Magic Tree House, Book 40: Eve of the Emperor Penguin
UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 18 mins)
By Mary Pope Osborne
Narrated By Mary Pope Osborne
Overall
(20)
Performance
(8)
Story
(8)
Jack and Annie continue their quest for the secrets of happiness - secrets they need to save Merlin. This time, the Magic Tree House takes them to the one continent they haven't visited before: Antarctica! What can they hope to learn about happiness in such a barren place? Only the penguins know for sure...Jack and Annie are about to find out!
Gerald Dickens, great, great grandson of Charles Dickens, reads this traditional Christmas tale, in which Ebenezer Scrooge is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors. Published in 1843, A Christmas Carol has become as much a part of Christmas as trees and stockings, plum pudding and mistletoe, enjoyed by children and adults alike. This audiobook includes a special feature, as family member Gerald Dickens recounts his understanding of this classic story.
Ramona is happy to have a new bedroom all to herself - during the day, at least. It's not as easy to be brave when there might be ghostly, boneless gorillas oozing under the door at night. Then there is the big, mean dog that steals Ramona's shoe on her way to school. Any other first grader might be frightened. But it's going to take more than monsters and dogs to scare this fearless first grader!
Hiccup is lost in the Library Labyrinth and the Driller-Dragons, Madguts and Murderous, are on the prowl. Hiccup's birthday is not going to be the quiet affair he hoped for.... This book also contains a comprehensive Dragonese Dictionary for those who'd like to dragon-whisper themselves.
Faolan's made it back to his clan as a gnaw wolf, the lowest ranking pack member. And the hardships are just beginning. Framed for murder of a wolf pup, he must find the culprit and prove his worthiness in the clan.
Magic Tree House, Book 44: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time
UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 32 mins)
By Mary Pope Osborne
Narrated By Mary Pope Osborne
Overall
(13)
Performance
(6)
Story
(6)
Jack and Annie’s mission from Merlin the Magician? To help Charles Dickens! In a magical whirl, the brother and sister are whisked back in time to Victorian England and the foggy streets of London. There, Jack and Annie discover that Charles Dickens has everything he could possibly want. How can they help him? It is not until Mr. Dickens rescues them from being thrown in jail that they discover his secret past and the sad memories that haunt him. They will need all their magic....
Who needs a ladder when you've got a giraffe with an extending neck? The Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company certainly doesn't. They don't need a pail, either, because they have a pelican with a bucket-sized beak. With a monkey to do the washing and Billy as their manager, this business is destined for success. Now they have their big break, a chance to clean all 677 windows of Hampshire House, owned by the richest man in all of England!
Now as famous on radio and audio as they are in print, the adventures of that irrepressible and ageless schoolboy William Brown have been delighting both young and old for decades. Perpetually scruffy, mud-stained, and mischievous, he is a lovable scamp whose pranks usually end in disaster, for his harassed elders at least. With friends Ginger, Douglas, and Henry (The Outlaws), and the angelic, lisping, thorn-in-his-side Violet Elizabeth Bott, William has rightly joined the literary, and radio, immortals.
Five brothers, each of whom has an amazing physical gift, join forces to outwit the evil Emperor who has forced thousands into slavery to build the Great Wall of China. The older brothers are put to the test but the youngest proves to be the most gifted of all.
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was an awesome sword-fighter, a dragon-whisperer, and the greatest viking hero who ever lived. But it wasn't always like that. Hiccup's memoirs look back to when Hiccup was just an ordinary boy, and finding it very hard to be a hero. Hiccup must battle Berserks, dodge Scarers, complete the Impossible Task and save Fishlegs from being fed to the Beast! And all while being hunted down by an old enemy with a dark secret about the Lost Throne. What's a hero to do?
Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: ace detective, snappy dresser, razor-tongued wit, crackerjack sorcerer, and walking, talking, fire-throwing skeleton, as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgely, a very unusual and darkly talented 12-year-old. These two alone stand in the way of an all-consuming ancient evil.
Joey Pigza can't sit still. He can't pay attention, he can't follow the rules, and he can't help it -- especially when his meds aren't working. Joey's had problems ever since he was born, problems just like his dad and grandma have. And whether he's wreaking havoc on a class trip or swallowing his house key, Joey's problems are getting worse. In fact, his behavior is so off the wall that his teachers are threatening to send him to the special-ed center downtown.
Denise says:
"I can relate w/Joey, its hard being treated diff."
Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he’s innocent. Or at least sort of.
The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he’s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?
