Gennifer Choldenko.  Al Capone Does My Shirts:  A Novel

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.  Narrated by Johnny Heller.

Karen Hesse.  Aleutian Sparrow

An Aleutian Islander recounts her suffering during World War II in American internment camps designed to "protect" the population from the invading Japanese.  Narrated by Sarah Jones.

Pam Munoz Ryan.  Becoming Naomi Leon

When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.  Narrated by Annie Kozuch.

Paula Danziger.  The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

When the unconventional English teacher who helped her conquer many of her feelings of insecurity is fired, a junior high student uses her new found courage to campaign for the teacher's reinstatement.  Narrated by Caitlin Brodnick and full cast.

Janet Tashjian.  Fault Line

When seventeen-year-old Becky Martin, an aspiring comic, meets Kip Costello, she is caught in a mentally and physically abusive relationship.  Narrated by Clara Bryant and Jason Harris.

Angela Johnson.  The First Part Last

Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter.  Narrated by Khalipa Oldjohn and Kole Kristi.

Wendelin Van Draanen.  Flipped

In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.  Narrated by Andy Paris and Carine Montertrand.

Morris Gleitzman.  Girl Underground

Bridget is a sixth grader at a boarding school in Australia.  She comes from a family of criminals and her parents want her life to be different.  Narrated by Mary-Anne Fahey.

Jonathan Stroud.  Golem's Eye

In their continuing adventures, magician's apprentice Nathaniel, now fourteen years old, and the djinni Bartimaeus travel to Prague to locate the source of a golem's power before it destroys London.  Narrated by Simon Jones.

Max Barry.  Jennifer Government

In Barry's twisted, hilarious vision of the near future, American corporations run everything and employees take the names of the companies they work for. In a world where the most cherished possession is a platinum credit card and advertising jingles give way to automatic weapons in the fight for market share, Jennifer Government is the consumer watchdog from hell.

Helen Frost.  Keesha's House

Seven teens facing such problems as pregnancy, closeted homosexuality, and abuse each describe in poetic forms what caused them to leave home and where they found home again. Written as a series of poems, this is a beautiful and powerful tale that explores the very real problems teenagers face.  Narrated by multiple readers.

Garth Nix.  Keys to the Kingdom series:  Mister Monday

Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins. One mysterious house is the doorway to a very mysterious world--where one boy is about to venture and unlock fantastical secrets.  Narrated by Allan Corduner.

Garth Nix.  Keys to the Kingdom series:  Grim Tuesday

Arthur doesn't think he will ever have to return to the strange house that nearly killed him on Monday--the house that contains an entire world. But Tuesday brings new challenges--in the form of an enemy named Grim Tuesday, who threatens the well-being of both Arthur's family and his world. Arthur must retrieve the Second Key from Grim Tuesday in order to save everything.  Narrated by Allan Corduner.

Geraldine McCaughrean.  The Kite Rider

In thirteenth-century China, after trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, twelve-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan.  Narrated by Cynthia Bishop.

Yann Martel.  Life of Pi

This brilliant fabulist novel combines the delight of Kipling's "Just So Stories" with the metaphysical adventure of "Jonah and the Whale," as Pi, the son of a zookeeper, is marooned aboard a lifeboat with a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan, and a tiger.  Read by Jeff Woodman.

Eleanor Updale.  Montmorency:  Thief, Liar, Gentleman?

In Victorian London, after his life is saved by a young physician, a thief utilizes the knowledge he gains in prison and from the scientific lectures he attends as the physician's case study exhibit to create a new, highly successful, double life for himself.  Narrated by Stephen Fry.

Michael Hoeye.  No Time Like Show Time

Watchmaker-mouse Hermux Tantamoq enters the exciting and somewhat shady world of show business to investigate a mysterious blackmailer at the Varmint Theater.  Narrated by Campbell Scott.

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.  Peter and the Starcatchers

Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.  Narrated by Jim Dale.

Celia Rees.  Pirates

In 1722, after arriving with her brother at the family's Jamaican plantation where she is to be married off, sixteen-year-old Nancy Kington escapes with her slave friend, Minerva Sharpe, and together they become pirates traveling the world in search of treasure.  Narrated by Jennifer Wiltsie.

Michael Simmons.  Pool Boy

When his father is arrested for insider trading and his family loses all their money, Brett Gerson takes a job as an assistant to a 70-something pool cleaner in his former wealthy California neighborhood and learns some valuable life lessons.  Narrated by Chad Lowe.

Richard Peck.  The River Between Us

During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.  Narrated by Lina Patel.

Phillip Pullman.  The Ruby in the Smoke

In nineteenth-century London, sixteen-year-old Sally, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby.  Narrated by Anton Lesser.

Phillip Pullman.  The Shadow in the North

In 1878 in London, Sally, now twenty-two and established in her own business, and her companions Frederick and Jim try to solve the mystery surrounding the unexpected collapse of a shipping firm and its ties to a sinister corporation called North Star.  Narrated by Anton Lesser.

Walter Dean Myers.  Shooter

Written in the form of interviews, reports, and journal entries, the story of three troubled teenagers ends in a tragic school shooting.  Narrated by Chad Coleman, Bernie McInerny, and Michelle Santopietro.

Sam Fink.  The Three Documents That Made America:  The

Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the U.S.A. & The Bill of Rights

Tim Tingle.  Walking the Choctaw Road

A collection of twelve stories of the Choctaw people, including traditional lore arising from beliefs and myths, historical tales passed down through generations, and personal stories of contemporary life.  Read by Tim Tingle.

Terry Pratchett.  The Wee Free Men

A young witch-to-be named Tiffany teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue men, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.  Narrated by Stephen Briggs.

Terry Pratchett.  A Hat Full of Sky

Tiffany Aching, a young witch-in-training, learns about magic and responsibility as she battles a disembodied monster with the assistance of the six-inch-high Wee Free Men and Mistress Weatherwax, the greatest witch in the world.  Narrated by Stephen Briggs.