
Better Nate Than Ever
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $14.24
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Tim Federle
-
By:
-
Tim Federle
About this listen
A small-town boy hops a bus to New York City to crash an audition for E.T.: The Musical.
Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he’d settle for seeing a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There’s an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom.
Tim Federle writes a warm and witty debut that's full of broken curfews, second chances, and the adventure of growing up - because sometimes you have to get 400 miles from your backyard to finally feel at home.
©2013 Tim Federle (P)2013 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Great American Whatever
- By: Tim Federle
- Narrated by: Tim Federle
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Quinn Roberts is a 16-year-old smart aleck and Hollywood hopeful whose only worry used to be writing convincing dialogue for the movies he made with his sister, Annabeth. Of course, that was all before - before Quinn stopped going to school, before his mom started sleeping on the sofa...and before Annabeth was killed in a car accident.
-
-
Must Listen
- By Ryan O'Connor on 07-04-16
By: Tim Federle
-
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- By: Jeff Kinney
- Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixth grader Greg Heffley doesn't understand his annoying younger brother, obnoxious older one, or well-meaning parents. But he knows enough to record his daily thoughts in a manly journal - not some girly diary. In a unique novel brimming with laugh-out-loud moments, Greg chronicles his first turbulent year of middle school.
-
-
JUICE
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-13-15
By: Jeff Kinney
-
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
- By: E. L. Konigsburg
- Narrated by: Jill Clayburgh
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn't just want to run from somewhere she wants to run to somewhere--to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and preferably elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing that her younger brother, Jamie, has money and thus can help her with the serious cash flow problem she invites him along.
-
-
How to be different on the inside, where it counts
- By Bonny on 04-28-13
By: E. L. Konigsburg
-
Maniac Magee
- By: Jerry Spinelli
- Narrated by: S. Epatha Merkerson
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He wasn't born with the name Maniac Magee. He came into this world named Jeffrey Lionel Magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. And Maniac Magee became a legend. Even today kids talk about how fast he could run; about how he hit an inside-the-park "frog" homer; about how no knot, no matter how snarled, would stay that way once he began to untie it. But the thing Maniac Magee is best known for is what he did for the kids from the East Side and those from the West Side.
-
-
Maniac Magee is a great book
- By No name on 09-15-11
By: Jerry Spinelli
-
Hatchet
- By: Gary Paulsen
- Narrated by: Peter Coyote
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Outstanding!
- By Raquel Aceves-Mittman on 02-14-12
By: Gary Paulsen
-
Never Been Kissed
- Boy Meets Boy, Book 1
- By: Timothy Janovsky
- Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wren Roland has never been kissed, but he wants that movie-perfect ending more than anything. Feeling nostalgic on the eve of his birthday, he sends emails to all the boys he (ahem) loved before he came out. Morning brings the inevitable Oh God What Did I Do?, but he brushes that panic aside. Why stress about it? None of his could-have-beens are actually going to read the emails, much less respond. Right? Enter Derick Haverford, Wren's #1 pre-coming-out-crush and his drive-in theater's new social-media intern.
-
-
Skips a couple minutes in both chapter 5 and 6
- By Jonas Hammer on 05-09-22
By: Timothy Janovsky
-
The Great American Whatever
- By: Tim Federle
- Narrated by: Tim Federle
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Quinn Roberts is a 16-year-old smart aleck and Hollywood hopeful whose only worry used to be writing convincing dialogue for the movies he made with his sister, Annabeth. Of course, that was all before - before Quinn stopped going to school, before his mom started sleeping on the sofa...and before Annabeth was killed in a car accident.
-
-
Must Listen
- By Ryan O'Connor on 07-04-16
By: Tim Federle
-
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- By: Jeff Kinney
- Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixth grader Greg Heffley doesn't understand his annoying younger brother, obnoxious older one, or well-meaning parents. But he knows enough to record his daily thoughts in a manly journal - not some girly diary. In a unique novel brimming with laugh-out-loud moments, Greg chronicles his first turbulent year of middle school.
-
-
JUICE
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-13-15
By: Jeff Kinney
-
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
- By: E. L. Konigsburg
- Narrated by: Jill Clayburgh
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn't just want to run from somewhere she wants to run to somewhere--to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and preferably elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing that her younger brother, Jamie, has money and thus can help her with the serious cash flow problem she invites him along.