SJB says:
"The 11 yr old at our house loves this series"
Since his mother’s death six years ago, Carter Kane has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the globe with his father, the brilliant Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane. But while Carter’s been homeschooled, his younger sister, Sadie, has been living with their grandparents in London. Sadie has just what Carter wants — school friends and a chance at a “normal” life.
Bilbo Baggins, a gentle hobbit who loves the comforts of home, reluctantly joins a company of dwarves on a journey to recover plundered gold from a fierce dragon. It's a tale of high adventure and astonishing courage, and a magical prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister, Sadie, have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven’t given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians. And now their most threatening enemy yet—the chaos snake Apophis—is rising.
Jeff Kinney’s tales featuring wise-cracking middle schooler Greg Heffley have reached number-one on the New York Times best-seller list, inspired a major motion picture, and been translated into dozens of languages. Greg has endured countless horrors—girls, bullies, jocks, oblivious parents, wrestling in gym class, even the dreaded Cheese Touch—the past few years. But everything changes in this fifth hilarious adventure.
Pod, Homily, and Arrietty are a family of tiny people who live beneath the floor, behind the grandfather clock in the old rectory. They own nothing - everything they have is borrowed from the "human beans", who don't even know they exist.
Newbery Award-winner Gary Paulsen's best-known book comes to audio in this breathless, heart-gripping drama about a boy pitted against the wilderness with only a hatchet and a will to live. On his way to visit his recently divorced father in the Canadian mountains, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is the only survivor when the single-engine plane crashes. His body battered, his clothes in shreds, Brian must now stay alive in the boundless Canadian wilderness.
December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man, the man called only the Giver, he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy.
In 1953, 11-year-old Charlie Nebraska befriends a transient 25-year-old black professional baseball player, Luther Peale. Their unique friendship has the whole town talking! Luther helps Charlie and his friends improve their baseball and Charlie helps Luther confront racial discrimination.
When Nancy is invited over to Bree's house for a special tea party, she has only one thing to say: oui! The girls enjoy a few charming cups of tea before a disaster occurs that sets the two at odds. Will Nancy and Bree be able to save their friendship.
E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!: The Guardians, Book 2
UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 44 mins)
By William Joyce
Narrated By Gerard Doyle
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
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Pitch, the Nightmare King, and his Fearlings had been soundly driven back by Nicholas St. North and company in the first Guardians’ adventure. But now Pitch has disappeared completely—and out of sight does NOT make for out of mind. It seems certain that he’s plotting a particularly nefarious revenge, and the Guardians suspect he might have gone underground. But how can they find him there?
It's Cera's first day of school, but what does that mean? In this fun tale, children will learn that dinosaur school is a lot like their school. Children will learn what to expect from school in a new, imaginative way with Linda St. Peter's book, Cera the Triceratops's First Day at School.
It's time for a pinkerrific slumber party at Pinkalicious's house! Pinkalicious has invited all her friends, including a dragon to protect the Princesses of Pink.
Brianna's mom loves to call her a princess. But every time Brianna gets a nice dress or a bow in her hair or a pretty dollhouse, she ends up losing them or getting them dirty. Sometimes Brianna just wants to be a tomboy. A delightful story about the beauty of being just who God made you to be, Mommy's Princess shows that there's more to being a princess than being tidy and wearing pretty dresses and bows.
Join Cash on his beginning journey of discovering his birthplace Russia and his journey from Mommy's heart to America in Born in My Heart and A Plane, a Car, and a Train.
Priceless Gifts captures the true meaning of Christmas day and is destined to become a Christmas classic. This charming story, the first in a series of inspirationally themed children's books by author Cynthia J. Quinn, will delight and entertain the entire family.
It all starts when an injured greyhound is brought to the clinic, and Maggie and Dr. Mac learn that a neighbor is keeping sick racing dogs at her house. They come from a dog track in Connecticut. Dr. Mac, Maggie, and Taryn, the newest Vet Volunteer, travel there to check on the condition of the dogs, and Maggie and Taryn decide to get to the bottom of the mystery on their own. It's risky, but it will be worth it if they can save these greyhounds!
Sunita loves her cat, Mittens, just as much as she loves volunteering at Dr. Mac's veterinary clinic. But when Mittens eats some yarn from her Halloween costume and becomes ill, Sunita wonders if she is cut out to work for a vet after all. She tries her hand at working in a research lab but discovers that animals are used for testing. Can Sunita find a way to work with animals without harming them?
It’s the Queen’s unofficial birthday, and no one has bought her a present. Not the Prime Minister, not the Treasurer, and not even her lazy Ladies-in-Waiting. All she wants is one small, very cheap present. Just because it has four legs and a tail, that shouldn’t put anyone off....
