Audiobooks narrated by Roxanne Hernandez

You Can't Say That!: Writers for Young People Talk about Censorship, Free Expression, and the Storie

What happens when freedom of expression comes under threat? In frank and wide-ranging interviews, historian and critic Leonard S. Marcus probes the experience of thirteen leading authors of books for young people. A powerful photo essay on transgender teens is called anti-religious and anti-family. A meticulously researched primer on sex education stirs up accusations of pornography and child abuse. Picture books about two mommies (or two penguin daddies) set off a hue and cry. Two hugely popular children’s series run afoul of would-be censors, one for its scatological humor, the other because it’s deemed too scary. Kids’ books that touch on race, sex, LGBTQ matters, the occult, “coarse language,” and more have found themselves under the scrutiny of those who challenge First Amendment rights. Tune in as thirteen top children’s and young adult authors speak out about what it’s like to have your work banned or challenged in America today. Prompted by Leonard S. Marcus’s insightful questions, they discuss why their books have faced censorship—both blatant and “soft”—how the challenges have or haven’t affected their writing, and why some people feel they have the right to deny access to books. In addition, Leonard S. Marcus puts First Amendment challenges in a historical context and takes a promising look at the vibrant support network that has risen up to protect and defend young people’s rights. Authors interviewed include: Matt de la Peña Robie H. Harris Susan Kuklin David Levithan Meg Medina Lesléa Newman Katherine Patterson Dav Pilkey Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Sonya Sones R. L. Stine Angie Thomas.

Leonard S. Marcus (editor) (Author), Arthur Morey, Janet Metzger, Roxanne Hernandez, Susan Dalian, Thom Rivera, Tom Parks (Narrator)

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Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

"Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass." That's what some girl tells Piddy Sanchez one morning before school. Too bad Piddy doesn't even know who Yaqui Delgado is, let alone what she's done to piss her off. All Piddy knows is that Yaqui hates her - and she better watch her back because Yaqui isn't kidding around. At first Piddy just focuses on trying to find out more about the father she's never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy's life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off and running away from her problems? In this poignant and all-too-realistic story from award-winning author Meg Medina, Piddy is forced to decide exactly who she is versus who others are trying to make her become - and ultimately discovers a rhythm that is all her own.

Meg Medina (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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Vivian Divine Is Dead

Teen celebrity Vivian Divine's movie-star mom has been murdered, her famous-director dad tried to kill himself, and her boyfriend is cheating on her. She can practically hear wannabe screenwriters penning bad TV movies about her tragic life. When a death threat arrives with her fan mail, Vivian has no choice but to go on the run to Mexico. She soon discovers, though, that her Oscar-nominated performance killing villains on-screen did nothing to prepare her for escaping a madman in real life. Why didn't she pay more attention during those judo lessons for her role in Zombie Killer? Vivian finds an ally in the mysterious and charming Nick. He is everything Hollywood boys are not, genuine, kind, and determined to see Vivian for who she really is. But even he seems like he can't be trusted. Beat up, hungry, and more confused than ever about who she's running from, Vivian realizes this isn't the stuff bad TV movies are made of; this is material for a full-on blockbuster horror flick. . . . Lauren Sabel's Vivian Divine Is Dead is a creepy, witty, fast-paced adventure about family, fame, and having the courage to save yourself.

Lauren Sabel (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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V Wars: Blood and Fire: New Stories of the Vampire Wars

It’s been one year since a virus triggered junk DNA and people all over the world started changing, becoming something else, craving blood. It’s been ten months since the word vampire stopped being something from old monster stories and Hollywood movies. It’s been six months since our world and theirs erupted into war, two since an uneasy peace was signed, and one hour since that peace was shattered. The war is here again—the vampire war. Our world will burn; our world will bleed. When anyone can turn, when every street is a battlefield, there is nowhere to run. V Wars: Blood and Fire features all-new stories of the Vampire Wars by Kevin J. Anderson, Scott Sigler, Larry Correia, Joe McKinney, Yvonne Navarro, Weston Ochse, James A. Moore, and Jonathan Maberry.

