Showing results by narrator "Robert Ramirez" in All Categories

Between them, frequent collaborators Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough have landed both the Hugo and Nebula Awards while winning innumerable fans in the sci-fi and fantasy realms. In Deluge, a crisis point has been reached on the sentient planet of Petaybee. Marmion de Revers Algemeine has been arrested on bogus charges, and the shape-shifting twins have traveled off-planet.

One of the most critically acclaimed books of 2001, Lord of the Deep is a vivid fishing adventure that takes place off of the great blue island of Hawaii. Since Bill married Mikey’s mom, Mikey’s life has become truly incredible. At age 13, Mikey is the youngest deckhand on the whole island, working hard on Bill’s deep-sea charter fishing boat. It’s his second week out on the boat, and he’s busy trying to prove himself to both Bill and the disrespectful charter guests. But after making a mistake at a crucial moment, Mikey begins to feel more and more alone.

Puerto Rican poet Vincent Toro's new collection takes the Latin American idea of an artistic social gathering (the tertulia) and revises it for the Latinx context in the United States. In verses dense with juxtaposition, the collection examines immigration, economics, colonialism, and race via the sublime imagery of music, visual art, and history.

Growing up Mexican-American in Fresno, California in the 1950’s and 60’s might not have been easy, but it was certainly never boring for young Gary Soto, his brother Rick and sister Debra. As this compilation of 21 short stories and articles illustrates, there is no limit to the amount of fun a child can have, or how much he can terrorize siblings and neighbors if his imagination is active.

The two things that Wilson Williams likes best about third grade are drawing and taking care of the class pet, Squiggles the hamster. What he likes the least are timed multiplication tests. Why think about all those numbers when he could be drawing pictures of Squiggles? With gentle humor, Claudia Mills works through a common childhood problem to a surprising resolution.

A rough-and-tumble band of batsmen from a California boomtown insist they're the country's best baseball team. To back up their boast, the Dillontown Nine make the 1881 champion ChicagoWhite Stockings an offer they can't refuse - a wager so bold it may completely transform life in their gold mining settlement. Into this explosive high-stakes climate rides 12-year-old baseball virtuoso Jack Dillon.

As he prepares to recite the Declaration of Independence before his eighth grade social studies class in California, the thing Francisco has feared for 10 years finally happens. La migra, the immigration police, come to his classroom and pick him up for deportation to Mexico. Soon back in the United States with a "green card", Francisco struggles through adolescence, working two or three jobs a day and striving to excel at school.

Heralding a new young ethnic literary talent: Brando Skyhorse's first novel gives voice to the Mexican-American community in Echo Park, California.

To get away from his chaotic, often violent parents, 17-year-old Jesse has moved into an apartment with his brother. They are both taking community college courses in Fresno. But to pay for them, they must take whatever jobs they can find, even backbreaking field work. The path to a good education isn't going to be an easy one for these two young Mexican-Americans. As Jesse absorbs information in his classes, he learns harsher lessons from the people around him.

Artist, author, and Texas Renaissance man, Tom Lea was a widely acclaimed man of many talents. His triumphant New York Times best-selling novel The Brave Bulls is considered a classic of Southwestern literature. Here, listeners are invited to explore the fascinating, visually evocative world of Mexican bullfighting in all its brutal glory.

All Eddie wants is to find a way out of the dangerous life he's living, where his friends are lost in a world of drugs and violence. Even his aunt wants to give him a gun so he can avenge the death of her son. But no matter how hard he works, Eddie can't seem to pull himself away from the sweltering sadness of the city. It's as if giant onions had been buried beneath him, Eddie thinks, releasing shimmering vapors off the black asphalt all around.

When young Pablo is given some poppy seeds, he dreams of spreading color and beauty throughout his dusty Mexican village. Daring to enter Old Antonio's walled yard to plant the seeds, he is chased away with angry words and a stick. The stingy old man thinks Pablo has come to steal his precious spring water. Poor Pablo becomes sick from staying too long in the hot sun and cannot leave his bed. Meanwhile, the seeds he dropped by the spring have grown into beautiful red poppies.

Graham Salisbury has received numerous high-profile accolades from the ALA, VOYA, and several parent organizations. A Junior Library Guild Premier election, Night of the Howling Dogs is a rousing adventure set in Hawaii. On a Boy Scout trip, Dylan is looking forward to camping out at the foot of the Pu¹u Kapukapu volcano. But when an earthquake strikes, Dylan is forced to team up with a bully named Louie on a daring mission to rescue many of their scattered comrades.

This collection of short poems from Newbery Award-winning author Paul Fleischman delightfully celebrates the essence of birds. The companion to Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, its poems feature two voices speaking sometimes together and sometimes in turn. Experience the magic and magnificence of the immortal phoenix. Enjoy the fluttering elation of finches at dawn and the swiftness of swallows at dusk. And empathize with the loneliness of the pigeon in the Cincinnati Zoo.

The author of numerous picture books for children, Denise Fleming creates beloved characters with lasting appeal. In this canine romp, fun-loving red dog Buster is sent away to Cowboy Camp for the weekend. But Buster doesn't want to go because he's afraid of sleeping away from home. Soon enough, though, Buster is going on the tenderfoot tour of the camp and getting to know the other dogs. If he can just start to have a little fun, he'll be sleeping and drooling in the bunkhouse in no time.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Eddy Okubo, a Japanese American teenager, is more determined than ever to prove his loyalty and worth as an American soldier. Graham Salisbury poignantly pens the historically accurate but fictional account of the special mission given to 26 Japanese American soldiers in the midst of WWII and a young man’s struggle between heritage and patriotism.

This bold Southwestern tale by award-winning author C.W. Smith comes from the TCU Press’ Texas Tradition Series. Raised by an Anglo family after being orphaned, Méndez has been given the chance to succeed. His cousin Manuelo, however, is struggling just to survive. When Manuelo breaks the law, Méndez must decide whether to continue living a comfortable life or to risk it all and fight for his kin.

The "Hollywood" where Sammy Santos and Juliana Rios live is not the West Coast one, the one with all the glitz and glitter. This Hollywood is a tough barrio at the edge of a small town in southern New Mexico. Sammy and his friends, members of the 1969 high school graduating class, face a world of racism, dress codes, war in Vietnam, and barrio violence.

Orasmyn lives a peaceful life of quiet duty and thoughtful obedience. But a single wrong decision sets in motion an ancient curse that changes Orasmyn's fate forever. Told he will be killed by his own father, he is transformed into a lion on the day of a great hunt. The prince has no choice but to flee beloved Persia and his precious family. Balancing his fading human memories with his new beastly impulses, he makes his way to Europe - where his destiny awaits in the person of a French beauty.

Author of the critically acclaimed Martha Chainey mystery series, Gary Phillips is a master at capturing the gritty reality of the streets. Bangers takes listeners to the crime infested L.A. neighborhood of Venice Heights, where an elite team of cops struggles to maintain order. They are on the right side of the law, yet these officers will bend or break any rule to bring gangsters down - but too much power leads to corruption and chaos.