Biography & Memoir Audiobooks

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates (Young Readers Adaptation)

A page-turning middle-grade adaptation of the New York Times bestseller about how a newly independent nation was challenged by foreign powers and what happened when America's third president decided to stand up to intimidation. When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa routinely captured American sailors and held them as captives demanding ransom and tribute far beyond what the new country could afford. Jefferson found it impossible to negotiate a truce, and decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy and Marines to blockade Tripoli--launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America's journey toward future superpower status. This vivid and accessible young readers adaptation of the New York Times bestseller features an exclusive new introduction, extensive back matter, and eye-catching art throughout. Chronicling a crucial moment in American history, this historical thriller will excite and inspire the next generation of patriots.

Brian Kilmeade, Don Yaeger (Author), Stephen Graybill (Narrator)

Audiobook

Climate Rebels

Brought to you by Puffin. On the outskirts of the Milky Way, floating slowly through space, there hangs a planet unlike any other. It has oceans, deserts, jungles and mountains. It has life that swims, life that soars and life that swings through the trees. It is a place of dazzling variety and infinite wonder - and it's the only world we've got. Climate change is happening, now. But it's not too late to change the story. Meet the humans, from around the world, who are fighting to save our planet. This is your call to arms. Featuring 25 hopeful stories including Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, Wangari Maathai - as well as lesser-known heroes, such as turtle-protector Len Peters, the guardians of the Amazon rainforest, and the poacher patrollers The Black Mambas. This book will transport you from the poles, to the oceans, to the rainforests, with iconic illustration. These are true stories to make you think, make you cry, make you hope - and these are stories to make us all stand together and protect our home. These stories are the proof that one person's small changes can grow into something big, and powerful, and world-changing. So read on to be inspired, as we take our future in our own hands, and together save Planet Earth - for all the living things that call it their home. © Ben Lerwill 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Ben Lerwill (Author), Maya Saroya, Prasanna Puwanarajah (Narrator)

Audiobook

Thurgood Marshall

When Thurgood Marshall-the great-grandson of a slave-was born, African Americans were denied equal rights in America. Segregation was legal. Lynching was common. In some places, African Americans were entirely excluded from public life; they were forbidden to enter public parks and museums or use public swimming pools and restrooms.After being denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School because of his race, Marshall enrolled at Howard University. He graduated first in his class and set out as a young lawyer determined to achieve equality for all Americans. Here is the story of how he did it-how he devised his legal strategy for expanding "we the people" to include all people.Thurgood Marshall explores his life, from his childhood in Baltimore to his trailblazing career as a civil-rights lawyer and, finally, to his years as a United States Supreme Court justice.

Teri Kanefield (Author), David Sadzin (Narrator)

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Sigmund Freud

Kathleen Krull (Author), Tavia Gilbert (Narrator)

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¡Vamos! Let's Go to the Market

Raúl The Third (Author), Gary Tiedemann (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wherever I Go

Of all her friends, Abia has been at the Shimelba Refugee Camp the longest-seven years, four months, and sixteen days. Papa says that's too long and they need a forever home. Until then, though, Abia has something important to do. Be a queen. Sometimes she's a noisy queen, banging on her drum as she and Mama wait in the long line for rice to cook for dinner. Sometimes she's a quiet queen, cuddling her baby cousin to sleep while Auntie is away collecting firewood. And sometimes, when Papa talks hopefully of their future forever home, Abia is a little nervous. Forever homes are in strange and faraway places-will she still be a queen? Filled with hope, love, and respect, Wherever I Go is a timely tribute to the strength and courage of refugees around the world.

Mary Wagley Copp (Author), Charon Normand-Widmer (Narrator)

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The Compton Cowboys: Young Readers' Edition: And the Fight to Save Their Horse Ranch

Inspired by a powerful New York Times article that went viral, this young readers’ edition tells the uplifting true story of Black men and women from Compton, California, who found purpose through raising and riding horses. The Compton Cowboys are a group who grew up in the city where Kendrick Lamar and Serena Williams were raised; a city portrayed in the media as ground zero for gang violence. But in 1988, with the creation of the Compton Junior Posse, a youth program set on a horse ranch in the middle of Compton, these men and women found a safe space. In this young readers’ edition, kids will witness how the Cowboys’ lives were shaped by harsh realities. The Cowboys were able to overcome their struggles by joining the Compton Junior Posse. Now they want to keep the program running to help other children do the same. Black cowboys are a part of history that has been all but forgotten, but the Compton Cowboys have made it their mission to carry on the tradition and be role models for their community. Author Walter Thompson-Hernández is a Whiting Grant winner and New York Times reporter.

