Showing results by narrator "Nick Mondelli" in All Categories

M.E. Kerr's beloved young adult novel tells the story of two very different teenagers, both struggling to stand up to their parents. Whether it's going to college instead of taking over the family funeral parlor, coming out in a town where homosexuality is considered demonic possession, or choosing between a life of fame or normalcy, the young characters in I'll Love You When You're More Like Me all bravely struggle to become who they want to be - even when they don't know themselves.

Two strangers aide one other on a dark country road, and vow to meet again at the local Renaissance Fair. To do so, they must learn to see beyond their own masks, and united, win past a host of glamor fairies, crazed role-players, angry jugglers, sinister bikers, and the secret of the ancient charter of Strawberry Fair itself.

Wily has never seen the sun or a blue sky or even his parents. He lives underground, creating traps to keep treasure-seekers away from the gold in an ancient wizard's dungeon. He spends his days mopping up giant slug slime, avoiding poison darts, and herding undead skeletons. It's all he knows. But then an unusual band of adventurers - an acrobatic elf, a warrior with a magic arm, and a giant made of moss - successfully defeat Wily's traps. And they want the ultimate treasure: Wily himself.

When Elijah is dragged to a high school play in the next town, he can't take his eyes off Kristen, the star. But when his swooning face is captured on camera along with an out-of-context sexual comment, his words go viral. Elijah sets out to apologize, and, surprisingly, she forgives him for his unthinking comment. They hit it off right away, and Kristen believes she's finally found a boy who understands her. But strangers online are threatening Elijah's special needs sister, and Kristen's father wants Elijah gone.

With 2016 promising to be an interesting and hotly contested election year, Votes of Confidence offers young listeners an essential guide to the past, present, and future of American elections.

Thanks to a crew of misfit treasure-seekers, Wily Snare has assumed his rightful place as King of Panthasos. He knows how to be a great trapsmith—devising and building various contraptions to keep plunderers at bay—but he has no idea how to be a good king. And he hasn't escaped his past. Stalag, the mage who once kept him locked away, is amassing an army of stone soldiers to seize the kingdom. His only hope is to tame a lair beast—a giant creature that's their only chance against the evil wizard's army.

Only three students had access to a teacher’s racy photos before they went viral. There’s Mouse, a brainy overachiever so desperate to escape his father and go to MIT that he would do almost anything, legal or not. Then there’s Drew, the star athlete who can get any girl’s number - and private photos - with his charm but has a history of passing those photos around. And finally, there’s Jenna, a good-girl-turned-rebel after her own shocking photos made the rounds at school last year, who is still waiting for justice.

Chopping blades, scorpion nests, giant spider webs—no one makes traps better than Wily Snare. He has never seen the sun or a blue sky or even his parents. Wily Snare lives underground, creating traps to keep treasure-seekers away from the gold in an ancient wizard's dungeon. He spends his days mopping up giant-slug slime, avoiding poison darts, and herding undead skeletons. It's all he knows.

Stephen Luckie isn't so lucky in love. He's completely inexperienced when it comes to girls and wonders if his tics - caused by Tourette's Syndrome - are the reason. Then a game at a party reveals that his body goes still while kissing. Using the scientific method drilled into him by his scientist father, Steven begins the best experiment ever - one that involves kissing as many girls as possible. Who knew science could be so fun? But when the experiment gets underway, Stephen begins to question how he treats girls - and if his tics have been standing in his way at all.

With the Earth in ruins from three catastrophic impacts, surviving the fallout was only the beginning. Unleashed from its celestial vector, the Prometheus Pathogen ravages those left behind, revealing how controlling life and death is a trait that will always be a driving force. As science advances, so does the threat of wielding that power. Caught in the fight to access a potential cure, Kyle risks everything he has left to secure a future for his daughter, but the most lethal obstacles are those he can’t see coming. When lines are blurred, the way out may not always be straightforward.

I am Andrew First, Leader of the Architects Clan. We've managed to leave Novosibirsk, where the zombies and mutants are becoming stronger and more numerous by the day. Our goal now is to found our own city. But there are many other groups of survivors besides us, and every one of them wants to get the best spot for themselves. We've fought against zombies, fought against mutants, fought against monsters. Can it really be that now we're going to have to aim these weapons at other people?

Silas Bennett grew up in a kingdom where magic-users are persecuted, especially those with the rare ability to transform into animals. After discovering he could shapeshift into a serpent, Silas was nearly killed—only to escape to a neighboring kingdom where he could study and use his magic freely. Now, he is determined to become a professor at the university he calls home, even though he is only nineteen. But first he must distinguish himself in his research field by proving that legendary magic stealers exist.

Many believe the key to leadership is having the right combination of tools, strategies, and personal qualities. But leadership is about mindset. Beliefs influence behavior, which directly impacts the culture and the growth and development (or not) of the people on a team. Only by shifting one’s beliefs can any leader affect real change. The Leader-Shift Playbook outlines four game-changing mindset shifts for leaders that result in better performance and culture.

Dr. Wolfgang Pike would love nothing more than to finish the requiem he’s composing for his late wife, but the ending seems as hopeless as the patients dying a hundred yards away at the Waverly Hills Tuberculosis sanatorium. If he can’t ease his own pain with music, he tries to ease theirs—but his boss thinks music is a waste, and in 1920s Louisville, the specter of racial tensions looms over everything. When a retired concert pianist arrives, Wolfgang is thrust into an orchestra of the most extraordinary kind that emerges to change everything.

When librarian Cecily Jane Allerton and hotshot struggling author Nate Ellis are caught in a compromising position during their MFA program, they decide to get married to keep the haters from destroying their chances for professional success. To the horror of Cecily’s family, which is a big fan of big white weddings, they elope to City Hall. Now they’re back on Block Island, pretending to be a real married couple, and finding that however fake the relationship may be, the mutual attraction is all too real.

He's trusted others with his heart before, but always ends up on the outside looking in. Kaitlyn and Gordon need him in a way he can't resist. Showing them the ropes—literally and figuratively—is temptation incarnate. He has to keep them at arms length, even if it's the last thing he wants.

Zara Lorna is kind of a big deal. After winning Artist of the Year (again), having a public argument with her boyfriend (again), and being whisked away by a man she barely knows (that’s new), it feels like she can’t go anywhere without drawing attention. It’s taking a toll on her and she could use a break. Asa Young was a rock star (almost). His dreams of traveling the world with his band came true (almost). He should definitely stay away from Zara, no matter how much fun they have and how easy their connection is.

Since Ethan Walsh realized his fiancé was in love with another guy, his life has been spiraling out of control. He’s spent the last eighteen months drinking too much, hooking up with random girls, and flunking out of law school. When his sister Aubrey has a baby, he goes to visit her on the remote island off the coast of Maine, expecting it to be awkward. What he isn’t expecting is Aubrey’s neighbor to be a beautiful and aloof blonde, Chloe, whose piano playing lulls him to sleep every night.

An eleven-year-old boy lives an idyllic childhood exploring the remote coastal plains and wetlands of South Carolina alongside his parents and his dog, Teach. But when the boy’s eerie and estranged grandfather shows up one day with no warning, cracks begin to form as hidden secrets resurface that his parents refuse to explain.

"Where, Oh, Where Has My Little Dog Gone?": Look high and low with a little boy as he searches - and finds - his doggy in this classic rhyme. "Three Little Kittens": Join three little kittens in their mischief with mittens in this classic Mother Goose tale, ending the way every good nursery rhyme should: with mother's homemade pie and kisses good night.