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

Ellis, Dante, and Popcorn Bob are on an important top-secret mission in America. (Ellis’s dads are there too. But they don’t know about the mission.) When Popcorn Bob last escaped the clutches of Coraline Corn (the evil owner of Popcorn & Co.), she said that there are more live popcorn kernels in America—just like Bob! Bob can’t wait to meet his family. If they exist.

Ann Fay Honeycutt accepts the role of "man of the house" when her father leaves because she wants to do her part for the war. She's doing well with the extra responsibilities when a frightening polio epidemic strikes, crippling many children. Ann Fay reads each issue of the newspaper for the latest news of the epidemic. But soon she discovers for herself just how devastating polio can be. As her challenges grow, so does her resourcefulness. Ann Fay discovers her ability to move forward, experiences the healing qualities of friendship, and explores the depths of her own faithfulness.

Jade is starting eighth grade in a new city—Atlanta. She just wants to go back to Chicago, where her friends are. Where her Abuela lives. But Jade does like walking to her new school on the trail that winds through the woods behind her house, where lush flowers bloom and soft leaves rustle beneath her feet. In the forest, Jade feels protected. Sometimes, it's as if it's listening to her. There, Jade meets Itztli, an elderly storyteller who exists between dreams and reality. In the golden afternoons when Itztli appears, he steps out of the forest as a lithe, agile jaguar.

Mr. Coats is freezing cold. No matter how many heaters he turns on, how many blankets he sleeps under at night, or how many layers he wears, he can simply never get warm. Being this cold all the time is lonely. And loneliness is a chilly feeling. Mr. Coats thinks he'll be alone in the cold forever, but he's wrong. There's someone out there just like him.

Quinn spends the morning in their workshop, and emerges with Something Great! But everyone wants to know … what is it? First their mom, then their sister. No one seems to understand: Something Great isn’t supposed to be anything. Look at all the fun things it can do! Swing like a pendulum! Fly through the air! Make rainbows! Can’t Quinn just share the joy of their new invention without a label?

One morning, an old woman brings the little Toymaker a candy tin she played with as a girl. The little Toymaker takes the tin and TA-DA! comes back with a sparkling new toy for the old lady. But it seems that what she truly wants was lost a long time ago. And it will take all the Toymaker's skill, magic, and empathy to bring it back for her.

Julia Child was born hungry, but she was not born a chef. In fact, Julia didn’t discover her passion for cooking until she had a life-changing luncheon in France and became determined to share her newfound love of food with everyone. In Paris, Julia devoured recipe books, shopped in outdoor markets, consumed all kinds of foods, and whipped through culinary school. Through perseverance and grit, Julia became a chef who shared her passion with the world, making cooking fun, and turning every meal into an event. Alex Prud'homme showcases Julia's life and celebrates her enduring legacy.

Virgil is making his older siblings trek to a mountain lake on a trip unlike any they have taken before. They carry precious cargo: the ashes of their beloved mother, who asked that her remains be scattered at her favorite spot. But when a forest fire is sparked by a bolt of lightning at the exact moment when their van breaks down, the journey quickly turns to disaster. Virgil finds himself separated from his sister and alone in the wilderness. He isn’t sure he can make it, but with the memory of his mother and her lessons to guide him, he learns that survival starts with letting go.

Twelve-year-old Maren is sure theater camp isn’t for her. Theater camp is for loud, confident, artsy people: people like her older sister, Hadley and her cinema-obsessed, nonbinary bunkmate, Theo. But when a prank goes wrong, Maren gets drawn into the hunt for a diamond ring that, legend has it, is linked to the camp’s namesake, Charlotte “Charlie” Goodman, a promising director in blacklist-era Hollywood. But they’re not the only ones searching for the ring, and with the growing threat of camp closing forever, they're almost out of time.

