Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Growing Up & Facts of Life

If Austin picked a color to describe his life, it would be tumbleweed brown. Austin doesn't like standing out. He’s always the new kid, and there's no hiding his size. Plus, Austin has a secret: He struggles to read. Then Austin meets Bertie, who is razzmatazz. Everything about Bertie is bursting! But the best part of his newest school is the Safety Squad, with their laser lemon vests.

In this third Legendary Alston Boys adventure from Edgar Award-nominated author Lamar Giles, Otto and Sheed have to team up with the Ellison twins to take down a corporation obsessed with the weirdness of Logan County and that's turning its residents into Money-Zombies.

Fabio flies through the streets of Bogotá on his bicycle, the children of his neighborhood trailing behind him. It is there that life feels right - where the world of adults, and their lies, fades away. But then one day, he simply forgets. Forgets how to ride his bicycle. And Fabio will never be the same again.

When Hank's class takes a field trip to the zoo, he quickly gets lost after his partner (and nemesis) ditches him. Unable to read the map, Hank wanders and finds himself locked in a habitat with Elsie, an elephant recently rescued and kept isolated. He begins a game of soccer with her, and they become fast friends. But when Hank notices how lonely Elsie is, he's determined to help her find her own animal friends.

When a well-known author of a beloved book series visits Hank's school, he and his two best friends get the chance to be her guide for the day and introduce her at an assembly. But Hank, embarrassed by his struggles with reading, tries to hide the fact that he's never actually finished reading the author's books - or any book, for that matter! So Hank gets creative and makes up his own version of the story. But will everyone be able to tell fact from fiction?

Hi there, I’m Hank. Here’s what you need to know about me: I don’t try to make the kids in my class laugh, but somehow I do. Spelling is my worst subject. (Come to think of it, so are math and reading!) I try hard - I really do. So why does my brain always freeze into a popsicle? When Hank hears that his class is putting on a play, he’s the only one who’s not excited. That’s because every time he tries to read the script, his brain swirls, and it feels like his head is filled with soggy oatmeal! Can Hank get his act together and get a part?

In this winning addition to the best-selling series, Hank has to hustle to prove he can be his basketball team’s secret weapon! For two years running, Hank's school has beaten their arch rivals at the annual second grade basketball game. When his friends try out, Hank is determined to play, too. There's just one problem: Hank is terrible at basketball. Luckily, Dr. Dunk (aka Hank's dad) and Hank's friends have his back. With a little help, Hank just might be what the team needs to win their first three-peat in PS 87 history!

A lonely doll helps a child adjust to a blended family in the first of a charming series about library toys and the children who borrow them, written by Newbery Honoree Cynthia Lord.

Georgie has no idea what to expect when she, Mama, and Peaches are plopped down in the middle of small-town USA - a.k.a. Bogalusa, Louisiana - where Mama grew up and Great Aunt Vie needs constant care. Georgie wants to help out at the once famous family diner that served celebrities like the Jackson 5 and the Supremes, but everyone is too busy to show her the ropes and Mama is treating her like a baby, not letting her leave her sight.

It’s Rashin’s first day of school in America! Everything is a different shape than what she’s used to: from the foods on her breakfast plate to the letters in the books! And the kids’ families are from all over! The new teacher asks each child to imagine the shape of home on a map. Rashin knows right away what she’ll say: Iran looks like a cat! What will the other kids say?

It’s harder than Ellis thinks to keep a sentient popcorn kernel a secret, because soon her friend and next-door neighbor, Dante, has spotted him. She can trust Dante, though, and it’s good timing, since they’re being tailed by both a bearded American and the owner of Popcorn & Co. It looks like the makers of Bob’s popcorn must want him back....

Melvin Robinson wants a strong, smooth He-Man voice that lets him say what he wants, when he wants - especially to his crush Millie Takazawa, and Gary Ratliff, who constantly puts him down. But the thought of starting high school is only making his stutter worse. And Melvin's growing awareness that racism is everywhere - not just in the South where a boy his age has been brutally killed by two White men, but also in his own hometown of Spokane - is making him realize that he can't mutely stand by.

There was no denying it. Zaria Carter was born to be a boss! After a spa-day treat from dad, Zaria later rejoins her mother, Queen, in binge-watching Shark Tank episodes. Later that night, Zaria becomes a contestant on Shark Tank Junior. Now, all she must do is convince the Sharks of her boss magic! During her pitch for iZight, Zaria is interrupted by her four-legged pup, Zaddy. She wakes up and realizes it was all a dream - or was it? With her vision ingeniously clear, the nine-year-old is determined to build her own empire.

In this Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year, Paula Young Shelton, daughter of Civil Rights activist Andrew Young, brings a child’s unique perspective to an important chapter in America’s history. Paula grew up in the deep south, in a world where Whites had and Blacks did not. With an activist father and a community of leaders surrounding her, including Uncle Martin (Martin Luther King), Paula watched and listened to the struggles, eventually joining in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery.

Ever since her mother's death, Princess Una has suffered through years of loneliness in the royal palace, where girls are treated as an afterthought. She yearns for a different life but is unsure how to make anyone notice her. Then her father announces a special contest: Whoever finds the rare Silva Flower can present it to Una for her 12th birthday and receive a reward. Frustrated by her father's grand but empty gesture, Una decides to take her fate into her own hands.

Twelve-year-old Epic McDade isn't ready for middle school. He'd rather help out at his family's dog-friendly bed-and-breakfast all summer or return to his alternative elementary school in the fall, where learning feels safe. But change comes in all shapes and fur colors. When Carmelito, California, is named America's number one dog-friendly town, all the top dogs and their owners pour into Epic's sleepy seaside neighborhood for a week of celebration.

More than anything else - even more than the best birthday party ever - Becket Branch wants a dog for her 10th birthday. But her twin brother, Nicholas, has secretly been wishing for a cat. Lucky for Becket and Nicholas, their animal-loving parents have an animal-loving surprise for them: They’re going to the local shelter and adopting both a cat and a dog.

Fresh off of heroically saving their city from nightmarish monsters, 12-year-old reformed thieves Arthur and Wally are determined to join the Wardens of Weirdwood, defenders of the border between the Real and Imaginary worlds. Their mission: Defeat the Order of Eldar, a shadowy group that is willing to do whatever it takes to expand their power - even exploit the magical creatures of the Fae. When the Order opens what seems to be a Rift between the worlds of the living and the dead, they set up a menagerie of ghosts to make money off those grieving for their lost loved ones.

More than anything, Audrey L wants to be the best at something. It always feels like she’s not quite enough—not smart enough, not fast enough, not funny enough. When her beloved Ms. Fincastle announces that a new girl—another AUDREY—is joining the class, Audrey suddenly becomes Audrey L, which makes her feel worse than ever. But what if the two Audreys have more in common than just their name? And how will Audrey L ever figure out how to be her best self if she can’t even be the best Audrey?

Young Maya is shy and often feels fragile and scared because of her asthma, except when she's in the water—it's the one place where she feels strong. While everyone else in her town is scared of "the Beast," the giant wave heard all around the world as it crashes into the shoreline, Maya finds the noise comforting, the curves of the wave soothing. If she could only tame it, then everyone could see all the beauty it has to offer. With a pink surfboard and a determined heart, Maya will be the first girl to meet the Beast head-on.