Tag Archive | survival

What secrets should remain hidden? Read with your ears to find out!

Jul19

It’s already our final week of free audiobooks from SYNC for summer 2018!

Download by clicking the link after either title (or both!), save to your device, then listen whenever you like.

If you missed any of the free downloads, check for those titles at your local library through WorldCat (https://www.worldcat.org/).

Big thanks to the audiobook publishers who allow us to download their professionally produced works during this great program every summer!

CD cover of Monstrous Beauty, by Elizabeth Fama | Read by Katherine Kellgren Published by Macmillan Audio | recommended on BooksYALove.comMonstrous Beauty (download here free 19-25 July 2018)
by Elizabeth Fama
Read by Katherine Kellgren
Published by Macmillan Audio

Perhaps knowing more about the ancestress reputed to be a mermaid will help 17-year-old Hester figure out why love has equaled death for women in their family for generations…

The Lost World (download here free 19-25 July 2018) CD cover of The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Read by Glen McCready Published by Naxos Audiobooks | recommended on BooksYALove.com
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Read by Glen McCready
Published by Naxos Audiobooks

Dinosaurs in South America? Of course intrepid British scientists in the early 20th century will journey there, facing many perils along the way! A late-career story by the author famed for his Sherlock Holmes books.

What were your favorite AudioSYNC audiobooks this summer?
**kmm

Sister stolen by The Ice Sea Pirates! by Frida Nilsson (book review)

Jul13

book cover of Ice Sea Pirates, by Frida Nilsson, translated by Peter Graves, illustrated by David Barrow, published by Gecko Press | recommended on BooksYALove.comChildren kidnapped,
forced to work in a diamond mine
on an ice-covered pirate island!

Of course, Siri will do anything to get her little sister back – but how much can a 10 year old do against feared pirates?

Look for this windswept, icy adventure in hardcover or paperback at your local library or independent bookstore – yes, they can get it if not currently in stock!

How far would you go to rescue someone you love?
**kmm

Book info: The Ice Sea Pirates / Frida Nilsson; illustrated by David Barrow; translated by Peter Graves. Gecko Press, 2017. [author info] [artist’s Twitter] [translator info] [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: In a heartbeat’s time, her little sister Miki is stolen away by the feared Ice Sea Pirates, so 10-year-old Siri races to save her from Captain Whitehead’s deadly diamond mines on a secret island.

How can she follow the pirate ship Snow Raven when adults won’t help?
Why are only children used to mine diamonds?
Can she rescue Miki before the seas freeze over?

This Swedish tale in translation is filled with adventure and daring, as Siri risks her life and safety to bring Miki back to their grieving father, to their snug fishers’ cottage where a tiny piece of mermaid’s tail decorates the wall.

Tough stories? Listen and learn

Jul5

This week’s free audiobooks from SYNC bring us strong stories from real life and real-life situations.

Download these complete audiobooks from Thursday through Wednesday this week for free, then listen to them whenever you like.

If you miss the free download time, check with your local library through WorldCat to see if they have the CD (or print book or eBook) that you can borrow.

CD of The Invisible Girls, by Sarah Thebarge | Read by Kirsten Potter Published by Oasis Audio, LLC. | recommended on BooksYALove.comThe Invisible Girls (download free here from 5-11 July 2018)
by Sarah Thebarge
Read by Kirsten Potter
Published by Oasis Audio, LLC.

As a young woman remaking her own life in a new city, the author meets a refugee mother desperate to feed her five daughters in a new culture they don’t understand.
Girls Like Us (download free here from 5-11 July 2018)
CD cover of Girls Like Us, by Gail Giles | Read by Lauren Ezzo, Brittany Pressley Published by Candlewick on Brilliance Publishing | recommended on BooksYALove.comby Gail Giles
Read by Lauren Ezzo, Brittany Pressley
Published by Candlewick on Brilliance Publishing

After graduating, Biddy (fists raised against everything) and Quinny (so timid, so very scared) are placed together as apartment-mates and must learn to navigate the world beyond their special education program.

What memoirs and true-to-life fiction have you read lately?
**kmm

Tales of despair & hope – listen up!

Jun14

So many stories of enslavement and escape – here are two to read with your ears!

Thank you to the publishers of these audiobooks for making them freely available each week through http://www.audiobooksync.com/. 

Download either or both titles by clicking on the link from Thursday through Wednesday (14-20 June 2018), then listen to them whenever you want.

CD cover of My Name is Not Friday, by Jon Walter | Read by Dion Graham Published by Scholastic Audio | recommended on BooksYALove.comMy Name Is Not Friday (download here free 14-20 June 2018)
by Jon Walter
Read by Dion Graham
Published by Scholastic Audio

During the Civil War, young free-man Samuel stands up for his brother and is sold from their Northern orphanage into Southern slavery where he vows to remember his own name and regain his freedom.