Walter Thompson-Hernandez (Author), Glenn Davis (Narrator)

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Baby Mouse Looks For a New Mom

One day, Baby Mouse, Like all small children, decides to run away because he wants a new Mom. He says his old mom is mean. So he sets off to find someone to replace her. But although he tries all sorts of moms he can’t find one who suits. And when his own mom rescues him from drowning, he realizes that she is the best mom for him

Bai Bing (Author), Jan Ziff (Narrator)

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William McKinley: The Life and Legacy of the Third President to Be Assassinated

Although he is often overlooked in American history today, few presidents marked a turning point for the country quite like William McKinley. As the last president to have served in the Civil War, he represented the end of an era, while at the same time his pro-business policies set in motion the Progressive Era, a period almost universally associated with Theodore Roosevelt. Of course, the reason that period is aligned with Roosevelt is because McKinley had the unfortunate distinction of being one of only four presidents to be assassinated. In September 1901, the city of Buffalo was full of celebration. The Pan-American Exposition was ongoing, and it brought notable figures to northern New York, including President McKinley, who had been reelected less than a year earlier. But also in Buffalo was Leon Czolgosz, a young man who had turned to anarchy years earlier after losing his job, Embracing his philosophy wholeheartedly, Czolgosz believed it was his mission to take down a powerful leader he considered oppressive, and McKinley’s attendance gave him the chance. President James Garfield had been assassinated just 20 years earlier, but McKinley didn’t worry about presidential security or his own safety, and that was the case in Buffalo. McKinley’s insistence on greeting the public and shaking hands allowed Czolgosz to walk up to him on September 6, 1901 at a public reception in the Temple of Music on the expo grounds and shoot him point blank, with one bullet grazing the president and another lodging in his abdomen. In the aftermath of the shooting, as Czolgosz was beaten and seized by the crowd, he uttered, 'I done my duty.' For his part, McKinley said, “He didn't know, poor fellow, what he was doing. He couldn't have known.'

Charles River Editors (Author), Hadrian Howard (Narrator)

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Anna Strong: A Spy During the American Revolution

Anna Smith Strong (1790-1812) was a fearless woman who acted as a spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Recruited by Washington's spymaster Major Benjamin Tallmadge, she joined the Culper Ring, a group of American spies. General Washington placed a huge amount of trust in his spies, and Anna helped pass him important messages at great risk to herself and her family. One of her cleverer devices was to hang laundry on the line in a planned fashion so that other spies could read the "message." Had she been discovered by the British, she would have faced jail or execution. Thrilling and dramatic, Anna Strong tells the story of how one brave woman helped change the course of American history.

Sarah Glenn Marsh (Author), Heather Lind (Narrator)

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Who Was Richard Nixon?

Learn more about Richard Nixon--one of America's most unpopular presidents and the only one to resign from the position. On August 8, 1974, millions sat stunned as they watched Richard Nixon on TV when he announced he was stepping down as the President of the United States. He'd participated in a scandal that included secret tape recordings, a burglary, and a cover-up, and now his secrets and lies were catching up to him. How could Nixon, a man who had been reelected in a landslide victory just two years earlier, now be leaving office in disgrace? Author Megan Stine takes readers through President Nixon's life--from his childhood and military experiences during World War II--to his long political career and the Watergate scandal that tarnished his legacy and deepened American's mistrust of the government.

Megan Stine (Author), Stephen Graybill (Narrator)

Audiobook

Pirate Queen: A Story of Zheng Yi Sao

The most powerful pirate in history was a woman who was born into poverty in Guangzhou, China, in the late eighteenth century. When pirates attacked Zheng Yi Saos town and the captain took a liking to her, she saw a way out. She agreed to marry him only if she got an equal share of his business. When her husband died, she took command of the fleet. On land and sea, Zheng Yi Saos power rivaled that of the emperor himself. Over the next decade, the pirate queen built a fleet of more than 1,800 ships and 70,000 men. Time and again, her ships triumphed over the emperors ships. When she was ready to retire, the pirate queen surrendered on her own terms, of course. Zheng Yi Saos story is told in lyrical prose by award-winning author Helaine Becker. Liz Wongs colorful, engaging illustrations capture the courage and grit of this remarkable woman. An authors note provides historical context and outlines the challenges of researching a figure about whom little is known.

Helaine Becker (Author), Catherine Ho (Narrator)

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