Showing results by narrator "Tara Sands" in All Categories

Five years have passed since Angie Favorite’s mother, Laura, disappeared without a trace, and Angie still hasn’t recovered. Sure, things look normal on the surface — she goes to school, works her summer job, and argues with her older brother Jason — but she can’t shake the feeling her mother didn’t leave by choice. Angie’s dad does the best he can, but his work as a musician keeps him on the road and away from home, where it’s up to Angie’s grandmother to keep an eye on the kids. She can’t be with them all the time, though, and so Angie is alone when she’s snatched from a strip mall parking lot by Scott Bittner. Angie narrowly escapes, and Bittner is arrested, but he takes his life in jail before he can offer an explanation for his crime. When his mother makes contact, begging forgiveness on her son’s behalf, Angie agrees to meet with her in hopes of finding answers to the seemingly random attack. But when she arrives at the massive Bittner estate, she is overcome by an unshakeable sense of foreboding… Part thriller, part coming-of-age tale, Favorite is an engrossing young adult novel in which nothing — and no one — is as it seems.

Her name is Jennifer Hartman, or perhaps Dorothy Holder. She has birth certificates that say both. She got the names from old obituary files, and then went to the county clerk to ask for new copies. Her real name doesn't matter, because her former life is gone. Since she went on the run, she has surprised herself with her ingenuity. She makes her way to Los Angeles and takes a room in an unassuming, out-of-the-way motel. She destroys her credit cards but keeps her old driver's license - she has one last use for it.

Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy has moved to Boston and is embracing the city life, with a new name and a wide-open future. When she gets involved with a fast crowd at Ocean Pier - one that includes the handsome Steven O’Connor - she is pulled deeper and deeper into a world of rule breakers and mischief makers. She finds herself drawn to Steven and the whole O’Connor family. But a secret Annie is keeping has the power to destroy her best-laid plans.

There’s no such thing as an uneventful summer at Camp Sweetwater. Now that the Vampire Devils beneath the lake have been awakened, the camp is in big trouble. The first victims? Tez and Corryn’s counselors, Gavin and Scary Mary. The camp director insists that the missing counselors are just quitting and going home, but Tez and Corryn don’t believe it. They know something much more evil is afoot. With the help of their cabinmates, Tez and Corryn set out to investigate the disappearances. But what they find is a horror closer than the bottom of the lake....

After Regan, Sofia, Bennett, and Darius successfully banished the witch's curse that led their science teacher to try to clone them, their lives should be back to normal, right? Not so! Because the curse is back and stronger than ever. Sofia's dad and Bennett's mom are finally getting married, and nothing could possibly ruin such a beautiful day . . . except for a horde of the rambling, brain-hungry undead!

As a beautiful little girl who's destined to rule over the kingdom of Aris, Princess Eleanor has been cursed by her evil uncle, Lord Balthazar, as part of his plan to overthrow her family's kingdom. She has been cursed into becoming a mouse and with a bit of magic from her Fairy Godmother, she can turn human by day. One night, she meets a lonely, orphaned mouse named Dredge who longs for a family of his own after losing his parents in a tragic magical accident.

Fifth-grader Poppy McBean likes rules and order. She's a follower, and she's totally okay with that. And if you judge her for that, she's okay with that too! But after falling prey to her friends' bullying one too many times, Poppy makes a wish to be happy—and it comes true in a very unexpected way: She wakes up in the body of her cat, Mitten Man.

Alice Mayfair, Millie Maximus, Jessica Jarvis, and Jeremy Bigelow face their biggest challenge yet when exposure of the sacred, secret world is threatened by a determined foe, someone with a very personal reason to want revenge against the creatures who call themselves the Yare. The fate of the tribe and its members’ right to live out peacefully in the open is at stake. Impossible decisions are made, friendships are threatened, secrets are revealed, and tremendous courage is required. Alice, her friends, and her frenemies will have to work together.

Rising responsibilities, midlife complications, and the increasing disconnect with loved ones are some of the culprits that trigger anxiety. And these reasons can easily take a toll on your mental health and drain your spirit. But you don’t have to give in to these concerns and settle for less… there is hope for you to live a better life – the life that you have always imagined for yourself!

