Showing results by narrator "Amielynn Abellera" in All Categories

At 16 years old, Laurie Hernandez has already made many of her dreams come true - and yet it’s only the beginning for this highly accomplished athlete. A Latina Jersey girl, Laurie saw her life take a dramatic turn last summer when she was chosen to be a part of the 2016 US Olympic gymnastics team. After winning gold in Rio as part of the Final Five, Laurie also earned an individual silver medal for her performance on the balance beam.

From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a standalone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.

When Bel accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s forced into joining the robotics club. Enter Mateo Luna, perfect on paper—captain of the football team and the robotics club—who recognizes Bel as a potential asset, even if they couldn’t be more different. And as the nights of after-school work grow longer, Bel and Teo realize they've made more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they’ve made a connection themselves.

Yash is the best athlete at Robinette Middle School—so good, in fact, that he’s already playing on the high school’s JV sports teams. Imagine his shock when he learns that his JV practices have kept him from earning a state-mandated credit for eighth-grade PE. To graduate, he has to take Physical Education Equivalency—PEE, also known as “Slugfest”—in summer school.

Lizzie St. Claire wants to be invisible. Forced to move out of her home, she and her mom now live in a transitional housing shelter, Good Hope, until they can get back on their feet. She just wants to keep her head down at Good Hope and her new school so that she doesn’t have to admit the real reason she and her mom lost everything. But at the nearby Birchwood Stables, some new friends - along with the arrival of a frightened pony named Fire - help Lizzie to open up and accept help from those around her, even if it means she’ll have more to lose if things change again.

From the big stage to the US Navy, from laboratories to the board room, from the Olympics to the pages in books, these girls and women lead every line. Bold, bright, and empowering profiles by Geisel Honor-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling artist Niña Mata place these incredible changemakers at the very front and inspire listeners to tap into their own greatness.

Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school's ultimate power couple - but one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey. Golden child Delilah is a legend at exclusive Acheron Academy and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. But Delilah doesn't know that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything - absolutely anything - to unseat Delilah for the scholarship. After all, it would lock in Maria's attendance at Stanford - and assure her and Lily four more years in a shared dorm room.

Seri's world is defined by very clear rules: The beasts prowl the forest paths and hunt the People. The valiant explore the unknown world, kill the beasts, and gain strength from the armor they make from them. As an assistant to Eshai Unbroken, a young valor commander with a near-mythical reputation, Seri has seen firsthand the struggle to keep the beasts at bay and ensure the safety of the spreading trees where the People make their homes. That was how it always had been and how it always would be. Until the day Seri encounters Tsana.

Disaffected teen historian Claudia McCarthy never expected to be in charge of Imperial Day Academy, but by accident, design, or scheme, she is pulled into the tumultuous and high-profile world of the Senate and Honor Council. Suddenly, Claudia is wielding power over her fellow students that she never expected to have and isn't sure she wants. Claudia vows to use her power to help the school. But there are forces aligned against her: shocking scandals, tyrants waiting in the wings, and political dilemmas with no easy answers. Does power inevitably corrupt?

Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Essence McKree feels older than any 17-year-old she knows. Ever since weed was legalized, Mom has been working in a pot shop, high more often than not. Lately it's been up to Essa to care for her nine-year-old sister, Puck. When Essa meets Oliver - a brainy indoor type, in town for the summer - she is cautious at first, distrustful of the tourist crowd and suspicious of Oliver's mysterious past in Chicago. But Puck is charmed and pushes Essa toward him. Oliver agrees to accompany Essa on a three-day survival game in the Rocky Mountains....

Twelve-year-old Charlotte Lockard and eleven-year-old Ben Boxer are separated by more than a thousand miles. On the surface, their lives seem vastly different—Charlotte lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while Ben is in the small town of Lanester, Louisiana.

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn't seem to like her either. Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care about Nationals, while Teo cares too much.

After a day of bickering with her sister, might a magical journey on a dragon’s back show a girl the path to peace and reconciliation? This rhythmically written book is a celebration of imagination, of kindness, and of dragons.

(Her)oics: Women’s Lived Experiences During the Coronavirus Pandemic draws together the stories of 52 women across the US during the Covid-19 pandemic. The collection encompasses the perspectives of women who are: frontline responders and recovering patients; going out to work, staying home to work, and losing their jobs; living with multiple generations and living in isolation; women grieving loved ones and celebrating new love; women preparing to give birth and supporting the dying.

We Need Diverse Books cofounder Ellen Oh delivers the final book in her middle grade series Spirit Hunters, a gripping mystery and thrilling adventure, starring a Korean-American heroine and a diverse cast of characters. Harper is dealing with too many new changes in her house. Her cousin, Leo, is now living with them; her sister, Kelly, has started working at a local makeup store, Jeune; and Harper's spirit hunter abilities have grown increasingly more powerful and uncontrollable, making her a target for possession.

More than anything else - even more than the best birthday party ever - Becket Branch wants a dog for her 10th birthday. But her twin brother, Nicholas, has secretly been wishing for a cat. Lucky for Becket and Nicholas, their animal-loving parents have an animal-loving surprise for them: They’re going to the local shelter and adopting both a cat and a dog.

This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by critically acclaimed and best-selling YA authors who are shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home - and to find home.

Quiet outsider Tillie is known around school for using her camera to find lost things, but when a boy named Jake needs help finding his dad, Tillie faces her biggest challenge yet. Ever since Tillie Green's car accident left her with a severe limp, she's kept herself hidden behind her camera. Through the lens, she watches her family and classmates, spotting the small details and secret glances that tell a much bigger story than what people usually see. Students call her "Lost and Found", because her camera knows when you last had your headphones.

Discover the history behind the mystery of the Seven Wonders. Follow the tale of Aliyah and Osman, twin treasure hunters pressed into a life of crime. For them, every day is another desperate death-defying adventure until they stumble upon the key that may lead to the greatest treasure ever. But to take home this magical orb, they must first battle their way out of the Tomb of Shadows.

Everything is changing for Becket Branch. From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, Becket is a city kid born and raised. Now, the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to Gran's farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines from feeding animals to baling hay. And as much as Becket loves to yell "Beautiful Alert!", there's a lot about the countryside that is just plain odd.