Showing titles in Geography & Cultures

One of Beyoncé’s biggest idols is Whitney Houston. The two met in a hotel lobby for the first time when she was just fifteen, but even before then, Beyoncé was influenced by Houston’s singing. Discover how both artists made it big, how they stole every stage, and more.

At the Nutcracker School of Ballet in Harlem, young dancers learn to chassé, plié, and jeté with their Sugar Plum Sisters--but things don't always go to plan! As the girls encounter challenges both on and off stage, they'll need the support of their classmates to carry them through with aplomb.

Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US - and her new label of “Middle Eastern”, an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises.

Sam’s older brother, Moon, has been missing for three long years. Moon is a skilled thief, but Sam fears Moon's luck has finally run out. It's rumoured he's held in the Octopus, a notorious prison on the Isle of Lost Voices, from which no one has ever escaped alive. Leaving his tribe of land-pirates behind, Sam sets sail with the shady Professor Bogusz and his faithful parrot, Suka. With help from a young forest guide called Lola, they trek deep into the island's interior, a place where spirits dwell and the Octopus casts a deadly shadow.

Embark on a captivating journey around the world with "Geography Facts For Sharp Minds" a treasure trove of intriguing and mind-blowing facts about our planet's diverse landscapes, cultures, and natural wonders. This book is designed to ignite your curiosity and expand your knowledge of the world we inhabit, making it an ideal companion for listeners of all ages.

The New York Times best-selling true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen-pal letter. There were only 10 letters, and 50 kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

When Eddy Stone finds a pirate in his Gran’s bath, his miserable summer holiday turns into a treasure hunt. Setting sail in a ship-shaped shed, crewed by an old lady and a grumpy penguin, what could possibly stop them? (Apart from the world’s most evil shopkeeper, a man-eating beast, and the maddest, baddest villain in all the seven seas.) All aboard for an EPIC adventure....

Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a young girl in Aguascalientes, Mexico could want. But a sudden tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. There they confront the challenges of hard work, acceptance by their own people, and economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression. Pam Munoz Ryan eloquently portrays the Mexican workers' plight in this abundant and passionate novel.

Secret agents Jack and Max Stalwart are sent to the Amazon jungle to investigate the disappearance of an important Global Protection Force scientist. Soon, they discover that the scientist's disappearance is no accident. A greedy outlaw is illegally mining for gold and he'll stop and nothing to keep his secret safe. Can Jack and Max save themselves and the scientist from almost certain death?

Books 9-10 in Shannon Hale & Dean Hale's New York Times bestselling series take the Princess in Black on two of her most exciting adventures yet!

Peregrine strives to live up to the ideal of her people, the Latki - and to impress her parents: affectionate Lord Tove, who despises only the Bamarre, and stern Lady Klausine. Perry runs the fastest, speaks her mind, and doesn't give much thought to the castle's Bamarre servants, whom she knows to be weak and cowardly. But just as she's about to join her father on the front lines, she is visited by the fairy Halina, who reveals that Perry isn't Latki-born. She is Bamarre.

Before Josh and Jordan Bell were streaking up and down the court, their father was learning his own moves. In this prequel to Newbery Medal winner The Crossover, Chuck Bell takes center stage, as listeners get a glimpse of his childhood and how he became the jazz music worshiping basketball star his sons look up to. A novel in verse with all the impact and rhythm listeners have come to expect from Kwame Alexander, Rebound will go back in time to visit the childhood of Chuck "Da Man" Bell during one pivotal summer when young Charlie is sent to stay with his grandparents, where he discovers basketball and learns more about his family's past.

Little Moon There Are No Stars Tonight was four years old when armed federal agents showed up at her home and took her from her family. Under the authority of the government, she was sent away to a boarding school specifically created to strip her of her Ponca culture and teach her the ways of white society. Little Moon was one of thousands of Indigenous children forced to attend these schools across America and give up everything they'd ever known: family, friends, toys, clothing, food, customs, even their language.

When Holly and her family fly to LA for a holiday, it promises to be the trip of a lifetime. On her first day exploring the city of dreams, Holly befriends a movie director, who's captured something suspiciously dragonlike on camera while filming out in the desert. But before she can examine the tape properly, it goes missing.... Holly asks her partner-in-solving-crime, dragon detective Dirk Dilly, to join her on the hunt for clues in Hollywood. Will they be able to find the film before it falls into the wrong hands and exposes the existence of dragonkind to the world?

Hiya! Alison Hammond here! I love getting to know all about different people, and I'll tell you a secret...sometimes people we don't know much about are the most interesting of all! Which is really what this book is all about. Let me ask you a question: How many Black people can you name from our history? Mary Seacole? Ira Aldridge? George Bridgetower? Pablo Fanque? Walter Tull? Have you heard of these people? Yes? That's great! But if you haven't, don't worry, you're not alone, which is why I'm so excited to tell you all about them.

Maureen and Francine Carter are twins and best friends. They participate in the same clubs, enjoy the same foods, and are partners on all their school projects. But just before the girls start sixth grade, Francine becomes Fran - a girl who wants to join the chorus, run for class president, and dress in fashionable outfits that set her apart from Maureen. A girl who seems happy to share only two classes with her sister! Maureen and Francine are growing apart, and there's nothing Maureen can do to stop it. Are sisters really forever? Or will middle school change things for good?

Meet Bubbles, the travelling cat, as he journeys around the world looking for adventure and excitement. One fateful day, Bubbles introduces Suzi, his human, to his best friend, Matty, a clever mouse. But as Suzi really, really doesn't like mice, she throws Bubbles out of the house, and now he's homeless. Encouraged by other homeless cats, Bubbles decides to travel to London to complain about his treatment to the queen.

Covering essential curriculum areas such as human geography, physical geography, geology and ecology, First Earth Encyclopedia is a comprehensive introduction to the world around us and answers questions including: how does our planet work; what shapes it; and how do people use Earth's resources? Children can explore fascinating topics including where and how people live, weather, world environments, how to use maps and the way our planet is changing.

It's 2020, and children are stuck indoors as the novel coronavirus finds its way into India. A nationwide lockdown is announced, and amidst the growing crisis, Ajja and Ajji welcome their grandchildren and Kamlu Ajji into their house in Shiggaon. From stitching masks, sharing household chores, preparing food for workers to losing themselves in timeless tales, the lockdown turns into a memorable time for the children as they enter the enchanting world of goddesses, kings, princesses, serpents, magical beanstalks, thieves, kingdoms, and palaces, among others.

At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic, the largest passenger steamship of this time, met its catastrophic end after crashing into an iceberg. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew onboard, only 705 survived. More than 100 years later, today's listeners will be intrigued by the mystery that surrounds this ship that was originally labeled "unsinkable".