Come August, Come Freedom: the Bellows, the Gallows, and the Black General Gabriel (download here free 14-20 June 2018)CD cover of Come August, Come Freedom by Gigi Amateau | Read by J.D. Jackson Published by Candlewick on Brilliance Publishing | recommended on BooksYALove.com
by Gigi Amateau
Read by J.D. Jackson
Published by Candlewick on Brilliance Publishing

Born into slavery, talented blacksmith Gabriel is inspired by Haitian revolutionaries to organize enslaved people of Virginia to rebel in 1800 – a little-known true story.

This Juneteenth, what other historical stories of rebellion and freedom should we be hearing?
**kmm

Mysteries to read with your ears!

Jun7

Ooh, this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC aren’t your everyday tales of mystery!

Remember that although these complete audiobooks are only available from Thursday through Wednesday (7-13 June 2018), you can read them whenever you wish, as long as you keep them on your device.

CD cover of Everland, by Wendy Spinale | Read by Fiona Hardingham, Steve West Published by Scholastic Audio | recommended on BooksYALove.comEverland (download here free from 7-13 June 2018)
by Wendy Spinale
Read by Fiona Hardingham, Steve West
Published by Scholastic Audio

Peter Pan retold through steampunk goggles in an alternate history where only children survived a plague after the London Blitz where a ruthless German commandant hunts them as possible source for a cure.

 

The Just Men of Cordova (Four Just Men, book 3) (download here free from 7-13 June 2018)CD cover of Just Men of Cordova, by Edgar Wallace | Read by Bill Homewood Published by Naxos AudioBooks | recommended on BooksYALove.com
by Edgar Wallace
Read by Bill Homewood
Published by Naxos AudioBooks

Entering the shady world of horse racing and gambling, The Four Just Men continue their campaign to rid the world of evil-doers, without help from law enforcement or judges.

Taking the law into your own hands – when is it okay?
**kmm

Listen, listen to maker-stories – free this week!

May24

This week’s free audiobooks from SYNC include stories about young women creating something personal and important.

Download these complete audiobooks from Thursday through Wednesday 24-30 May, so you can listen to them using a free Audible app, as long as they’re on your computer or electronic device.

Click on the link for either or both books to start the simple download process.

CD Cover of When Dimple Met Rishi, by Sandhya Menon | Read by Sneha Mathan, Vikas Adam Published by Dreamscape Media | recommended on BooksYALove.comWhen Dimple Met Rishi (download here free from May 24-30, 2018)
by Sandhya Menon
Read by Sneha Mathan, Vikas Adam
Published by Dreamscape Media

Dimple wants to win the app development contest, Mom wants to arrange the ideal Indian marriage, and Rishi wants Dimple to agree with their parents that he is the one for her! Was a summer after graduation ever so complicated?  (I recommended this fun book last May at https://booksyalove.com/?p=8797)
 
Baker’s Magic (download here free from May 24-30, 2018)CD cover of Baker's Magic, by Diane Zahler | Read by Tavia Gilbert, Michael Crouch, Stephen DeRosa, Kenneth Cavett, L.J. Ganser, Robin Miles, Stina Nielsen, Elisabeth Rodgers Published by Live Oak Media | recommended on BooksYALove.com
by Diane Zahler
Read by Tavia Gilbert, Michael Crouch, Stephen DeRosa, Kenneth Cavett, L.J. Ganser, Robin Miles, Stina Nielsen, Elisabeth Rodgers
Published by Live Oak Media

Bee discovers that her baking reflects her moods, a rare gift that takes the 12 year old orphan from small village to castle to pirate ship as she helps a new (and royal) friend escape an evil mage.

What stories about creating and making would you recommend?
**kmm

Violence and truth – books to read with your ears!

May10

This week’s free audiobooks from SYNC bring us 9-year-olds faced with violence and hard choices, on opposite sides of the world.

Download either or both titles by Wednesday (5/16/18), then listen to your selection any time you like, using the free Overdrive app.

Bookmark the SYNC site now so you can download great audiobooks all summer long: http://www.audiobooksync.com/

CD cover of Johnny Get Your Gun, by John Ball | Read by Dion Graham Published by Brilliance Publishing | recommended on BooksYALove.com Johnny, Get Your Gun (free download 5/10-16/18)
by John Ball
Read by Dion Graham
Published by Brilliance Publishing

Fight the school bully? A 9 year old boy with a gun sparks violence in his impoverished LA neighborhood as racial tensions flare during the 1960s.

