Young Readers

Twelve-year-old Koby isn't like the other kids in her class. She lost her right foot in an accident four years ago, and she is keenly aware that her classmates don't know how to act around her. The only place she feels at home is in her small boat, where she can watch whales play in the ocean. When Koby discovers a stranded mother whale and her baby, she realizes that their survival depends on her ability to keep them breathing through the night. But she is alone, and help is nowhere in sight.

Eleven-year-old Ellis Johnson has the summertime blues. He dreamed of spending the summer of 1976 hanging out with friends, listening to music, and playing his harmonica. Instead, he'll be sleeping on a lumpy pullout in Dad's sad little post-divorce bungalow and helping bring Dad's latest far-fetched, sure-to-fail idea to life: opening the world's first chocolate chip cookie store. They have six weeks to perfect their recipe, get a ramshackle A-frame on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard into tip-top shape, and bring in customers.

Are you ready to get swept away into a world of fantastic adventure and new discoveries? The Funny Things I Heard at the Bus Stop series of short stories for kids is the perfect book for bedtime reading, a quick after-school adventure, or any time that you want to get taken to a magical, funtabulous, amazing world of imagination that is perfect for kids aged three to one hundred and three!

Are you afraid of monsters? Do you ever shiver when you hear things go bump in the night? Well, as fate would have it, sometimes the scariest things in this world are actually very real...Through six unique, timeless ghost stories, your child will shiver, shake, and positively scream as they experience some real-life horrors that exist right under our very noses. If you think monsters are scary, just wait until you find out what can happen when you make fun of the dead, play games with a Ouija board, or venture down a dark and unfamiliar road.

"Bang! A side door bursts open. Soldiers pour into the room. They're shouting and waving rifles. I shield my head with my arms. It was a lie! I think, my mind racing. Girls and boys alike are screaming. The soldiers prod and herd some of us together and push the rest apart as if we're cows or goats.Their leader, though, is a middle-aged man. He's moving slowly, intently, not dashing around like the others. 'Take the boys only, Win Min,' I overhear him telling a tall, gangly soldier...."

“Where Mangoes Fall” unfolds the captivating journey of Ama, a young girl growing up in Paraguay, the heart of South America. Ama believes in Paraguayan myths and legends. Still, when the local card reader tells her that three people will die if she searches for her friend’s missing baby, Ama has to make difficult decisions about truth and loyalty, which is even harder when she discovers secrets about her life.

Heidi is one of the best-selling books ever written and is among the best-known works of Swiss literature. This version is a delightful abridgment of the classic tale.

The story involves foreign espionage against a secret government missile project that is based in Washington. Steve Ames comes for help from the Spindrift Foundation after several scientists are struck down by a mysterious neural malady that seems to cause severe aphasia and inability to communicate. Steve suspects foul play and decides that isolating the remaining members of the research group on Spindrift Island for security purposes might save them from further attacks, but as the whole Brant family discovers the enemy does not give up that easily.

This is a smart, playful guide to consent and bodily autonomy. Listeners will learn about boundaries and how to set them; ways to respect themselves and others; what to do if someone makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe; and much more. Along the way, they'll be encouraged to reflect on (and improve!) their own behavior and to practice consent in their daily lives.

I'm Just No Good at Rhyming is this century's most acclaimed comedic poetry collection so far, described as "a worthy heir to Silverstein, Seuss, and even Ogden Nash" (PublishersWeekly), "wildly imaginative...inspired and inspiring" (Kirkus), and as "everything a book for kids should be" (B.J. Novak). Now, Chris Harris delivers all that and more with dazzling new heights of creativity, kooky conundrums, witty wordsmithing, and of course, wacky laugh-out-loud fun!

Long before he became known for his YouTube videos, Alex Bertie was an isolated, often-afraid transgender teenager looking for answers. In this revolutionary memoir and valuable resource, Alex recounts his life, struggles, and victories as a young trans man. Along the way, he provides readers with accessible, highly researched explanations of gender, sexuality, and transitions. He explores without judgment how complicated all these things can be and how many equally authentic ways there are to live as yourself and find happiness.

In this entertaining children's adaptation of his number one New York Times best seller, Admiral William H. McRaven shares life lessons from Navy SEAL training and encourages young listeners to become their best selves.

Our heroine, Whitney Wallace, is having a fit to go to a concert featuring her favorite band but soon finds out that her parents are not going to buy her the tickets. No matter how much she asks they won't budge. Then the librarian shares a possible new way to see the show with her, for free. Will she be able to actually meet these new goals, make her plan work and get the free tickets too? And will she be able to do it in the two-week time frame before the show happens? Is she really willing to put in the work needed to reach her goal?

The Electronic Mind Reader, the 12th Rick Brant novel, was published in 1957 and is another JANIG-based adventure with government spook Steve Ames as one of the main characters. The story involves foreign espionage against a secret government missile project based in Washington. Steve Ames comes for help from the Spindrift Foundation after several project scientists are struck down by a mysterious neural malady that seems to cause severe aphasia and inability to communicate.

Harriet Douglass lives with her historian father on an old plantation in Louisiana, which they’ve transformed into one of the South's few enslaved people’s museums. Together, while grieving the recent loss of Harriet’s mother, they run tours that help keep the memory of the past alive. Harriet's world is turned upside down by the arrival of mother and daughter Claudia and Layla Hartwell—who plan to turn the property next door into a wedding venue, and host the offensively antebellum-themed wedding of two Hollywood stars.

Whitney Wallace loves her family, but she thinks they're all soooooo boring. Then one snowy day, something happens, and Whitney is left to go off on adventures all by herself. What will she discover that wonderful snowy day combined with her active imagination?

Rising star Abel Miller has just landed a role in one of the hottest reboots on the Omni Channel, Sunset High. It looks like he’ll be yet another budding celebrity plucked from obscurity, but he has a secret: his brother, Adam, a mere production associate, died during the filming of the last attempt at Sunset High, and no one knows how... or why. Abel is going to find out. But when he meets the other stars of the show—Lucky, Ryan, and Ella, along with creator Lake Carte—he realizes there’s even more darkness beneath the shimmer of fame.

The on-screen world is super exciting—there are games, and new friends, and funny videos! But too much of a good thing isn’t always healthy, and not everything you see online can be trusted. Luckily, this book is here to help you navigate the highs and lows of screen time. Through hilarious comics and vibrant illustrations, listeners of all ages will discover how to make good choices, use devices responsibly, find content that’s just right, and be a good friend on and offline.

There are infinite universes in which Elise never dies. Her best friend, Anna, never has to mourn her or choose between the weight of her grief and the weight of her ambition. Her cousin, Liam, never has to lose another loved one or fight to find purpose in a life that already doesn’t feel like his own. But Liam and Anna do not get to choose the universe in which they live. Across multiple worlds, their paths collide as they wrestle with what it takes to save someone else and how to face love and loss on a quantum scale.

"Frikka Frog's Rainy Day Parade" is a delightful children's story about making the most out of unexpected rainy days. When a surprise storm arrives, Frikka Frog and her friends don’t let the rain dampen their spirits. Instead, they turn puddles into playgrounds and embark on an imaginative adventure filled with laughter and joy. With themes of resilience, friendship, and creativity, this story highlights how the best days can come from the most unexpected moments.