Showing results by narrator "Rachel F. Hirsch" in All Categories

It’s the summer of ’96 and best friends (and secret girlfriends) Hannah and Sam are driving across the country from Long Beach, New York, to the fabled queer paradise of San Francisco, free from the harsh gazes of their neighbors and the stifling demands of Hannah’s devout Orthodox Jewish mother. In San Francisco, they will finally be together as a real couple, out in the open, around other queer people . . . even if the move means leaving behind Hannah’s beloved Bubbe.

Perfect Balance Gymnastics Books teach girls to be kind to each other, flexible in life, courageous, strong, and most of all, confident. The books set the listener in the world of gymnastics. The characters are relatable and have age-appropriate challenges. Each book explores a major life lesson that empowers girls to understand their own inner strengths.

Victor and Zoey are getting old, well old-er, and it’s beginning to be a real problem. Best friends for a decade, they have seen each other through bad dates and office drama, late nights and hungover brunches, during their years together in New York City. As their wild twenties come to a close, though, the dynamic between the two is shifting. Coming off a tough breakup, Victor dedicates his energies toward building a career writing celebrity profiles for one of the last glossy magazines left, while Zoey navigates the terrain at her nascent fashion startup.

We think we understand the laws of physics. We think a lot of things. It was perhaps inevitable that some of them would turn out to be wrong. When the great incursion occurred, no one was prepared. Of all the things physicists had predicted, "the fabric of reality might rip open and giant monsters could come pouring through" had not made the list. But somehow, that was precisely what happened.

Cole Masten. Abandoned by his superstar wife, Hollywood's perfect husband is now Hollywood's sexiest bachelor: partying hard and screwing even harder. Watch out Los Angeles, there's a new bad boy in town. Summer Jenkins. That's me, a small town girl stuck in Quincy, Georgia. I cook some mean chicken and dumplings, can bluff a grown man out of his savings in poker, and was voted Most Friendly my senior year.

The Plot meets Disclaimer in a simmering, slow-burn domestic thriller and psychological suspense novel that explores the stories we tell, the secrets we bury, and the price we pay for both, perfect for fans of Sally Hepworth, Liane Moriarty, and Lisa Jewell. When a bestselling author receives an...

At age ten, Paige Green is the oldest girl on the Level 3 Team at Perfect Balance Gymnastics Academy. In practice she struggles to fit in. Paige secretly likes dance class and wants to beat her teammates and win the All-Around at the State Meet. But at State her team is falling apart and Paige learns that winning as a team is more important than the individual All-Around. Can she step up as a leader and pull this group together? Or is it too late?

Marissa is a gymnast, violinist, and chess player. This summer she is busy in an orchestra, chess tournament, and learning her Level Four gymnastics skills. In the past, doing all three activities has been a snap for Marissa. She is hardworking and smart. But this summer she can't seem to get her kip, a difficult skill on bars. If she doesn't learn a kip she won't be competing Level Four in the fall with her friends at Perfect Balance Gymnastics Academy.

Trista Thompson has just moved to Snowcap Canyon, Utah, where she enrolls in gymnastics for the first time. As an accomplished tumbler, Trista believes learning the other three events and becoming a competitive gymnast will be easy. Trista quickly learns that gymnastics requires hard work and believing in herself. Despite that, she decides she wants to make the Level Three team. On her determined journey Trista meets friends who help her learn about the sport and share her passion for gymnastics.

Alexis is the youngest sibling in a large family of five children. With four athletic brothers, it's hard to stand out. Even gymnastics isn't her own thing. Her brother, Drew, is a gymnast too. When her school announces a talent show Alexis decides this is her chance to shine. She asks her teammates at Perfect Balance Gymnastics Academy to be in the show with her. Together they work hard to create a dazzling gymnastics and dance routine. But Alexis's plans are shattered when she learns her teammates aren't allowed in the show. What will she do?

Trista Thompson is enjoying a fun summer before entering fifth grade. She is training for Level Five at Perfect Balance Gymnastics Academy and gets to attend a gymnastics camp with her friends. For the first time in her gymnastics career she is learning her new skills in plenty of time for testing day at the end of summer. Just when Trista feels great about her progress, she has a major setback. Can she overcome her challenges and fears to reach her goal of making the Level Five team?

Lucy Robinson is feeling stuck. She is a competitive gymnast struggling to score the required 36.00 All-Around to progress from Level Five to Level Six. Lucy understands she must make some big changes if she wants to reach her goals. She decides to step out of her comfort zone and try a different gymnastics academy. At her new gym Lucy runs into obstacles she never anticipated. Can she overcome these challenges and reach her goals?

Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child provides parents of a LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning) child with a framework for helping their LGBTQ child navigate a world that isn't always welcoming.

Gwen Russell is thrilled to hear she will be heading to Paris with her family. Even though the main reason for the trip is to see her three older brothers play lacrosse, Gwen and her Mom have plans to tour the city when they can. As soon as they land, Gwen is swept up in the city she has always wanted to see, and even meets a tres cute boy named Henri. If that wasn't enough excitement, Gwen finds out that her all-time favorite band is playing a one-night only concert in Paris—and there are tickets available to the sold-out show for three lucky people.

Carmen Alvarez is new to competitive gymnastics, and it isn't quite what she expected. Her Level Four season is having a rough start with silly mistakes and several falls. Carmen continues to work hard. But just when she has competition figured out, she learns she must score a 34.00 All-Around to be eligible for Level Five. What will Carmen do if her season ends without getting the coveted 34.00 All-Around? Can she talk her family and coaches into letting her attend one more meet to try to get the score? And if she can get to another meet, will she be able to score out?

Jace and Andrea. Andrea and Jace. From the moment of their fate-filled first meeting in Central Park, they’ve known one true thing—they’re meant to be. Life doesn’t have many certainties, but for Andrea and Jace, forever is one of them.

It is the summer of 1982, just before the fall. The political campaign ad of It’s Morning in America has not yet aired, but the present era of cultural hedonism and radical individualism has already dawned. Against this backdrop, Edward Bennett is the all-American son of a mother who emigrated from Italy and a first-generation Italian American father. Edward has it all: good looks, pedigree, and the financial fruits of his father’s business empire. As he readies for his junior year abroad in London, however, something feels amiss.

Darya does not remember how she came to be a slave or who she was before she was bought by an army captain for his motherless daughter in the ancient Persian city of Susa. Protected and nurtured by the housekeeper and her daughter, Darya has as good a life as a slave can have, even acquiring the rare skill of reading and writing, which she learns alongside her young mistress.

A modern-day Miss Lonelyhearts, Gina’s smart, she’s sassy, she’s got a potty mouth, and she’s determined to live life on her own terms. She’s also divorced, an empty nester, and turning fifty. In the true spirit of midlife crises, Gina dyes her hair, pierces her nose, and moves to a tiny tourist town on the Canadian shores of Lake Huron. Just as she’s settling into her new life and deciding whether to fall into bed with her hot contractor, Gina advises a reader to leave her husband, right before the woman goes missing. And Gina’s got a stalker.

Tales of guardian spirits and divine powers by Seanan McGuire, Ken Liu, Alethea Kontis, Laura Anne Gilman, Scott Edelman and more. Guardian spirits. Divine presences. Demonic powers. Ghosts. The concept of "genius loci" is indeed an ancient one, found in nearly every human mythology. Genius Loci is a huge anthology of 31 all-new fantasy and science fiction stories drawing on the rich tradition of place-as-person. In it, the authors present stories of sentient deserts, beneficent forests, lonely shrubs, and protective planetary spirits.