Showing results by narrator "John McDonough" in All Categories

Karen Kingsbury, the "queen of inspirational fiction" ( Time), delivers the heartwarming tale of a teen with just one Christmas wish - to be hugged by a father she scarcely remembers. When 15-year-old Hannah learns her biological father is USAF pilot Mike Connor, she's stunned. But with Mike now in harm's way, Hannah may never know if the daddy of her fading memories still loves her.

Shade, a young silverwing bat, is searching the countryside for his father when he discovers a huge glass building. When he flies inside, he finds a forest haven where, safe from predatory owls, hundreds of bats are finally living in the sunlight. But when he tries to find an exit, Shade quickly realizes that instead of a paradise, the building is really a prison.

Returning from a riding trip through New England, Freddy the pig, Jinx the cat, and Samuel Jackson the mole are surprised at the cool reception they get from the people of Centerboro. It seems that some animals have been raiding gardens, stealing bicycles, and breaking into houses. And they'e led by a pig that matches Freddy's description!

Strega Nona, the local witch, is very popular in her small Italian town. Her potions are old fashioned, but reliable. Strega Amelia, who lives on the other side of the mountain, is a modern witch. She uses the latest scientific equipment in her cures. What will happen when she moves to Strega Nona’s town? Tomie dePaola delights fans of all ages with his timeless stories of Strega Nona and her colorful friends.

In the little town that's home-away-from-home to millions of readers, life hums along as usual. Dooley looks toward his career as a vet; Joe Ivey and Fancy Skinner fight a haircut price war that takes no prisoners; and Percy steps out on a limb with a risky new menu item at the Main Street Grill.

Griffin is just a newborn bat when he falls through an underground fissure into the most dangerous of all places, the Underworld - the land of the dead. Though his father, the heroic Shade, will try to rescue him, Griffin bravely sets off on his own adventure to find the Tree that will take him home. Will he make it? This companion to Silverwing and Sunwing is mesmerizing, full of extraordinary details and vibrant imagery.

Andrew Thale is not exactly thrilled when his overbearing father sends him on an errand to assess the property inherited from an eccentric aunt. Andrew is intrigued though, when he finds the house fully occupied. Its odd and interesting residents have a calming effect on him, especially the beautiful young woman named Tarragon. But his arrival seems to have set a series of mysterious events into motion. Narrator John McDonough’s engaging performance lets you share in the excitement and camaraderie.

In Freddy and the Bean Home News, Freddy's friend Mr. Dimsey, the editor of the Guardian, is ousted for publishing news of Bean Farm in the local newspaper. Freddy takes it upon himself to found a newspaper of his own and calls it The Bean Home News. But it turns out that being a newspaperman isn't quite as easy as Freddy thought it might be.

In Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, Paul Theroux retraces the steps he took thirty years ago in his classic The Great Railway Bazaar. From the Eurostar in London, he once again sets out on a journey to the East, travelling overland through Eastern Europe, India and Asia. Infused with the changes that have shaped the exterior landscape and enriched with developments to his own perceptions and psychology, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is an absorbing and beautifully written follow-up to The Great Railway Bazaar.

As did his father before him, Pierce Butler treats his plantation slaves like family. But massive gambling debts force him to sell 429 “family” members. When the auction begins, torrential rain falls - not stopping until the final slave is sold the next day. The ominous rainfall prompts these words: “This ain’t rain. This is God’s tears.” Based on the largest slave auction in U.S. history, this poignant montage is the fictionalized account of that 1859 Georgia tragedy.

Mr. Bean knows he has the smartest animals in the state of New York. He's just not sure they can care for his farm by themselves while he takes his wife on vacation. So to show how responsible they are, Freddy the pig and his friends start their own bank and their own animal republic. But a hotly contested election between a plain-spoken cow and a wily woodpecker might be more than even Freddy can handle.

Martin Arrowsmith is fascinated by science and medicine. As a boy, he immerses himself in Gray’s Anatomy. In medical school, he soaks up knowledge from his mentor, a renowned bacteriologist. But soon he is urged to focus on politics and promotions rather than his research. Even as Martin progresses from doctor to public health official and noted pathologist, he still yearns to devote his time to pure science.

Katherine Valentine’s two previous Dorsetville novels enchanted listeners with lovable characters and rich humor. The third installment delivers more of the day-to-day intrigue and comic happenstance only found in Valentine’s endearing community. All is not well in Dorsetville - the sheriff is ill, tragic news awaits Lori Peterson - but in a close-knit community like this, there is no shortage of neighborly care to get you through life’s twists and turns.

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.

After five hectic years of retirement from Lord's Chapel, Father Tim Kavanagh returns with his wife, Cynthia, from a so-called pleasure trip to the land of his Irish ancestors. While glad to be at home in Mitford, something is definitely missing: a pulpit. But when he's offered one, he decides he doesn't want it. Maybe he's lost his passion. His adopted son, Dooley, wrestles with his own passion - for the beautiful and gifted Lace Turner, and his vision to become a successful country vet.

In the early years of our country, a poor school teacher, Justin Morgan, receives a horse and her tiny colt in payment for some work. He wishes he had been given money instead. Hoping that he might sell both horses for a fair price, he asks his student, Joel, to break in the colt. To his surprise, young Joel soon discovers that this small, brown creature has special abilities: "Bub" can pull more than a team of oxen, and he can run faster than a racehorse.

A companion to Homer Price, these imaginative and outlandish tales from all-American Centerbury will leave you in stitches. There's Grampa Hercules and his never-ending tall tales, Dulcy Dooner, the uncooperative citizen, unbusinesslike Uncle Ulysses and his friendly lunchroom, the flustered sheriff, the pompous judge, and more. In Centerburg, along with the routine of day-to-day living, the most preposterous things keep happening. But nothing fazes Homer Price!

Since he was a boy growing up in Mississippi, Father Tim has lived what he calls "the life of the mind". Except for cooking and gardening and washing his dog, he never learned to savor the work of his hands. And then he finds a derelict nativity scene: twenty figures, including a flock of sheep, that have suffered the indignities of time and neglect.

Edward J. Larson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and eminent science historian. This marvelously readable, yet sumptuously erudite work traces the development of the scientific theory of evolution. From Darwin's essential trip to the Galápagos, to the most contemporary studies in sociobiology, this work takes listeners both into the field and laboratories of the world's greatest evolutionary scientists, and shows how the theory of evolution has itself evolved.

A full-cast performance of the RSV-CE. Voiced by internationally renowned actors. Original music score and sound effects