Janet Taylor Lisle.  Black Duck

Years afterwards, Ruben Hart tells the story of how, in 1929 Newport, Rhode Island, his family and his best friend's family were caught up in the violent competition among groups trying to control the local rum-smuggling trade.  Read by David Ackroyd.

L. A. Meyer.  Bloody Jack:  Being an Account of the Curious

Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy 

Reduced to begging and thievery in the streets of London, a thirteen-year-old orphan girl disguises herself as a boy and connives her way onto a British warship set for high sea adventure in search of pirates. Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas. There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she must use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret.  Read by Katherine Kellgren.

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.  Cave of the Dark Wind

While Peter is away from the island, James and the other Lost Boys insist on exploring a mysterious cave, despite Shining Pearl and Little Scallop's warning that it is a dangerous place, inhabited by a creature known as the Goat Taker.  Read by Jim Dale.

Sara Pennypacker.  Clementine

While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.  Narrated by Jessica Almasy.

Linda Urban.  A Crooked Kind of Perfect

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias, who longs to play the piano but must resign herself to learning the organ, instead, finds that her musicianship has a positive impact on her workaholic mother, her jittery father, and her school social life.  Read by Tai Alexandra Ricci.

Every Child Deserves a Lifetime:  Songs from the "For Our

Children" series

J. K. Rowling.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Burdened with the dark, dangerous, and seemingly impossible task of locating and destroying Voldermort's remaining Horcruxes, Harry, feeling alone and uncertain about his future, struggles to find the inner strength he needs to follow the path set out before him.  Read by Jim Dale.

Kirby Larson.  Hattie Big Sky

After inheriting her uncle's homesteading claim in Montana, sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa in 1917 to make a home for herself and encounters some unexpected problems related to the war being fought in Europe. Despite everything, Hattie's determined to stay until a tragedy causes her to discover the true meaning of home.  Read by Kirsten Potter.

Susan Patron.  The Higher Power of Lucky

Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life.  Read by Cassandra Campbell.

Gennifer Choldenko.  If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period

Kirsten's parents are barely speaking to each other, and her best friend has fallen under the spell of the school's queen bee, Brianna. It seems like only Kirsten's younger science-geek sister is on her side. Walker's goal is to survive at the new white private school his mom has sent him to because she thinks he's going to screw up like his cousin. But he's a good kid. So is his friend Matteo, though no one knows why he'll do absolutely anything that hot blond Brianna asks of him.  But all of this feels almost trivial when Kirsten and Walker discover a secret that shakes them both to the core.  Read by Ariadne Meyers and Francois Battiste.

Brian Selznick.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret

When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.  Read by Jeff Woodman.

Walter Dean Myers.  Jazz

From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie--and every style in between--this collection of energetic poems, accompanied by bright and exhilarating paintings, celebrates different styles of the American art form, jazz.  Performed by James "D-Train" Williams and Vaneese Thomas.

Mike Thaler.  The Librarian from the Black Lagoon

When the class plans to visit the library for the first time, the students prepare themselves for the worst -- a dark dungeon of rules and misery, run by creepy monster-like creatures who laminate children if they even whisper. Imagine their surprise, when they are welcome to a warn and friendly place, where a smiling librarian invites them to explore some of the fun and funny books they have to offer.  Narrated by Alexander Gould and Diana Conova.

Kevin Henkes.  Lilly's Big Day

Features nine of Henkes picture book stories featuring his mouse characters.  Read by Christine Ebersole and Richard Thomas.

John Grogan.   Marley:  A Dog Like No Other

Follows the life story of an exuberant Labrador retriever who gets into perpetual trouble and experiences a range of inspiring adventures.  Performed by Neil Patrick Harris.

Nancy Werlin.  The Rules of Survival

Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.  Read by Daniel Passer.

Derek Landy.  Skulduggery Pleasant

When twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgely inherits her weird uncle's estate, she must join forces with ace detective Skulduggery Pleasant, a walking, talking, fire-throwing skeleton mage, to save the world from the Faceless Ones.  Read by Rupert Degas.

Ed Young.  Seven Blind Mice

Retells in verse the Indian fable of the blind men discovering different parts of an elephant and arguing about its appearance. The illustrations depict the blind arguers as mice.  Narrated by B. D. Wong.

Robert Louis Stevenson.  Treasure Island

While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, an innkeeper and her son find a treasure map that leads to a pirate fortune as well as great danger.  Read by Alfred Molina.

Gary D. Schmidt.  The Wednesday Wars

During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.  Read by Joel Johnstone.

Ann M. Martin.  Welcome to Camden Falls

Flora and Ruby move to Camden Falls with their grandmother, Min, after the death of their parents and meet Olivia and Nikki at the Needle & Thread, a Main Street sewing store run by their grandmother.  Read by Ariadne Meyers.