Audio Books

An extract from Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek. A touchingly honest, candidly hysterical memoir from breakout teen author Maya Van Wagenen. Read by Amber Faith and Lee Adams.

'School is the armpit of life . . . and my school is no exception'

Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at 'pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren't paid to be here,' Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular?

The real-life results are painful, funny, and include a wonderful and unexpected surprise-meeting and befriending Betty Cornell herself. Told with humour and grace, Maya's journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence.

'The real deal. . . A teenage John Green for the next generation. Stunning.' Margaret Stohl, bestselling co-author of the bestselling Beautiful Creatures series

'Popular is wonderful. It is charming, touching, entertaining - and brought back a lot of memories about my own high school anxieties. I will be saving my copy to give to my daughter when she is a little older' Jo Elvin, Glamour

'I was inspired by [Maya's] journey and made a point of saving a copy of 'Popular' for my sister, who starts middle school this fall. Maybe if I had read it when I was her age, it could have saved me from a world of hurt, or at least put that world in perspective.' Maude Apatow, New York Times Book Review

'Made me smile, giggle and question what my idea of popularity really is . . A must read this summer' Guardian Books Blog

'Honest, funny, and thought-provoking.' Gretchen Rubin, #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project

'Her year-long experiment in popularity is timeless; the intelligent and humane way she gets to the heart of the matter is uniquely her. Funny, determined, and wry, Van Wagenan has written a wise, heartfelt guide for other kids eager to keep up.' Rachel Hartman, NYT bestselling author of Seraphina

'A talented writer, she's funny, thoughtful and self-effacing . . . Teens will readily identify with her' Kirkus

About the author:
Maya Van Wagenen is fifteen years old. When she was eleven, her family moved to Brownsville, Texas, the setting of Popular. When not hunched over a desktop writing, Maya enjoys reading, British Television, and chocolate. She now lives with her parents and two siblings in a rural Georgia. She is a sophomore in high school but still shares a room with her sixth grade brother. Remarkably they have not yet killed each other.

Maya Van Wagenen: Popular (Audiobook extract) Read by Amber Faith & Lee Adams

An extract from Danger is Everywhere. Taken from the tape recordings of the enigmatic and ultra-cautious dangerologist Docter Noel Zone, DANGER IS EVERYWHERE is a brilliantly funny audiobook for avoiding danger of all kinds that will have you laughing out loud (very safely) from start to finish.

DOES IT WARN YOU ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF A SHARK COMES UP OUT OF THE LOO WHILE YOU ARE SITTING ON IT? 
Yes it does.

AND WHAT TO DO IF A VOLCANO ERUPTS UNDERNEATH YOUR HOUSE? 
After you've made sure it's not a neighbour's barbecue, this audiobook will let you know exactly how to deal with it.

DOES IT INCLUDE AMAZING SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC COMPOSED BY DOCTER NOEL ZONE HIMSELF?
Yes it does. But make sure you keep the volume safely down.

Hear more of Docter Noel Zone’s potentially life-saving tips in the Danger Is Everywhere audiobook. 
Download from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/audiobook/danger-is-everywhere-handbook/id906413128 


David O'Doherty: Danger is Everywhere (Audiobook extract) Read by David O'Doherty

An extract from Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. An unabridged recording voiced by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl.

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, teenager Will Grayson crosses paths with . . . Will Grayson! Two teens with the same name who run in two very different circles suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions. Culminating in epic turns-of-heart on both of their parts, they team up to produce the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high-school stage. 

Told in alternating voices from two award-winning, popular names in young-adult fiction - John Green (author of The Fault in Our Stars) and David Levithan (author of Boy Meets Boy) - this unique collaborative novel features a double helping of the heart and humour that has won both authors legions of fans.

** John Green has a huge online presence through his 1.1 million Twitter followers and YouTube channel Vlogbrothers, which has been viewed over 200 million times and has 660,000 subscribers, making it one of the most successful online channels in history.

John Green & David Levithan: Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Audiobook extract) Read by Macleod Andrews

An extract from the downloadable audiobook edition of An Abundance of Katherine's, from New York Times bestelling author John Green.

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight Judge Judy - loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. 

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

** From the New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, John Green.
** John has a huge online presence through his 1.1 million Twitter followers and YouTube channel Vlogbrothers, which has been viewed over 200 million times and has 660,000 subscribers, making it one of the most successful online channels in history.

John Green: An Abundance of Katherines (Audiobook extract) Read by Jeff Woodman

The wonderful actress Gemma Arterton has brought the Worst Witch books by Jill Murphy to life with the new audiobooks! 
So want to hear how she got into character and why she loves the Worst Witch? We interviewed her down in the Puffin recording studio fresh from her adventures at Miss Cackles Academy for Witches – and it seems Mildred may have met her match. Gemma exclusively revealed that there are a few uncanny similarities between herself and Mildred (even her cat is just like Tabby!) The comparisons get even spookier as Gemma reveals her teacher was also a lot like Miss Hardbroom . . .  listen to the full interview.

