since it it explains "how things came to be".

Much like Lin-Manuel Miranda did in Hamilton, the New York Times best-selling author David Elliott turns a classic on its head in form and approach, updating the timeless story of Theseus and the Minotaur for a new generation. A rough, rowdy, and darkly comedic young adult retelling in verse, Bull will have listeners reevaluating one of mythology's most infamous monsters.

The story is a double play: is it the story of a woman going mad, or a woman possessed by something evil? We begin to suspect that the narrator’s apparently caring husband John may not be as caring as she thinks. Is he trying to control her? We know that Charlotte was much concerned with the emancipation of women and them achieving financial independence, so is the character of John an echo of this?

The Sword in the Stone is the first novel in The Once and Future King, T. H. White's epic fantasy re-telling of the Arthurian legend. A cartoon adaptation by Walt Disney made it into an enduring favourite for the young.

Hawthorne approached the Romantic notion of the ability of science to destroy art (or beauty) in the form of fictive "horror stories" of biological research out of control. This story is the best of that group. A devoted scientist marries a beautiful woman with a single physical flaw: a birthmark on her face. Aylmer becomes obsessed with the imperfection and his attempts to remove it via his scientific skills, thus rendering his bride perfect.

When Cat overhears a conversation about a diamond hidden somewhere in the theatre, she's determined to find the treasure. Ably assisted by Pedro, a musician in the company orchestra, she is thrust into a world of drama and intrigue, where she encounters Covent Garden street gangs, boxing matches, theatre riots and spectacular stage productions. En route, she learns a lot about who she is, and who her real friends are.

After the death of her parents, Mary Lennox is sent to live in the remote Yorkshire countryside with her rarely seen uncle. With no one to play with, she resents the landscape and the gloomy house. But then she discovers a key which unlocks the hidden door to a secret garden. Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson captures the magic of the story that has been adored by adults and children alike for generations.

Harry Gruber plays the role of Scrooge in his school's production of A Christmas Carol, and he is extra nervous about tonight's performance because his father is in the audience - not away for business, as usual. Will the story's message of Christmas cheer and the redemptive power of love reach his father's distracted Scrooge heart?

Presented by actor/author Geoffrey Giuliano, here is an exciting "listen while you learn" audio production which promises to entertain, enlighten, and enliven the listener. Icon productions offer a daring, fresh perspective on the hundreds of perennial favorite tales which have inspired generations and imbued a deep love of literature and art in millions over time.

Ese pais de felicidad y de misterio que es la Tierra de Oz, donde un poderoso mago resuelve todos los problemas, no es sino una satira a muchas creencias, bajo el disfraz de un libro juvenil. Que los ninos tambien puedan gozar el brillante libro es testimonio de su calidad.

Unheimlich, spannend, sein bestes Werk: So äußern sich Presse und Leser*innen über diesen Klassiker ab 12 Jahren von Otfried Preußler, seiner Geschichte vom magischen Spiel um die Freiheit des Menschen. Da verwundert es nicht, dass »Krabat« mit vielen Preisen ausgezeichnet wurde und zu den Hörbüchern gehört, die lange nachklingen, egal wie alt man ist. Dem 14-jährigen Krabat erscheinen in einer Winternacht elf Raben in seinen Träumen. Er kann ihrem Ruf nicht widerstehen und macht sich auf den Weg zur gefürchteten Mühle am Koselbruch.

Brave little Rikki Tikki Tavi is a mongoose who finds himself the target of the deadly cobra Naga. Can the courageous little critter protect himself and the family he loves from the fearsome bite of the cobra?

Malý John Clayton, jediné dítě lorda Greystokea, osiřelý v africké džungli, je zachráněn kmenem lidoopů. Dítě, pojmenované "Tarzan," roste k mužnosti v divočině mezi divokými opicemi. Za pomoci nože a vrozené inteligence, Tarzan roste, aby se stal králem opic, schopný čelit jakémukoliv nebezpečí a pokořit všechny nepřátele. Lidé přicházející do Tarzanovy džungle, přinášejí nebezpečí, které je motivováno chamtivostí a podvody. Jestli má porazit tuto hrozbu a získat lásku Jane Porterové, krásné mladé ženy, bude zapotřebí veškeré Tarzanovy vychytralosti.

Třiadvacetiletý reportér Edward Dunn Malone by se velmi rád oženil, ale jeho vyvolená si chce vzít pouze někoho, na koho by mohla být pyšná. Malone proto hledá možnosti, kde by mohl vyniknout. Dostane se do výpravy na náhorní plošinu – ztracený svět v Jižní Americe, která má potvrdit informace profesora Challengera o tom, že zde žijí prehistorická zvířata. Cesta opravdu není jednoduchá, výprava zažije mnohá dobrodružství a několikrát se ocitne v ohrožení života. Podaří se výpravě bombastický objev potvrdit a hlavně – uvěří jim svět? A co Maloneho láska? Jak přivítá svého hrdinu?

Annabelle Doll and Tiffany Funcraft are two dolls who have been best friends since they met in Kate Palmer's house at 26 Wetherby Lane. In this sequel to The Doll People, they hitch a ride in Kate's backpack and find themselves in the biggest adventure of their lives, a day at school!