Twelve-year-old Fernando “Fin” joins his grandfather on a secret quest to find a long-lost treasure swept to sea. But when their first mission takes a near-deadly turn, leaving his abuelo weak and unable to speak, Fin’s left to navigate the hunt alone. Well, not exactly alone—his boring, totally unadventurous dad agrees to help out. With danger lurking at every turn, Fin dives into the mission in order to save Abuelo's life.

Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head—the colors, the branches, and, most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. Meg set out to climb up and investigate the rain forest tree canopies—and to be the first scientist to do so. But she encountered challenge after challenge. Male teachers would not let her into their classrooms, the high canopy was difficult to get to, and worst of all, people were logging and clearing the forests. Meg never gave up or gave in.

There’s no accounting for Miracles, at least that’s what the folks of Glimmer Creek say. Every year, one lucky inhabitant survives danger, and bits of magic cling to them for a lifetime. Rosie Flynn doesn’t know how to get a Miracle but knows for sure they’re real. It’s the same way she’s certain she’ll always have her two best friends, Henry and Cam, that she’ll be a famous film director someday, and that she and her Mama are the perfect team of two.

When Frank Thompson sees a poster requesting recruits for the new Union army, he is ready and willing to enlist. Except Frank isn’t his real name. In fact, Frank isn’t a man—he is really Sarah Emma Edmonds. At only nineteen years old, Sarah had already been dressing as a man for three years and living on the run in order to escape an arranged marriage. She had tasted freedom, and there was no going back.

At only ten years old, Zaria Carter has already become a serial entrepreneur. Since overcoming her bossy bad days, she has launched several thriving businesses, proving to her peers and the world that with hard work and the right attitude, you can accomplish anything. When a major TV executive catches Zaria's news interview, he extends an offer to collaborate, making Zaria a co-creator of her very own television show. Zaria uses her new filmmaking role to document her life and the school's upcoming election. She's on top of the world until her camcorder catches some extreme dirt.

Life is good for Cal—and his Panda Bear, Pudding! The family stage-show Panda-Mime is a hit, and there's talk of a Hollywood film. But is it too good to be true? A nosy reporter is sniffing around, and if she discovers that Pudding's a real-life bear, then all their dreams will be dashed.

Lily the sailboat is small but sturdy, in a harbor full of enormous cargo ships, speedy fishing vessels, and bossy tugboats that all have somewhere to go. And something to say—mostly, "Out of my way, Lily!" But Lily has somewhere to go, too.

Twelve-year-old Marigold Lafleur is the last of a long line of aromages: witches who blend scents into practical charms using aromagic. But ever since a terrible accident injured her father and damaged Luna Island, Marigold and her sisters, Birdie and Lou, have vowed to abandon their family legacy and mama’s way of life. Shunned by their neighbors and overlooked by their parents, Marigold relies on her big sisters above all else. But when Marigold discovers a secret curse that threatens her family, her sisters can’t stop the impending danger.

Roberto Alvarez’s world changed the day he could no longer attend Lemon Grove Grammar School in the small, rural community where he lived near San Diego, California. He and the other Mexican American students were told they had to go to a new, separate school on Olive Street. A school just for them. A school where they would not hold back the other students. But Roberto and the Mexican American students and their families believed the new school’s real purpose was to segregate, to separate. They didn’t think that was right, or just, or legal.

James Abram Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was assassinated when he was shot by Charles Guiteau in July 1881, less than four months after he was elected president. But Garfield didn't actually die until 80 days later. In this thriller, award-winning author Gail Jarrow delves into the fascinating story of the relationship between Garfield and Guiteau, and relates the gruesome details of Garfield's slow and agonizing death.

Frank the cat has it good: Tons of toys, unlimited Whiskies™ and space and quiet to stretch and nap and think and write. Then his people bring home a box. A box with something unexpected inside. A puppy. A puppy who doesn’t know the rules of naps. A puppy who slobbers and tackles and barks. This won’t do. Frank will just have to find a better home. Should be easy, right?