More about the Worst Witch
Hold on to your broom for magical mayhem! Lovable but disaster-prone Mildred Hubble is a trainee at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, but she's making an awful mess of it. She keeps getting her spells wrong and crashing her broomstick. Yet she manages to get by until she turns Ethel, the teacher's pet, into her deadly enemy and chaos ensues . . .

Worst Witch Audiobooks
The Worst 


Gemma Arterton on reading the Worst Witch audiobooks

From the former heavyweight champion and New York Times&ndash;bestselling memoirist comes an intimate look at the life and leadership lessons of Cus D&rsquo;Amato, the legendary boxing trainer and Mike Tyson&rsquo;s surrogate father. &#160; When Cus D&rsquo;Amato first saw thirteen-year-old Mike Tyson spar in the ring, he proclaimed, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the heavyweight champion of the world.&rdquo; D&rsquo;Amato, who had previously managed the careers of world champions Floyd Patterson and Jos&eacute; Torres, would go on to train the young Tyson and raise him as a son. D'Amato died a year before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. &#160; &#160; &#160;In Tyson&rsquo;s bestselling memoir Undisputed Truth, he recounted the role D&rsquo;Amato played in his formative years, adopting him at age sixteen after his mother died and shaping him both physically and mentally after Tyson had spent years living in fear and poverty. In Iron Ambition, Tyson elaborates on the life lessons that D&rsquo;Amato passed down to him, and reflects on how the trainer&rsquo;s words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring. The book also chronicles Cus&rsquo;s courageous&#160;fight against the mobsters who controlled boxing, revealing more than we&rsquo;ve ever known about this singular cultural figure. Available for purchase at: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1524750670?tag=randohouseinc7911-20">Amazon - Audiobook (CD format)</a><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/2665379/type/dlg/sid/PRHD39095A662--9781524750671/http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=9781524750671 ">Barnes & Noble - Audiobook (CD format)</a><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2665379-10876509?SID=PRHD39095A662--9781524750671&url=http://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781524750671">Books A Million - Audiobook (CD format)</a><a href="http://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9780399177033?utm_source=prh&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=301&utm_content=PRHD39095A662--9780399177033&utm_campaign=9780399177033">Hudson Booksellers</a><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781524750671?aff=PenguinGroupUS">IndieBound - Audiobook (CD format)</a><a href="http://www.powells.com/book/-9781524750671?utm_source=randomhouse&utm_campaign=randomhouse&utm_content=PRHD39095A662--9781524750671">Powell's - Audiobook (CD format)</a><a href="http://goto.target.com/c/128773/81938/2092?subId1=PRHD39095A662--9780399177033&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fs%3FsearchTerm%3D9780399177033">Target</a><a href="http://linksynergy.walmart.com/fs-bin/click?id=VD9*lkiWNd8&subid=&offerid=183959.1&type=10&tmpid=273&u1=PRHD39095A662--9781524750671&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-ng.do%3F&RD_PARM2=search_query%3D9781524750671%2526ic%3D16_0%2526Find%3DFind%2526search_constraint%3D3920">Walmart - Audiobook (CD format)</a><a href="https://google.prf.hn/click/camref:1011ld4r/pubref:PRHD39095A662--9780698413092/destination:https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780698413092&c=books">Google Play Store</a><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1144326318?at=11l3IH&ct=PRHD39095A662--9780698413092">iBooks</a><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=VD9*lkiWNd8&offerid=258185.12829781935712206&type=2&u1=PRHD39095A662--9780698413092}&murl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fsearch%3FQuery%3D9780698413092">Kobo</a><a href="http://www.qksrv.net/click-2665379-10273919?url=http://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=Iron+Ambition+Mike+Tyson+and+Larry+Sloman&source_code=COMA0213WS031709&SID=PRHD39095A662--9781524750688">Audible - Audiobook (Downloadable format)</a><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2665379-11117375?SID=PRHD39095A662--9781524750688&url=http://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/9781524750688">audiobooks.com - Audiobook (Downloadable format)</a><a href="http://www.downpour.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=9781524750688">downpour - Audiobook (Downloadable format)</a><a href="http://www.qksrv.net/click-2665379-10273919?SID=PRHD39095A662--9781524750688&url=http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/search/book/Iron+Ambition">eMusic - Audiobook (Downloadable format)</a>

Iron Ambition by Mike Tyson, Larry Sloman, read by Adam Lazarre-White, Mike Tyson

"MacArthur's Spies reads like Casablanca set in the Pacific, filled with brave and daring characters caught up in the intrigue of war—and the best part is that it's all true!" —Tom Maier, author of Masters of Sex

A thrilling story of espionage, daring and deception set in the exotic landscape of occupied Manila during World War II. 

