Something Upstairs

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

• UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 27 mins)
• By Avi
• Narrated By Alexandra O’Karma
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Avi’s swashbuckling tale of murder and mutiny on the high seas has a fascinating twist: the heroine is a 13-year-old girl. In 1832, Charlotte Doyle boards a ship bound for America and is caught in a battle between a mad captain and his ruthless crew. If you’re looking for an action-packed adventure story for girls, you’ll find it in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.

Freak the Mighty

• UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 16 mins)
• By Rodman Philbrick
• Narrated By Elden Henson
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Meet Maxwell Kane, narrator of Freak the Mighty. He's a timid soul stuck in the body of a teenage giant with size 14 shoes. Haunted by a dark secret in his past, he hides out in his basement room, avoiding the world. But when a new kid moves in next door Max's life changes forever. The two outcasts form the "normal" world team up to become "Freak the Mighty".

Holes

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 23 mins)
• By Louis Sachar
• Narrated By Kerry Beyer
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Stanley Yelnats isn't so surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a juvenile detention center. After all, his family has been ridden with bad luck ever since a one-legged gypsy put a curse on his great-great grandfather. He is told that the hard labor he must perform, digging five-foot holes in the dried up soil where Green Lake once sat, is meant to build character. But it soon becomes clear to Stanley that the warden is really using the boys to search for something very valuable.

School of the Dead

• UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 47 mins)
• By Avi
• Narrated By Michael Crouch
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

For most of Tony Gilbert's life, he has thought of his uncle as "Weird Uncle Charlie". That is, until Uncle Charlie moves in with Tony and his family. Uncle Charlie is still odd, of course - talking about spirits and other supernatural stuff - but he and Tony become fast friends, and Tony ends up having a lot of fun with Uncle Charlie. When Uncle Charlie dies suddenly, Tony is devastated. Then he starts seeing Uncle Charlie everywhere!

Rules

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 1 min)
• By Cynthia Lord
• Narrated By Jessica Almasy
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Catherine, a 12-year-old girl with big responsibilities, loves her autistic younger brother David and makes lists of rules she thinks will help him get by. But she often feels that her parents, focused on special care for David, forget that she exists, too.

All the Lovely Bad Ones

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 44 mins)
• By Mary Downing Hahn
• Narrated By Jeffrey Cummings
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Travis and his sister, Corey, can’t resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother’s quiet Vermont inn, where they’re spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little “haunting” of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn, and business booms. But Travis and Corey soon find out that they aren’t the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Restless, spiteful spirits swarm the inn....

Frindle

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 40 mins)
• By Andrew Clements
• Narrated By Keith Nobbs
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever: the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero.

Tuck Everlasting

• UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 31 mins)
• By Natalie Babbitt
• Narrated By Peter Thomas
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

When 10-year-old Winnie Foster stumbles upon the Tuck family's disturbing secret, she is forced to come to terms with her conflicting emotions. She feels drawn to the loving, gentle, and rather eccentric Tucks, but what they tell her is too incredible to be believed. Doomed to, or blessed with, eternal life after drinking from a magic spring, the Tuck family tries to make Winnie understand that the terrible magic of the forest spring can never be revealed.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

• UNABRIDGED (2 hrs and 33 mins)
• By Judy Blume
• Narrated By Judy Blume
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Living with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth grade nothing. Whether Fudge is throwing a temper tantrum in a shoe store, smearing mashed potatoes on the walls at Hamburger Heaven, or scribbling all over Peter's homework, he's never far from trouble. He's a two-year-old terror who gets away with everything, and Peter's had enough.

A Long Walk to Water

• UNABRIDGED (2 hrs and 41 mins)
• By Linda Sue Park
• Narrated By David Baker, Cynthia Bishop
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

In 1985 southern Sudan is ravaged by war. Rebels and government forces battle for control, with ordinary people…people like the boy, Salva Dut…caught in the middle. When Salva's village is attacked, he must embark on a harrowing journey that will propel him through horror and heartbreak, across a harsh desert, and into a strange new life. Years later, in contemporary South Sudan, a girl named Nya must walk eight hours a day to fetch water. The walk is grueling, but there is unexpected hope.

