Audiobooks by Phil Bildner

Glenn Burke, Game Changer: The Man Who Invented the High Five

"Glenn Burke, Game Changer features sound design and special effects to enhance your listening enjoyment. Listen out for the sounds of Major League Baseball and cheers from the crowds. An inspiring audiobook biography about Glenn Burke, the first Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, and the story of how he created the world’s most recognizable handshake, the high five. Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Glenn Burke could do it all—hit, throw, run, field. He was the heart of the clubhouse who energized his teammates with his enthusiasm and love for the game. It was that energy that led Glenn to invent the high five one October day back in 1977—a spontaneous gesture after a home run that has since evolved into our universal celebratory greeting. But despite creating this joyful symbol, Glenn Burke, a gay Black man, wasn’t always given support and shown acceptance in return. From acclaimed author Phil Bildner, this moving audiobook biography recognizes the challenges Burke faced while celebrating how his bravery and his now-famous handshake helped pave the way for others to live openly and free. A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux."

Phil Bildner (Author), Torian Brackett (Narrator)

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A High Five for Glenn Burke

"A heartfelt and relatable novel from Phil Bildner, weaving the real history of Los Angeles Dodger and Oakland Athletic Glenn Burke—the first professional baseball player to come out as gay—into the story of a middle-school kid learning to be himself. When sixth grader Silas Wade does a school presentation on former Major Leaguer Glenn Burke, it’s more than just a report about the irrepressible inventor of the high five. Burke was a gay baseball player in the 1970s―and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward revealing a truth about himself he’s tired of hiding. Soon he tells his best friend, Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects they know something’s up―especially when he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences. A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner’s most personal novel yet―a powerful story about the challenge of being true to yourself, especially when not everyone feels you belong on the field."

Phil Bildner (Author), Michael Crouch (Narrator)

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Game 3: #3 in the Barnstormers Tales of the Travelin'

"PREGAME RECAP As the Travelin' Nine head to Chicago, the team is filled with hope and optimism. After a disappointing loss in Cincinnati at the start of their baseball tour, the heroes of the Spanish-American War bounced back in Louisville. Doc and Woody came through with timely fielding, Crazy Feet and Tales smacked clutch hits, and champion horses provided that extra kick, helping the barnstormers to their come-from-behind victory. By the end of the thrilling contest, there was no doubt in the minds of Griffith, Ruby, and Graham that the baseball their Uncle Owen had given to them on the night of their father's funeral was magical. Indeed, the mysteries surrounding their baseball, which their uncle had urged them to keep secret, were deepening. And as excited as they were by the barnstormers' win, the Payne siblings' fears and worries continued to grow. Uncle Owen's tattered, bloody letter had warned them about the Chancellor. What's more, they'd seen the Chancellor's men lurking at the Louisville game. Griffith and Ruby now realized that their adventure was about far more than raising money to pay off a family debt. But what exactly was it about? After the Louisville match, Griffith confronted his mother. She denied that the Chancellor could be involved, but she promised to answer all of Griffith's questions on the train to Chicago..."

Loren Long, Phil Bildner (Author), Josh Hamilton (Narrator)

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Game 2: #2 in the Barnstormers Tales of the Travelin'

"The year is 1899, and the Travelin' Nine are crisscrossing the good ol' U.S. of A., raising money to pay off the Payne family's big-league debt! As the team heads into the River City, Griffith is beginning to realize that there's more at risk than meets the eye, something beyond the need to raise money -- something involving the ball that could put his entire family in danger. Ruby is eager to help solve the mystery of the ball and plans on keeping her eyes and ears wide open and writing everything down. She knows the answer is out there. All she has to do is see the things that others don't. And figure out what those things mean. Then there's Graham, who usually only thinks about how to get more time on the baseball field. Even he's beginning to notice that there are strange and shady characters at just about every turn. Finally there's the Chancellor, one of the wealthiest and greediest businessmen in the entire world. And it looks like he's got his eye on the ball!"

Loren Long, Phil Bildner (Author), Josh Hamilton (Narrator)

Audiobook

Game 1: #1 in The Barnstormers: Tales of the Travelin'

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN! #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LOREN LONG AND TEXAS BLUEBONNET AWARD WINNER PHIL BILDNER CREATE AN ACTION-PACKED PARABLE WHEREIN THREE SIBLINGS EMBARK ON AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME AND DISCOVER THE STRENGTH IN FAMILY, THE POWER OF FAITH, AND THE TRUE MAGIC OF BASEBALL. The year is 1899, and the Travelin' Nine are criss-crossing the good ol' U.S. of A., raising money to pay off the Payne family's big-league debt! Griffith knows the most about his family's troubles. So it's his job to set things right, because that's what his father would have done. Ruby has noticed a change in her big brother. Suddenly he's acting anxious and secretive, and she's determined to find out why. Graham just wants to hit the field. Deep down inside, he knows that everything would be fine if his brother and sister would let him step up to the plate and swing for the fences. And then there's the baseball that, when held simultaneously by Griffith, Ruby, and Graham, triggers the miraculous. Loren Long is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of Madonna's Mr. Peabody's Apples and Watty Piper's The Little Engine That Could. His first picture book, Angela Johnson's I Dream of Trains, won the SCBWI's Golden Kite Award for picture book illustration. His version of Walt Whitman's 'When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer' was a Golden Kite Honor Book. A former vintage ballist, he lives in West Chester, Ohio. You can visit Loren at www.lorenlong.com. Phil Bildner is the author of the Texas Bluebonnet Award-winning Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy and its companion, The Shot Heard 'Round the World; Twenty-One Elephants, which was an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winner; and The Greatest Game Ever Played. In addition, he is the author of the teen novels Playing the Field and Busted. A devoted softball player, he lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit Phil at www.philbildner.com. Josh Hamilton's films include Kicking and Screaming, The House of Yes, Alive, Diggers, Online, and Outsourced. New York Stage work includes The Coast of Utopia, HurlyBurly, Proof, This is Our Youth, The Waverly Gallery, The Cider House Rules, As Bees in Honey Drown, and Suburbia."

Loren Long, Phil Bildner (Author), Josh Hamilton (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by Phil Bildner

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