-
-
How to be different on the inside, where it counts
- By Bonny on 04-28-13
By: E. L. Konigsburg
-
Maniac Magee
- By: Jerry Spinelli
- Narrated by: S. Epatha Merkerson
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
He wasn't born with the name Maniac Magee. He came into this world named Jeffrey Lionel Magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. And Maniac Magee became a legend. Even today kids talk about how fast he could run; about how he hit an inside-the-park "frog" homer; about how no knot, no matter how snarled, would stay that way once he began to untie it. But the thing Maniac Magee is best known for is what he did for the kids from the East Side and those from the West Side.
-
-
Maniac Magee is a great book
- By No name on 09-15-11
By: Jerry Spinelli
-
Hatchet
- By: Gary Paulsen
- Narrated by: Peter Coyote
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Outstanding!
- By Raquel Aceves-Mittman on 02-14-12
By: Gary Paulsen
-
Never Been Kissed
- Boy Meets Boy, Book 1
- By: Timothy Janovsky
- Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wren Roland has never been kissed, but he wants that movie-perfect ending more than anything. Feeling nostalgic on the eve of his birthday, he sends emails to all the boys he (ahem) loved before he came out. Morning brings the inevitable Oh God What Did I Do?, but he brushes that panic aside. Why stress about it? None of his could-have-beens are actually going to read the emails, much less respond. Right? Enter Derick Haverford, Wren's #1 pre-coming-out-crush and his drive-in theater's new social-media intern.
-
-
Skips a couple minutes in both chapter 5 and 6
- By Jonas Hammer on 05-09-22
By: Timothy Janovsky
-
The Breadwinner
- By: Deborah Ellis
- Narrated by: Rita Wolf
- Length: 3 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city during the Taliban rule. Parvana's father- a history teacher until his school was bombed and his health destroyed- works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food.
-
-
Exceptional Listen!
- By Sherry on 09-21-11
By: Deborah Ellis
-
Restart
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross, Laura Knight Keating, Ramon de Ocampo, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Gordon Korman harkens back to his No More Dead Dogs days in this stand-alone that takes a tone more serious than you've ever heard from him before. A boy who's been a bully and hanging out with the wrong friends gets a new start after a memory-loss-inducing accident. But can someone really change who he is, or will the old him merely come back over time?
-
-
Ehhhh
- By James ODonnell on 07-03-18
By: Gordon Korman
-
The Giver
- By: Lois Lowry
- Narrated by: Ron Rifkin
- Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
This guy's mouth makes some serious noises...
- By Nikki Cole on 07-09-12
By: Lois Lowry
-
I Was Better Last Night
- A Memoir
- By: Harvey Fierstein
- Narrated by: Harvey Fierstein
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. He’s received accolades and awards for acting in and/or writing an incredible string of hit plays, films, and TV shows.
-
-
Loved it
- By Mary Ellen Guadagno on 03-09-22
By: Harvey Fierstein
-
Out of My Mind
- By: Sharon M. Draper
- Narrated by: Sisi Aisha Johnson
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy.
-
-
♡
- By KiNg35 on 11-17-16
By: Sharon M. Draper
-
The Fort
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Christopher Carley, Michael Crouch, Nick Walther, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction—power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends—Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ—meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray—Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn’t have any friends yet.
-
-
Stunning
- By Livie on 06-27-23
By: Gordon Korman
-
Playing with Myself
- By: Randy Rainbow
- Narrated by: Randy Rainbow
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Randy Rainbow, the man who conquered the internet with a stylish pair of pink glasses, an inexhaustible knowledge of Broadway musicals, and the most gimlet-eyed view of American politics this side of Mark Twain finally tells all in Playing with Myself, a memoir sure to cause more than a few listeners to begin singing one of his greatest hits like “A Spoonful of Clorox” or “Cover Your Freakin’ Face”.
-
-
I was left wanting MORE!
- By TWE on 04-19-22
By: Randy Rainbow
-
Young Mungo
- By: Douglas Stuart
- Narrated by: Chris Reilly
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born under different stars—Mungo a Protestant and James a Catholic—they should be sworn enemies if they’re to be seen as men at all. Their environment is a hyper-masculine and sectarian one, for gangs of young men and the violence they might dole out dominate the Glaswegian estate where they live. And yet against all odds Mungo and James become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize racing birds.
-
-
Suffering Sappho!