Have you ever wondered how water moves around on Earth? An introduction to the water cycle, including precipitation, evaporation, condensation, and more, is explored through this newest addition to the How Do series. The How Do series is a great introduction to various STEM topics, each presented in a format that encourages audiences to ask questions and guess the answers before exploring the science behind them.

Regan, Sofia, Bennet, and Darius are shocked when they end up in detention. Little do they know, the detention they're walking into is far from ordinary. Their science teacher, Ms. Stein, believes she'll be able to create an army of perfect students -- and she's planning on using Sofia's smart, Regan's heart, Bennett's likeability, and Darius's loyalty to do it.

Jacky Hart finally knows the thrill of having people laugh with her (not at her). She tries to put her comedy and theatre skills to use in her summer job—but the boardwalk crowds aren't exactly adoring. So Jacky jumps at the opportunity of a lifetime: an all-expense paid trip to theatre camp! When Jacky gets to Camp Footlights, she realises she's way out of her depth. The highly trained campers all seem to know everything about performing, and exactly how to command the spotlight. All Jacky wants is to prove she fits in, but the more she tries, the more she stands out.

When six-year-old Skye disappears from Everglades City, Noa is hesitant to return to her hometown to help with the search effort. Skye is the daughter of Noa’s ex, Zack, and Taylor, the girl he dumped her for. Going home also means facing the townspeople who have always misunderstood Noa’s medical condition, Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, and dealing with more of their ignorant comments. But returning home is just the beginning of Noa's painful journey.

As the excitement from the last mystery the One and Onlys solved is starting to dwindle, Shanks, Peephole, and Paul worry that their town is back to being boring old Bellwood. But as plans for a shiny town makeover get underway, they realize that the "old Bellwood" is anything but. The glee over "New Bellwood" is palpable, and it's hard not to get swept away by the flashy new milkshake joint and other developments that are quickly making their small town unrecognizable. But the One and Onlys can't deny that something nefarious seems to be afoot.

Life is never quiet at the Homestead. First, it was disappearing animals, then a power-hungry dairy queen. Now it’s a Renaissance Faire, a noisy, stinky spectacle that drives Horace to distraction. Bunwinkle, on the other hand, can’t get enough of the festivities—she loves the thrilling jousts, the court intrigue…and especially the pickles on a stick.

Cellphones have become a fact of life, with children as young as eight (yes, eight!) getting their very own “devices.” Such boundless access means our kids are in nearly constant contact with technology that was designed specifically for adults. And they’re doing so without any type of road map. Enter First Phone: the essential audiobook that apprehensive parents can confidently hand to their kids to listen to as they begin their journey into the digital world.

In this delightful chapter book, you'll meet Jamal, Lindalee, Hans, Matteo, and others - the kids who live on Cattywampus Street, not far from the Waddlebee Toy Store. Each of the 11 chapters in this magical, mysterious, silly, scary, happy, and sometimes sad chapter book tells an utterly unforgettable tale about one of the kids.

Summer has begun, the beach beckons - and Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca's little brother, Simon, drowned, and Francesca's the one who should have been watching. Now Francesca is about to turn 16, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lisette, is moving on, most recently with the boy Francesca wants but can't have. At loose ends, Francesca trails her father, who may be having an affair, to the local country club. There she meets four-year-old Frankie Sky, a little boy who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon.

The fallen queen of the sprites is about to be voted in as Head Councilor, and she wants Nathanial in her control. The magical battle blade that he wields is too good a weapon to pass up. If only adults like Boss would let him help stop this disaster, but even Nathanial's friends think this problem is too big for teenagers to interfere with. Now, he must prove to them how imperative it is for all to act.

Becoming a sprite has come with the consequence of learning how to be tricky, a trait Nathanial has never respected but now relies on for his survival. He must use this skill to navigate the castle walls in which young sprites are learning how to properly dominate the planet. Having come here to free Aliya, Nathanial must now save her from a fate worse than her imprisonment, but she may not be the only one in need of a rescue.