Audiobooks Narrated by Taylor Mali

In the Heart of the Sea: Young Reader’s Edition: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

In the Heart of the Sea brings to new life the incredible story of the wreck of the whaleship Essex—the inspiration for the climax of Moby-Dick. In a harrowing page-turner, Nathaniel Philbrick restores this epic story to its rightful place in American history. In 1819 the 240-ton Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine voyage. Fifteen months later, in the farthest reaches of the South Pacific, it was repeatedly rammed and sunk by an eighty-ton bull sperm whale. Its twenty-man crew, fearing cannibals on the islands to the west, made for the 3,000-mile-distant coast of South America in three tiny boats. During ninety days at sea under horrendous conditions, the survivors clung to life as one by one, they succumbed to hunger, thirst, disease, and fear. In the Heart of the Sea tells perhaps the greatest sea story ever. Philbrick interweaves his account of this extraordinary ordeal of ordinary men with a wealth of whale lore and with a brilliantly detailed portrait of the lost, unique community of Nantucket whalers. Impeccably researched and beautifully told, the book delivers the ultimate portrait of man against nature. At once a literary companion and a page-turner that speaks to the same issues of class, race, and man’s relationship to nature that permeate the works of Melville, In the Heart of the Sea will endure as a vital work of American history. “A book that gets in your bones…Philbrick has created an eerie thriller from a centuries old tale…Scrupulously researched and eloquently written…It would have earned Melville’s admiration.”—New York Times Book Review

Nathaniel Philbrick (Author), Taylor Mali (Narrator)

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Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini

Nothing could hold him! He was the Escape King! He was The Great Houdini! But before that he was Ehrich Weiss, a poor immigrant boy with big dreams. Before long he was reinventing himself by making elephants disappear (among other illusions) and perfecting his escapes from chains, handcuffs and straightjackets. This witty and insightful biography by Newbery Award Winner Sid Fleischman tells as much as it dares! Recommended for Grades 4 and up.

Sid Fleischman (Author), Taylor Mali (Narrator)

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Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whale Ship Essex

Never in the history of whale hunting had a ship been attacked by a whale. But then the unthinkable happened. On November 20, 1820, the whaleship Essex was rammed and sunk by an angry whale. Within minutes, the twenty-one-man crew, including the fourteen-year-old cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, found themselves stranded in three leaky boats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with barely any supplies and little hope. Three months later, two of the boats were rescued 4,500 miles away, off the coast of South America. Of the twenty-one castaways, only eight survived, including young Thomas. Based on his award-winning bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, Nathaniel Philbrick recreates the amazing events of the ill-fated Essex, and tells the tale of one of the great true-life adventures. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

Nathaniel Philbrick (Author), Taylor Mali (Narrator)

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The Great Fire

Winner of the Newbery Honor! The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most colossal disasters in American history-with damage so profound that few people believed the city of Chicago could ever rise again. By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with careful research, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting and dramatic narrative, ultimately revealing how the human spirit triumphed even in a time of deepest despair, and the people of Chicago found the courage and strength to build their city once again. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

Jim Murphy (Author), Taylor Mali (Narrator)

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Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance

In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and a crew of twenty-seven men sailed from England in an attempt to cross Antarctica from one side to the other. Their ship, Endurance, became icebound and sank, still one hundred miles from land. What follows is one of the most amazing stories of survival ever recorded. Over the next nineteen months, Shackleton led his men through brutal perils of every kind on ice, land, and sea with one goal—that they all survive. Whether it was a treacherous journey over ice, a storm-racked eight-hundred-mile open-boat journey, or a death-defying trek across a mountain range, Shackleton’s mission never wavered: “But if you’re a leader, a fellow that other fellows look to, you’ve got to keep going.” The story is enhanced with diary excerpts, explanations of the terrain, wildlife, and navigation techniques, and the Antarctic weather that so affected the outcome of the fateful voyage. And narrator Taylor Mali’s dynamic performance transports the listener into the heart of this riveting saga. “The harrowing survival story of English explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the ill-fated Endurance has intrigued people since the 1914 expedition…[Armstrong] brings the unbelievable journey to life with delicious details: how a handsome young stowaway was discovered too late to cast him off; how the ship itself would become frost-white, looking like ‘another species of sparkling white iceberg as it nosed its way through the pack;’ and how the ice-pack-dwelling Emperor penguins seemed to enjoy the banjo music of crew member Leonard Hussey. The true-to-life story is as thrilling as they come, and Armstrong’s lively, crystal-clear writing style is just as compelling….[An] inspiring nonfiction adventure story that young readers will devour from cover to cover.”--Amazon.com, editorial review

Jennifer Armstrong (Author), Taylor Mali (Narrator)

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Blizzard!: The Storm That Changed America

On March 12, 1888, hurricane-force winds and unrelenting snow began to bring the region of Virginia to Maine to its knees. During the next three days, the Great Blizzard raged out of control, devastating every community in its path. Through the eyes and words of survivors and victims alike, as well as the careful research for which Newbery Honor author Jim Murphy is known, listeners will experience one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history and understand why, from that day on, life in the United States was forever changed. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

Jim Murphy (Author), Taylor Mali (Narrator)

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