Jonathan Maberry (Author), Arthur Morey, Gabrielle De Cuir, Jamye Grant, Richard Gilliland, Roxanne Hernandez, Stefan Rudnicki, Stephen Hoye, Sunil Malhotra, Various, Various Narrators (Narrator)

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V Wars: A Chronicle of the Vampire Wars

They are hunting us. In this sweeping, threaded narrative of the global phenomenon known as the Vampire Wars, mankind is unwittingly infected by a millennia-old bacteria unknowingly exhumed by a scientific expedition in Antarctica. Now, in some rare cases, a person's so-called junk DNA becomes activated. Depending on their racial and ethnic heritage, they begin to manifest one of the many diverse forms of the "others" that are the true basis for the legends of supernatural creatures. These aren't your usual vampires and werewolves-it goes much deeper than that. Conceived by Jonathan Maberry, V Wars features stories from various frontlines as reported by such contributors as Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, James A. Moore, Gregory Frost, John Everson, Keith R. A. DeCandido, and Scott Nicholson-as well as Maberry himself, of course. The result is a compelling series of tales that creates a unique chronicle of mankind's response to this sudden, hidden threat to humanity.

Jonathan Maberry, Various Authors (Author), Arte Johnson, Cassandra Campbell, Gabrielle De Cuir, John Rubinstein, Lisa Reneé Pitts, Roxanne Hernandez, Stefan Rudnicki, Various Readers, Wil Wheaton (Narrator)

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Us Against Alzheimer’s: Stories of Family, Love, and Faith

This groundbreaking multicultural anthology shares moving personal stories about the impacts of Alzheimer’s and dementia. An estimated 5.7 million Americans are afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease, including ten percent of those over sixty-five, and it is the sixth leading cause of death. But its effects are more pervasive: For the nearly six million sufferers, there are more than sixteen million family caregivers and many more family members. Alzheimer’s wreaks havoc not only on brain cells—it is a disease of the spirit and heart for not only those who suffer from it, but also for their families. This groundbreaking anthology presents forty narratives, both nonfiction and fiction, that together capture the impact and complexity of Alzheimer’s and other dementias on patients, as well as their caregivers and family. Deeply personal, recounting the wrenching course of a disease that kills a loved one twice—first they forget who they are, and then the body succumbs—these stories also show how witnessing the disease and caring for someone with it can be powerfully transformative, calling forth amazing strength and grace.

Marita Golden, Various (Author), Adenrele Ojo, Ann Richardson, Arthur Morey, Caroline Shaffer, Erica Sullivan, Hillary Huber, Janina Edwards, Joe Barrett, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Karen White, Mark Bramhall, Mirron Willis, Nancy Wu, Neil Shah, Pam Ward, Pamela Almand, Robin Miles, Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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Unlocked

Before You Take a Stand ... You Got to Take a Chance. Holden Harris is an eighteen-year-old locked in a prison of autism. Despite his quiet ways and quirky behaviors, Holden is very happy and socially normal---on the inside, in a private world all his own. In reality, he is bullied at school by kids who only see that he is very different. Ella Reynolds is part of the 'in' crowd. A cheerleader and star of the high school drama production, her life seems perfect. When she catches Holden listening to her rehearse for the school play, she is drawn to him ... the way he is drawn to the music. Then, Ella makes a dramatic discovery---she and Holden were best friends as children. Frustrated by the way Holden is bullied, and horrified at the indifference of her peers, Ella decides to take a stand against the most privileged and popular kids at school. Including her boyfriend, Jake. Ella believes miracles can happen in the unlikeliest places, and that just maybe an entire community might celebrate from the sidelines. But will Holden's praying mother and the efforts of Ella and a cast of theater kids be enough to unlock the prison that contains Holden? This time, friendship, faith, and the power of a song must be strong enough to open the doors to the miracle Holden needs.

Karen Kingsbury, Roxanne Hernandez (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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The Whispering City

Barcelona, 1952. General Franco's fascist government is at the height of its oppressive powers, casting a black shadow across the city. When wealthy socialite Mariona Sobrerroca is found dead in her mansion in the exclusive Tibidabo district, the police scramble to seize control of the investigation. Ana Martí Noguer, an eager young journalist, is surprised to be assigned this important story, shadowing Inspector Isidro Castro. But Ana soon realizes that a bundle of strange letters unearthed at the scene point to a sequence of events dramatically different from the official version. She enlists the help of her cousin Beatriz, a scholar, and what begins as an intriguing puzzle opens up a series of revelations that implicate the regime's most influential figures. As the conspiracy unfolds, Ana's courage and Beatriz's wits will be their only weapons against the city's corrupt and murderous elite. "The Whispering City is not simply a magnificent thriller: it is a vivid and forensic dissection of an era cloaked in a tyranny of silence."-Marc Pastor, internationally bestselling author of Barcelona Shadows

