Audiobooks Narrated by Karen Chilton

Mascot

"In Rye, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, people work hard, kids go to school, and football is big on Friday nights. An eighth-grade English teacher creates an assignment for her class to debate whether Rye’s mascot should stay or change. Now six middle schoolers get involved in the issue that already has the suburb turned upside down with everyone choosing sides and arguments getting ugly. At the center of this story about human rights and Native sovereignty, there are six young people. Callie, a Black Cherokee Nation citizen, is new to the town and school; Franklin loves football, wearing fresh kicks, and so far has resisted his parents’ desire for him to learn more about his Black heritage; Priya wants to be a journalist and has four grandparents all born in India; Sean is a sixth-generation Rye student in an Irish family that often needs help from the food pantry; Tessa, who is white, was previously homeschooled and has grandparents who marched with MLK Jr.; Luis immigrated from El Salvador at seven and aspires to be a math teacher and coach. Written from several points of view, this novel in verse asks, “What happens when a mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone?” This audiobook is narrated by Karen Chilton, Merissa Czyz, Kyla Garcia, Christopher Gebauer, Robb Moreira, Soneela Nankani, and Ruffin Prentiss."

Charles Waters, Traci Sorell (Author), Christopher Gebauer, Karen Chilton, Kyla Garcia, Merissa Czyz, Robb Moreira, Ruffin Prentiss, Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement

"'Karen Chilton conveys both powerful joy and profound grief in her narration of Willie Mae Brown's stories about growing up in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights movement.'- AudioFile The preface and afterword are read by the author. Combining family stories of the everyday and the extraordinary as seen through the eyes of her twelve-year-old self, Willie Mae Brown gives readers an unforgettable portrayal of her coming of age in a town at the crossroads of history. As the civil rights movement and the fight for voter rights unfold in Selma, Alabama, many things happen inside and outside the Brown family’s home that do not have anything to do with the landmark 1965 march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Yet the famous outrages which unfold on that span form an inescapable backdrop in this collection of stories. In one, Willie Mae takes it upon herself to offer summer babysitting services to a glamorous single white mother—a secret she keeps from her parents that unravels with shocking results. In another, Willie Mae reluctantly joins her mother at a church rally, and is forever changed after hearing Martin Luther King Jr. deliver a defiant speech in spite of a court injunction. Infused with the vernacular of her Southern upbringing, My Selma captures the voice and vision of a fascinating young person—perspicacious, impetuous, resourceful, and even mystical in her ways of seeing the world around her—who gifts us with a loving portrayal of her hometown while also delivering a no-holds-barred indictment of the time and place. A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux."

Willie Mae Brown (Author), Karen Chilton, Willie Mae Brown (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rock Box!: A Who HQ Collection

"A ten-audiobook collection dedicated to some of the most famous rock-and-roll artists of all time, from the creators of the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series. Learn about the early lives and exciting careers of the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, and Bono. The Rock Box celebrates the musicians who have made us sing along to their songs for decades. With an easy-to-listen-to narrative in each book, readers will enjoy discovering more about the history of the artists that shaped today's music."

Tba (Author), Adenrele Ojo, Daniel Henning, Dominic Hoffman, Fred Sanders, Karen Chilton, Kevin Pariseau, Macleod Andrews, Tatiana Grey, Will Damron (Narrator)

Audiobook

I am Oprah Winfrey

"Deeply influential cultural icon Oprah Winfrey is the twenty-fifth hero in this New York Times bestselling picture book biography series, adapted for audio. This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. Each book tells the story of an icon in a lively, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers and that always includes the hero's childhood influences. This book features critically acclaimed talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who used her struggles in childhood as motivation to become 'Queen of All Media.'"

Brad Meltzer (Author), Caroline Mclaughlin, Catherine Ho, Graham Halstead, James Sie, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Karen Chilton, Kevin R. Free, Zoleka Vundla (Narrator)

Audiobook

African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History

"In this expansive collection of history, meet ten real-life kings, queens, inventors, scholars, and visionaries who lived in Africa thousands of years ago and changed the world. Black history begins thousands of years ago with the many cultures and people of the African continent. Through portraits of ten heroic figures, bestselling author Tracey Baptiste takes readers on an empowering, energetic journey through time to meet some of the great leaders and thinkers whose vision built nations and shaped the course of history: - Menes: Creator of Dynasties - Merneith: A Queen Erased - Imhotep: From Peasant to God - Aesop: The Wisest Man in the Ancient World - Hannibal Barca: Unparalleled Military Strategist - Terence: North African Playwright - Amanirenas: Warrior, Diplomat, Queen - Tin Hinan: Founder of a City on the Dunes - Mansa Musa: The Richest Man of All Time - Queen Idia: Kingmaker Illustrator Hillary D. Wilson's brilliant portraits accompany each profile, along with vivid, information-filled landscapes, maps, and graphics for readers to pore over and return to again and again. This rich and thrilling work, which celebrates Black excellence and provides an essential correction to Eurocentric tellings of history, will enthrall readers of all ages. "In African Icons, Baptiste engages in the hard work of unveiling the myths about the African continent to young readers . . . This is a great beginner's guide to pre-colonial Africa." -Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist  "

