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

Sitting around poppin' pork cracklins and watching the tube, Grampa and Wiley witness to the awesomest TV commercial they've ever seen: Colonel Dracula's Monster Truck Spectacular is in town! Then the local weatherman breaks in with a dire warning: an F5 tornado could blow through at any minute! So what does a responsible guardian like Grampa do? When Gramma isn't looking, he and Wiley sneak out of the house bound for the monster-truck extravaganza, of course!

While bird-watching in Nowhere Land, Ferocious Beast, Maggie, and Hamilton Hocks are stopped in their tracks. Before them, a most amazing sight: a rabbit struggling to dig up a carrot! "Why is that so amazing" you ask? Well, it’s the carrot of all carrots, the most enormous carrot of all time! Nedley the rabbit refuses their offer of help, even as he grows grumpier with each shovelful of dirt. Soon realizing that there is no way he can accomplish such a humongous task on his own, he accepts help.

What does a little bear wear as he dances and plays his way through a sunny summer day? Young listeners will be fascinated as John McDonough's upbeat narration perfectly delivers this book's lilting, musical rhyme and joyful, exuberant rhythm that make Jesse Bear's day a pleasure for everyone.

Everyone in Room 2B knows that Song Lee is shy, but Horrible Harry and his classmates soon find that quiet Song Lee is also full of surprises. Join the students is Room 2B in four adventures starring Song Lee. Johnny Heller’s narration highlights all the fun.

Pinky and his best friend Rex are going away to camp for the first time. Rex is excited about it, but Pinky definitely is not. There is just too much for him to worry about. He’s certain that his pesky little sister Amanda will raid his room while he’s gone and mess up all his stuffed animals. He also knows that camp counselors turn into monsters at night and eat children. And even worse, if the counselors at Camp Wackatootchee don’t get you, then the alligators in the lake will.

The South Orange River (S.O.R.) Middle School is famous for its winning sports teams. That is, until the seventh grade soccer squad comes along. Led by Ed Sitrow, who has never played soccer before, this amazing team of non-jocks sets new lows in team spirit and new highs in scoring - for the other team. When they lose their first game 32-0, they’re ready to call it quits. But the teachers insist that the team keep playing through the entire soccer season.

Twelve-year-old Pascal can hardly believe his ears. His older, run-away brother has returned to the plantation with an amazing story: President Lincoln has freed the slaves. Not only that, each newly-freed family can have 40 acres of land and maybe a mule, just for the asking. Now all Pascal and his brother have to do is sneak away from their angry master - and find out where the government is giving away farmland.

Cam Jansen and her best friend, Eric Shelton, are at a charity function with their mothers to raise money for local firefighters. When the host's pearl necklace goes missing, the luncheon turns into a whodunit, and all the guests are suspects. Can Cam use her photographic memory to identify the culprit?

Since their highly-contested battle over the middle school talent show, the Nerd Girls and the ThreePees have been engaged in an all-out prank war. So naturally, their principal decides that they must compete in the Academic Septathlon - as a team. Can they come together and win, or will their squabbles ruin everything?

Tallulah strives for perfection during ballet class and dreams of dancing a solo in the upcoming recital, but her little brother Beckett, who misbehaves all during class, gets a better role than she does.

Pinky wants to try out for the school play. Rex, on the other hand, is terrified of appearing on stage. But when Pinky talks Rex into going with him to the auditions, guess who ends up getting the lead part that Pinky wanted for himself? Rex is so good, the teacher changes the name of the play so that she can play the lead role. And Pinky has been cast as one of the monkeys! It's no wonder that Pinky is sad and angry.

When the ferocious beast with the polka-dot hide catches a piglet, he has a tough decision to make: whether to have him on whole wheat or rye bread. But the clever piglet saves his own life when he convinces the beast that the seams on his polka-dot hide are about to burst. To save his hide, the beast agrees to let the piglet fix all of his meals. “You have to eat the foods you like the least,” the piglet tells the beast. Soon, the beast is too sick to move, and the piglet sees his chance for escape.

In a rose-covered palace by the sea live three lovely princesses who never sit around doing nothing. Libby is a master builder, Mellie is a master gardener, and Allie is a master baker. The day before 100 children visit for the Summer Party, Mellie tells Libby and Allie that she would like to try something other than gardening. Since all three are quite sure princesses can do anything, they decide to switch roles for a day. But things don’t turn out exactly as planned. ...

Acclaimed author Dianna Hutts Aston delights young listeners with books about real-life topics, written in language they can understand. In The Moon Over Star, a young girl remembers how in 1969 she watched enthralled as astronauts took the first steps on the moon. She looked into the sky and dreamed of reaching for the stars. This little girl turns out to be Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to go into space.

Acclaimed children's author Avi's many accolades include a Newbery Medal and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Inspired by true stories from the American Revolution, Sophia's War begins in 1776, when British troops arrive on the doorstep of 12-year-old Sophia Calderwood's home in New York. After the disappearance and possible capture of her brother - and the execution of Nathan Hale - Sophia has vowed to do all she can to help the cause for independence. But the war will test her in ways she never imagined

Pinch has a problem. Aunt Hasty has sent him a new couch. But Pinch does not need a new couch. Pinch does not want a new couch. Pinch cannot stand this terrible couch! Pinch's friend Dash tries to help. They push. They shove. They move. Will the terrible couch fit? Find out in the latest adventure of Pinch and Dash, two good friends who sometimes see things differently.

In books like Buried Onions and Boys at Work, Gary Soto displays a gift for revealing the tough, heart-breaking life of contemporary urban kids. In Petty Crimes, Soto offers 10 stories about the risky situations and dangerous little scams faced by young people growing up on the harsh streets of the city.

Friar Tuck, a big golden Labrador, is young Helen’s inseparable companion. She still remembers the sunny day three years ago when her father dumped the fat, wriggling puppy into her surprised arms and said, “All yours, Helen.” Since then, her dog has grown into a wonderful friend for the lanky, red-haired girl. No one knows exactly when Tuck began to go blind. By the time Helen and her parents notice the symptoms, the dog is knocking over chairs and can no longer chase squirrels.

Thirteen-year-old Mic Parsons is surrounded by weird people. He has a deaf and blind sister who clunks noisily around the house. And Vern Chortle has moved onto his street. A truly strange kid who wears outrageous socks and a beeper watch, Vern has decided Mic should be his best friend. Mic has a bigger problem, though. He’s got to pass math, or his parents won’t let him try out for the baseball team.

The Big Wander is a trip 14-year-old Clay Lancaster and his older brother Mike have planned for years. It’s Clay’s dream to find his ex-rodeo-star uncle, who quit the tour and disappeared somewhere in the vast and colorful Monument Valley. But Mike - heartbroken and unfocused after losing his girlfriend - soon heads for home. Clay, however, will not give up. He finds a job in a remote trading post, and follows a lead on his uncle’s whereabouts that takes him deep into Navajo country.