 

On Two Feet and Wings (free download 5/10-16/18)CD cover of On Two Feet and Wings, by Abbas Kazerooni | Read by Abbas Kazerooni Published by Brilliance Publishing | recommended on BooksYALove.com
by Abbas Kazerooni
Read by Abbas Kazerooni
Published by Brilliance Publishing

Abbas can become a soldier at age 9 in the Iran-Iraq War or escape to Turkey without money, family, or friends! Autobiography narrated by the author.

Other stories of young kids prevailing in terrible times?
**kmm

Tales of escape and hope to read with your ears

May3

Songs of desperation and hope thread through his week’s free audiobooks from SYNC to read with your ears!

Remember that although these complete audiobooks are only available from Thursday through Wednesday, you have free use of them as long as you keep them on your computer or electronic device.

Click each CD title to reach the download site – enjoy!

CD cover of Solo, by Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess | Read by Kwame Alexander Published by Blink | recommended on BooksYALove.com Solo (free download from 5-11 May 2018)
by Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess 
Read by Kwame Alexander 
Published by Blink

Blade wants to escape his rock-star dad’s raucous reputation… but a family secret bursts onto the young musician’s present – a novel in verse.
 

The Devil’s Highway: a True Story (free download from 5-11 May 2018)CD cover of Devil's Highway, by Luis Alberto Urrea | Read by Luis Alberto Urrea Published by Hachette Audio | recommended on BooksYALove.com
by Luis Alberto Urrea
Read by Luis Alberto Urrea
Published by Hachette Audio

In May 2001, a group of men tried to cross the desert from Mexico into Arizona, but only half survived. Investigative reporting of a story that repeats itself often, even today.

What other stories of escape would you recommmend?
**kmm

Z is The Weight of Zero – can Catherine escape it? by Karen Fortunati (book review)

Apr30

paperback cover of Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati, published by Delacorte Press | recommended on BooksYALove.com

paperback

book hardcover of Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati, published by Delacorte Press | recommended on BooksYALove.com

hardcover

When her bipolar meds stop working (always do)

will she let herself be crushed by depression (again)

or will she beat Zero at its own game (game over, forever)?

Therapy and medications might keep Catherine’s manic-depressive swings manageable right now, but she feels like such a burden to Mom.

If she can just accomplish a few things first – like being in love or having friends again – when the giant Zero of depression hits, Catherine will end it all, for good.

Can her history project partner Michael, his loud and loving family, and a girl from daily group therapy change her mind?

That depression coming for Catherine, the bottles of pills she’s saving – paperback cover or hardcover?
**kmm

Book info: The Weight of Zero / Karen Fortunati. Delacorte Press, 2016 (hardcover), 2018 (paperback) [author site] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

W for Wow! It’s AudioSync time again = free audiobooks all summer long.

Apr26

Free audiobooks!
Two new titles every week!
All summer long – starting today!

We’re getting a week’s headstart on summer reading for your ears, as AudioSync opens its free audiobook download season now.

Click on each CD title to reach the download site for this week’s free audiobooks from SYNC so you can read with your ears!

You only need to input your name and email address to download these complete audiobooks, then you can listen to them as long as they’re saved on your computer or electronic device.

I’ll remind you each Thursday of the new weekly selections so you can get them before their free status expires on Wednesday.

CD cover of The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items From the First World War. by David Almond, John Boyne, Tracy Chevalier, Ursula Dubosarsky, Timothée de Fombelle | Read by Nico Evers-Swindell, JD Jackson, Gerard Doyle, Richard Halverson, Sarah Coomes, Nick Podehl Published by Candlewick on Brilliance Publishing | recommended on BooksYALove.com The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items From the First World War

by David Almond, John Boyne, Tracy Chevalier, Ursula Dubosarsky, Timothée de Fombelle
Read by Nico Evers-Swindell, JD Jackson, Gerard Doyle, Richard Halverson, Sarah Coomes, Nick Podehl
Published by Candlewick on Brilliance Publishing

Original short stories based on common things used by soldiers and civilians in World War I, narrated in Scots, British, Australian, African-American, French, and Irish accents.

 
A Study in CharlotteCD cover of A Study in Charlotte, by Brittany Cavallaro | Read by Graham Halstead, Julia Whelan Published by HarperAudio | recommended on BooksYALove.com

by Brittany Cavallaro
Read by Graham Halstead, Julia Whelan
Published by HarperAudio

The great-great-great-grandkids of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must work together to solve the murder of a boarding school classmate – before they are considered the prime suspects! (first in a trilogy)

What other novels of conflict would you recommend?
**kmm