Fish in a Tree

• UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 44 mins)
• By Lynda Hunt
• Narrated By Kathleen McInerney
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

• UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 44 mins)
• By Sophie Kinsella
• Narrated By Emily Gray

Sophie Kinsella's debut is a romp through the perils of shopping and spending, spending, spending! Becky can't resist a sale, and she's only a little overdrawn on her VISA. Readers will laugh aloud at Becky's retail adventures as she finds new and creative ways to relieve her increasingly credit card debt. Emily Gray's narration bounces along with Becky and her buying whims, while delivering a humorous account of what happens when credit goes bad.

When You Reach Me

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 19 mins)
• By Rebecca Stead
• Narrated By Cynthia Holloway

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.

But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note.

Because of Winn-Dixie

• UNABRIDGED (2 hrs and 28 mins)
• By Kate DiCamillo
• Narrated By Cherry Jones

When 10-year-old India Opal Buloni moves to Naomi, Florida, with her preacher father, she doesn't know what to expect. She is lonely at first, that is until she meets Winn-Dixie, a stray dog who helps her make some unusual friends. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins to let go of some of her sadness and finds she has a whole lot to be thankful for.

The War That Saved My Life

• UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 38 mins)
• By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• Narrated By Jayne Entwistle
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada's twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn't waste a minute - she sneaks out to join him. So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan.

Tangerine

• UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 59 mins)
• By Edward Bloor
• Narrated By Ramon De Ocampo

At a very young age, Paul Fisher suffered eye damage in a mysterious accident that he can't remember. But his thick glasses can't keep him from being a great soccer goalie for his middle school team. He is, however, overshadowed by his older brother Erik, a high school football star with an evil temper few people know about.

Poppy

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 10 mins)
• By Avi
• Narrated By John McDonough

In Dimwood Forest, all the mice know that moving beyond Grey House requires the permission of the great horned owl, Mr. Ocax. No one but Mr. Ocax can guarantee protection against the horrible porcupines who lurk in the forest, waiting to grab innocent creatures. But Poppy is a curious mouse, and a little foolish. When she is caught dancing in the moonlight on Bannock Hill, she soon faces not only the great owl, but a huge porcupine, and an impossible challenge.

That Was Then, This Is Now

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 1 min)
• By S. E. Hinton
• Narrated By Jeff Woodman

Bryon and Mark aren't related, but they are as close as brothers. Ever since his parents died when he was nine, Mark has lived with Bryon and his mother. Now at 16, they like to reminisce about old times - the fights and pranks at school, smoking and swearing - junk they got into when they were younger. But lately things have been different. Bryon starts spending a lot of time with Cathy, and she makes him feel there are some things worth working for. He grows bored with all the fighting, the dead-end choices of life on the streets.

The Giver

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 51 mins)
• By Lois Lowry
• Narrated By Ron Rifkin
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

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.

Ragweed

• UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 37 mins)
• By Avi
• Narrated By John McDonough

Ragweed the mouse is four months old and anxious to see the world. So he says goodbye to his family and friends in the Woodlands and, following the advice of a friendly vole, makes his way to the big city: Amperville. In Amperville, Ragweed sees things he’s never seen before - like cats! In particular, he comes face-to-face with Silversides, founder and president of F.E.A.R. (Felines Enraged About Rodents). Silversides wants to make sure mice know their place in the world. With new friends Clutch, a skateboarding mouse with green hair, and Blinker, a pet mouse longing for freedom, Ragweed takes a stand against F.E.A.R.

Heat

• UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 14 mins)
• By Mike Lupica
• Narrated By Paolo Andino
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Twelve-year-old Michael Arroyo lives in the shadows of Yankee Stadium, home of his heroes, but a place that might as well be on a different continent since he can't afford to see the inside. He also lives in the shadows of his Bronx neighborhood, hiding from the bill collectors and the officials who would separate him from his 17-year-old brother if they knew the two boys were living on their own. Baseball is Michael's only salvation.

The Outsiders

• UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 12 mins)
• By S.E. Hinton
• Narrated By Jim Fyfe
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect, until the night someone takes things too far.

Tuesdays with Morrie: 20th Anniversary Edition

• UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 42 mins)
• By Mitch Albom
• Narrated By Mitch Albom
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient, and wise who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly 20 years ago. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom the way you once did when you were younger? Mitch Albom had that second chance.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

• UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 56 mins)
• By Jeff Kinney
• Narrated By Ramon De Ocampo
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

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.