- By Richard Stewart on 04-12-22
By: Douglas Stuart
-
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
- By: Louis Sachar
- Narrated by: Louis Sachar
- Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is your school just a little too…NORMAL? Maybe you should go to Wayside School. You'll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; and Sammy, the new kid—he's a real rat. Come on! Hurry up! If you're late for class, Mrs. Gorf will turn you into an app…Oops. Sorry about that. More than 6 million kids have laughed at the wacky stories of Wayside School.
-
-
Awesome
- By HF Reader on 09-09-17
By: Louis Sachar
-
Wishtree
- By: Katherine Applegate
- Narrated by: Nancy Linari
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree" - people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend, Bongo, and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood. You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever.
-
-
Beautiful story!
- By Amy on 01-22-18
-
Something Fabulous
- By: Alexis Hall
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Valentine Layton, the Duke of Malvern, has twin problems: literally. It was always his father’s hope that Valentine would marry Miss Arabella Tarleton. But, unfortunately, too many novels at an impressionable age have caused her to grow up...romantic. So romantic that a marriage of convenience will not do and after Valentine’s proposal she flees into the night determined never to set eyes on him again. Arabella’s twin brother, Mr. Bonaventure “Bonny” Tarleton, has also grown up...romantic. And fully expects Valentine to ride out after Arabella.
-
-
The narrator and writing were good. That's it.
- By M.A. on 05-24-22
By: Alexis Hall
-
In Deeper Waters
- By: F.T. Lukens
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel. Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen.
-
-
Highly recommend
- By Elisabeth on 07-29-21
By: F.T. Lukens
What listeners say about Better Nate Than Ever
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JL SG Hilbish
- 03-16-23
BEST BOOK EVER!!!
This book is SO GOOD!! I am the same age as Nate so I get his pain but I am also a therater nerd myself! Out of my friends I am the one who is obsessed with musicals. I am so glad I found a book that gets me. TIM IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE MAKE MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS!!!!! Totally a good book for therater kids, people need a laugh out loud or you have good taste in books! Bye!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 06-27-19
NATE IS AWESOMENESS IN PERSON
Loved it! In this entire novel I was hoping everything turned okay for Nate. He's just the best.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- cognac 45
- 11-30-17
The best book ever
I loved this book mostly because I love to read it was just the way the author told it he really felt Nate so props to you Tim Federle I would recommend this to anyone who likes a book that's gets you on the edge of your seat
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Martin W
- 08-16-16
great story & great storytelling
Tim Federle does not READ us his book like so many authors do when they narrate their own work. He performs it. It's his book and he knows it inside and out and can really tell it beautifully.
I found myself halfway through the book before I knew I was caught up in it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Etoile NEOhio
- 12-04-21
Delightful!
Well written, well told story of the "every kid", starry-eyed, "God I hope I get it", Broadway audition. It's Judy Blume meets Stephen Sondheim narrated so well that you would think it was truly autobiographical. If you love The Theater and musicals and ever pictured yourself center stage, you'll relate to this book. Enjoyable by all ages, middle school through adult.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Frederick M. Salan
- 08-06-24
Better Nate than ever
It is very relatable and very risqué for something released It’s time. Love this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Qwyattguy
- 06-05-18
Wonderful, funny, campy
While my suspension of disbelief was (very) minorly strained, this was a quirky, unexpected, wonderful, funny story about growing up different, family, and courage to be yourself. I was not a hardcore theater kid, and am not a big theater gay, but I still very much identified with Nate's difficult, stressful, and seemingly inescapable childhood journey. I also laughed out loud quite a lot while listening. This story has a good balance of both humor and drama. The author's narration was authentic, expressive, and engaging. The parts that maybe hit close to home for him emotionally came through in his performance. I would recommend to adults, or to 13-year olds struggling with fitting in and sexual identity. I wish I had this to read or listen to when I was that age.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Teacher Mom
- 03-27-22
As funny as it is charming!
This book is not great literature, it isn’t going to engage your brain, but it will grow your heart and feed your soul. It is laugh out loud funny, and if you are a theater lover, this book is for you! Listening to it read by the author on audible was absolutely fantastic. It started my day on the right foot every time I was listening to it. This book will make you smile BIG!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-14-18
FANTASTIC NATE!!!
I loved Nate’s performance and the audible is great because the author is narrating it so it is Easy to understand and imagine what the writer is passing on! I recommend this book to anyone who likes broadway musicals and adventure stories!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amy
- 01-01-25
Be ready to laugh!
Such a wonderful listen! My son and I laughed and laughed. There are tender moments, too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!