On January 2, 1942, Japanese troops marched into Manila unopposed by U.S. forces. Manila was a strategic port, a romantic American outpost and a jewel of a city. Tokyo saw its conquest of the Philippines as the key in its plan to control all of Asia, including Australia. Thousands of soldiers surrendered and were sent on the notorious eighty-mile Bataan Death March. But thousands of other Filipinos and Americans refused to surrender and hid in the Luzon hills above Bataan and Manila. MacArthur's Spies is the story of three of them, and how they successfully foiled the Japanese for more than two years, sabotaging Japanese efforts and preparing the way for MacArthur’s return.

From a jungle hideout, Colonel John Boone, an enlisted American soldier, led an insurgent force of Filipino fighters who infiltrated Manila as workers and servants to stage demolitions and attacks.

“Chick” Parsons, an American businessman, polo player, and expatriate in Manila, was also a U.S. Navy intelligence officer. He escaped in the guise of a Panamanian diplomat, and returned as MacArthur’s spymaster, coordinating the guerrilla efforts with the planned Allied invasion.

And, finally, there was Claire Phillips, an itinerant American torch singer with many names and almost as many husbands. Her nightclub in Manila served as a cover for supplying food to Americans in the hills and to thousands of prisoners of war. She and the men and women who worked with her gathered information from the collaborating Filipino businessmen; the homesick, English-speaking  Japanese officers; and the spies who mingled in the crowd.

Readers of Alan Furst and Ben Macintyre—and anyone who loves Casablanca—will relish this true tale of heroism when it counted the most. - See more at: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/318807/macarthurs-spies/#sthash.2UQCP4Hk.dpuf

MacArthur's Spies by Peter Eisner, read by the author

*Exclusive bonus content - Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford*

The god Apollo, cast down to earth and trapped in the form of a gawky teenage boy as punishment, must set off on the second of his harrowing (and hilarious) trials.

He and his companions seek the ancient oracles - restoring them is the only way for Apollo to reclaim his place on Mount Olympus - but this is easier said than done.

Somewhere in the American Midwest is a haunted cave that may hold answers for Apollo in his quest to become a god again . . . if it doesn't kill him or drive him insane first. Standing in Apollo's way is the second member of the evil Triumvirate - a Roman emperor whose love of bloodshed and spectacle makes even Nero look tame.

To survive the encounter, Apollo will need the help of a now-mortal goddess, a bronze dragon, and some familiar demigod faces from Camp Half-Blood. With them by his side, can Apollo face down the greatest challenge of his four thousand years of existence?


Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/puffin/books/288073/the-dark-prophecy-the-trials-of-apollo-book-2/#e4A8lb0EgJluUeMq.99

The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan (Audiobook Extract)

Get your cape on with the DC Super Hero Girls&trade;&mdash;the unprecedented new Super Hero universe especially for girls! Readers of all ages can fly high with the all-new adventures of Wonder Woman&trade;, Supergirl&trade;, Batgirl&trade;, and some of the world&rsquo;s most iconic female super heroes as high schoolers! &#160; Sword-wielding Katana isn&rsquo;t like most high school students&mdash;but with classmates like Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl, Super Hero High isn&rsquo;t like most high schools! &#160; In addition to training to be a super hero, Katana also follows the noble warrior traditions of the Samurai. Now a&#160;mysterious presence&#160;has given her the responsibility of guarding a hundred ancient Samurai swords&mdash;but why her, and for what purpose? With the help of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Ms. Martian, and some of her other super friends, she intends to find out. But she just made captain of the fencing team, she has a huge school project due, and a villain with ties to her family&rsquo;s past seems to be amassing an army. Maintaining her inner peace isn&rsquo;t going to be easy . . . &#160; . . . but Katana has the steel to save the day! &#160; Award-winning author Lisa Yee brings this edge-of-your-seat adventure to life with mystery, thrills, and laughs. Move over Batman&trade; and Superman&trade;&mdash;the DC Super Hero Girls are ready to save the day and have fun doing it! Praise for DC Super Hero Girls: &ldquo;Sure to have wide appeal, this book is a solid option to balance collections saturated with male superheroes.&rdquo; &mdash;School Library Journal "If you have a middle grader in your life looking for super-sized action, or a superhero enthusiast who isn&rsquo;t sure where to turn to get more of the superheroes they might see on TV or in movies&hellip; Or if you just want to dive into a good book that shows young readers&mdash;especially young female readers&mdash;that girls can be the super heroes of their own stories, look no further:Super Hero High is for you."&#160;- Kirkus&#160;

Katana at Super Hero High (DC Super Hero Girls) by Lisa Yee, read by Stephanie Sheh

Philip Pullman returns to the world of His Dark Materials with this magnificent first volume of The Book of Dust.

Eleven-year-old Malcolm Polstead and his dæmon, Asta, live with his parents at the Trout Inn near Oxford. Across the River Thames (which Malcolm navigates often using his beloved canoe, a boat by the name of La Belle Sauvage) is the Godstow Priory where the nuns live. Malcolm learns they have a guest with them - a baby by the name of Lyra Belacqua....

The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan (Audiobook Extract)

Puffin Books UK

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