Tracey Baptiste (Author), Karen Chilton (Narrator)

Audiobook

All of the Above

"We know there’s a lot of people out there who think our school is a dead end. And that all the kids inside it are dead ends, too. … But they’ve got it all wrong. Just you wait and see! James, Rhondell, Sharice, and Marcel are four inner-city students on a quest to build the world’s largest tetrahedron with their math teacher, Mr. Collins. If they succeed, maybe Rhondell will make new friends, Sharice’s foster mother may start to care, James will discover something he’s good at, and Marcel’s dad will finally see that there is more to life than barbecue. Maybe they’ll even end up in the Guinness Book of World Records! Weaving together the stories of the kids, their teacher, and the community that surrounds them, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has written a vividly engaging story about math, life, and the importance of friendship."

Shelley Pearsall (Author), Channie Waites, Chris Henry Coffey, Corey Allen, Karen Chilton, Kevin R. Free, Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned a Nation

"In 2014, Flint, Michigan, was a cash-strapped city that had been built up, then abandoned by General Motors. As part of a plan to save money, government officials decided that Flint would temporarily switch its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Within months, many residents broke out in rashes. Then it got worse: Children stopped growing. Some people were hospitalized with mysterious illnesses; others died. Citizens of Flint protested that the water was dangerous. Despite what seemed so apparent from the murky, foul-smelling liquid pouring from the city’s faucets, officials refused to listen. They treated the people of Flint as the problem, not the water—which was actually poisoning thousands. Through interviews with residents and intensive research into legal records and news accounts, journalist Candy J. Cooper, assisted by writer-editor Marc Aronson, reveals the true story of Flint. Poisoned Water shows not just how the crisis unfolded in 2014, but also the history of racism and segregation that led up to it, the beliefs and attitudes that fueled it, and how the people of Flint fought—and are still fighting—for clean water and healthy lives."

Candy J. Cooper, Marc Aronson (Author), Karen Chilton (Narrator)

Audiobook

Just in Case You Want to Fly

"The creators of the award-winning When's My Birthday? team up again to create an inspirational book for anyone--parent or child--looking for support when facing a new challenge. just in case you want to fly here's some wind and here's the sky here's a feather here's up high and here's a wing from a butterfly This tender, contemplative picture book is about growing up. It's about parents giving their children the gifts, no matter how quiet or small, to succeed and to navigate the world on their own. And it's about the connection that binds a parent and child...because no matter how far they fly or who they become, they will always have home."

Julie Fogliano (Author), Karen Chilton (Narrator)

Audiobook

All About Madam C.J. Walker

"Madam C. J. Walker was beloved within her community for her philanthropy and expanding the local black YMCA, but she couldn't have done that if she weren't the first female self-made millionaire and one of the most successful African American business owners ever. Born Sarah Breedlove, she was the first person born free in her family. She married Charles Joseph Walker and became known as Madam C. J. Walker, the name she would later use on her haircare products. After talking with her brothers, who were barbers, and experiencing problems with hair loss, she developed a formula that healed scalp infections. This inspired her to start her own line of hair care products to do things like reduce dandruff, grow longer hair, smooth hair, or prevent baldness. Her company employed thousands of door-to-door saleswomen from all over the United States and the Caribbean. She supported the African American community by making a $1000 contribution for a new YMCA building in Indianapolis, funding scholarships for Tuskegee Institute and Daytona Normal Institute for Girls, and becoming a patron of the arts in the early years of the Harlem Renaissance."

A'lelia Bundles (Author), Karen Chilton (Narrator)

Audiobook

Armstrong and Charlie

"Charlie isn't looking forward to sixth grade. If he starts sixth grade, chances are he'll finish it. And when he does, he'll grow older than the brother he recently lost. Armstrong isn't looking forward to sixth grade, either. When his parents sign him up for Opportunity Busing to a white school in the Hollywood Hills, all he wants to know is 'What time in the morning will my alarm clock have the opportunity to ring?' When these two land at the same desk, it's the Rules Boy next to the Rebel, a boy who lost a brother elbow-to-elbow with a boy who longs for one. From September to June, arms will wrestle, fists will fly, and bottles will spin. There'll be Ho Hos spiked with hot sauce, sleepovers, boy talk about girls, and a little guidance from the stars. Set in Los Angeles in the 1970s, Armstrong and Charlie is the hilarious, heartwarming tale of two boys from opposite worlds, Different, yet the same."

Steven B. Frank (Author), Christopher Gebauer, Karen Chilton, Ruffin Prentiss (Narrator)

Audiobook