Sara Moliner (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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The Living Infinite: A Novel

The Living Infinite is based on the true story of the Spanish princess Eulalia, an outspoken firebrand at the Bourbon court during the troubled and decadent final years of her family's reign.After her cloistered childhood at the Spanish court, her youth spent in exile, and a loveless marriage, Eulalia gladly departs Europe for the New World. In the company of Tomás Aragón, the son of her one-time wet nurse and a small-town bookseller with a thirst for adventure, she travels by ship, first to a Cuba bubbling with revolutionary fervor then on to the 1893 Chicago World Fair. As far as others are concerned, she is there as an emissary of the Bourbon dynasty and a guest of the Fair. Secretly, she is in America to find a publisher for her scandalous, incendiary autobiography, a book that might well turn the old world order on its head.Acevedo's new novel is an atmospheric and gripping tale of love, adventure, power, and the quest to take control of one's destiny. Bourbon Spain, Revolutionary Cuba, and fin de siècle America are vividly rendered, and Eulalia's personal rebellion will resonate with many listeners.

Chantel Acevedo (Author), Eddie Lopez, Kyla Garcia, Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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The Clairvoyant of Calle Ocho

Two divorces have taught Mariela Estevez that she’s better suited to being a mistress than a wife. Whose heart needs all that “forever after” trouble? Still, her affair with her married lover, Hector, has become problematic—especially because he’s also a tenant in her apartment building in the heart of Miami’s Calle Ocho in Little Havana. But when Hector is found dead just steps from Mariela’s back door, on the eve of her fortieth birthday, she’s forced to examine her life—and come up with a plan to save it, fast. Complicating matters, Hector’s passing sparks the unexpected return of a gift Mariela rejected years ago and thought she’d never have to face again: clairvoyance. Suddenly, Mariela’s visions come swiftly and unbidden, as do revelations about her other tenants. Lost loves, hidden yearnings, old jealousies—all reside on Calle Ocho. Most of all, Mariela’s second sight awakens her not just to the truth about Hector’s death and the secrets in others’ lives—but to the possibilities blooming within her own. With warmth, wit, and insight, award-winning author Anjanette Delgado explores one woman’s flawed but heartfelt attempt to live and love well, transporting listeners to the center of contemporary Little Havana and a community of uniquely human, unforgettable characters. “A thrilling, hilarious, and mysterious romp.”—Patricia Engel, author of Vida

Anjanette Delgado (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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The Cipher

An Amazon Charts bestseller. To a cunning serial killer, she was the one that got away. Until now… FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera escaped a serial killer’s trap at sixteen. Years later, when she’s jumped in a Virginia park, a video of the attack goes viral. Legions of new fans are not the only ones impressed with her fighting skills. The man who abducted her eleven years ago is watching. Determined to reclaim his lost prize, he commits a grisly murder designed to pull her into the investigation…but his games are just beginning. And he’s using the internet to invite the public to play along. His coded riddles may have made him a depraved social media superstar—an enigmatic cyber-ghost dubbed “the Cipher”—but to Nina he’s a monster who preys on the vulnerable. Partnered with the FBI’s preeminent mind hunter, Dr. Jeffrey Wade, who is haunted by his own past, Nina tracks the predator across the country. Clue by clue, victim by victim, Nina races to stop a deadly killer while the world watches.

Isabella Maldonado (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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The Blue Line

From the extraordinary Colombian French politician and activist Ingrid Betancourt, a stunning debut novel about freedom and fate Set against the backdrop of Argentina's Dirty War and infused with magical realism, The Blue Line is a breathtaking story of love and betrayal by one of the world's most renowned writers and activists. Ingrid Betancourt, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Even Silence Has An End, draws on history and personal experience in this deeply felt portrait of a woman coming of age as her country falls deeper and deeper into chaos. A tale of extraordinary women, The Blue Line is a story centered on the consequences of oppression, collective subservience and individual courage, and, most of all, the notion that belief in the future of humanity is an act of faith most beautiful and deserving.

Ingrid Betancourt (Author), Roxanne Hernandez (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Roxanne Hernandez