Showing results by narrator "Victoria Villarreal" in All Categories

From David Levithan’s story about a non-binary kid collecting pieces of other people’s collections to Jenny Torres Sanchez's tale of a girl gathering types of fire while trying not to get burned to G. Neri's piece about 1970's skaters seeking opportunities to go vertical—anything can be collected and in the hands of these award-winning and bestselling authors, any collection can tell a story. Nine of the best YA novelists working today have written fiction based on a prompt from Printz-winner A.S. King (who also contributes a story) and the result is itself an extraordinary collection.

Anna Lucia Bell believes in luck: bad luck. Bad luck made her best friend stop talking to her. Bad luck caused her parents' divorce. Bad luck is forcing her mother, Miriam, to sell the family's beloved bookstore. And it is definitely bad luck that Anna seems to be the only person in the world Miriam is unable to recommend a life-changing book. When Anna finds out that she and her mom are spending two months in a New England seaside town called Rockport, she expects a summer plagued with bad luck too. But Rockport has surprises in store for Anna.

Uh-oh! Uni and the little girl find a trail of candy wrappers on the forest floor. These don't belong here! Ride along as they clean up the mess and teach a valuable lesson about litter at the same time. These new Uni the Unicorn storybooks have a strong magical theme and a hopeful message. In Uni's beautiful world, we see Uni experiencing real-world feelings that kids can identify with and families want to hear about.

In the kingdom of Oren, Prismena longs to fly hot-air balloons, but her father insists she keep her feet on the ground. When he's arrested for a crime he didn't commit—and one that Prismena did—she must decide between following the rules and following her heart.

Ana loves stories. She often makes them up to help her little brother fall asleep. But in her small village there are only a few books and she has read them all. One morning, Ana wakes up to the clip-clop of hooves, and there before her, is the most wonderful sight: a traveling library resting on the backs of two burros—all the books a little girl could dream of, with enough stories to encourage her to create one of her own.

Join Uni the Unicorn on this all-new Step into Reading adventure in the Land of Unicorns! In this Step 2 book, it's Uni's very first sleepover! The other unicorns have been to sleepovers before, and have learned lots of magical games. Uni struggles with game after game, and by bedtime, Uni isn't having a very good time. Will Uni find a way to contribute to the fun?

It's a beautiful Autumn day in the Land of Unicorns. But when Uni finds a tree in the orchard drooping, Uni's friend Silky uses her magic to help the tree spring to life. Uni wants to say thank you, but isn't sure how. Sunshine? A song? A little bit of Uni magic? Luckily, Uni knows just who to ask to learn how to say thank you!

Twelve-year-old Adela “Addie” Ramírez has a big decision to make when her stepfather proposes adoption. Addie loves Alex, the only father figure she’s ever known, but with a new half brother due in a few months and a big school theater performance on her mind, everything suddenly feels like it’s moving too fast. She has a million questions, and the first is about the young man in the photo she found hidden away in her mother’s things.

¡Sigue a Uni en esta edición en español de su primera aventura de LEYENDO A PASOS! En este libro Paso 2, Uni tiene su primera pijamada. Los otros unicornios ya han ido a otras pijamadas y se saben MUCHOS juegos mágicos. Los juegos son difíciles para Uni y, al llegar la hora de irse a dormir, Uni no se está divirtiendo. ¿Podrá Uni encontrar la manera de aportar a la diversión?

Uni is planting a pumpkin patch. But, uh oh! Uni's very first pumpkin gets squished! Uni's friend Goldie thinks she saw something spooky in the pumpkin patch.... What could it be? Uni isn't scared—Uni knows just how to be brave and solve the mystery!

As a little girl and her dog embark on their daily walk through the city, they skip and spin to the familiar sounds of revving cars, clanking bikes, friendly barks, and whistling camote carts. But what they aren't expecting to hear is the terrifying sound of a rumbling earthquake...and then...silence. With captivating prose, this heartwarming story leaves listeners with the message that they can choose to be strong and brave even when they are scared, and can still find joy and hope in the midst of sadness.

It's finally time for the party! Every year, best friends Edie and Molly-Jean (who still prefers to be called MJ) throw a costume party and have the best time. They plan the perfect outfits, order pizza, and dance to silly songs...but this year they'll also magically travel to Mexico and find themselves in the middle of Día de los Muertos celebrations to discover that a secret mole recipe has been stolen!

When 16-year-old Rosa Dominguez pirouettes, she is poetry in pointe shoes. And as the daughter of a tyrant ballet Master, Rosa seems destined to become the star principal dancer of her studio. But Rosa would do anything for one hour in the dance studio upstairs where Prince, the Purple One himself, is in the house. After her father announces their upcoming auditions for a concert with Prince, Rosa is more determined than ever to succeed. Then Nikki - the cross-dressing, funky boy who works in the dance shop - leaps into her life.

Ava Granados will never forgive herself for being late to her beloved nana’s deathbed. But due to a flash flood that left Ava in a fender bender with a mysterious boy, she missed her grandmother’s mystical blessing - one that has been passed between the women of her family upon death for generations.

Callie Taylor would never be seduced by a charming, wealthy man again! An island girl, she grew up hearing stories about her mother’s idyllic childhood in her native Turks and Caicos. She wondered if she’d ever find a love like her parents. Her Australian father moved halfway around the world to be with her mother after a chance meeting. He left his old life for their love.

Ever since she was a young girl, she's preferred walking barefoot on the wet sand. You know - the type that's been drenched by the ocean, the type that lies at the intersection of two forces colliding. She'd always been drawn to the forces of nature. So, at 18, she ran away from the rigid expectations of Connecticut living, leaving behind expectations to become a lawyer like the rest of her family and living a humdrum life where she went to the same restaurants with the same group of people on the same night every week.

Everyone's in love. Whatever. Victoria wasn’t one for love. It wasn’t in her destiny. Her parents hadn’t loved her enough to provide for her. None of the foster families loved her enough to adopt her. Her coworkers didn’t even like her, and she didn’t have any friends. But, she had herself. And, she would take care of herself just like she’d always had to. So, she was going to take full advantage of her vacation at the ultra-luxurious Sand Escape Resort and snag a billionaire!

Cara Didion might be down on her luck, but her spirit is still as feisty as ever. Who needs luck, anyway, when you’ve got determination. And she’s determined not to be stuck forever. She’ll write her masterpiece. But, in the meantime, she is fine writing quick articles for her best friend’s popular online celebrity gossip site. Even if that means she has to go undercover in Charlotte’s high society scene.

When she was younger, “thirties” had felt so settled. She would be a high-powered interior designer with a handsome husband who was kind and a wonderful father to their son. No, daughter. No, she had wanted twins! Right? She couldn’t remember. That was so long ago, when he had been so lively and full of passion. Before she’d been betrayed.

Adulting should be illegal. I’m a woman who adores childish things. I prefer being called Maddie over Madison. I like frilly dresses, tickle fights, hot chocolate, coloring, and swing sets. I avoid adulting like I do broccoli, and my therapist says that’s okay. We all have our hobbies. I think my therapist is full of it, but he hasn’t steered me wrong, yet. At least, I don’t think he has. So, what am I supposed to do when tragedy hits my family once again, and I’m left with twins? Well, I adapt.