Audiobooks narrated by Vivienne Acheampong

500 Words: A collection of short stories that reflect on the Black Lives Matter movement

Hot on the heels of the 500 Words: Black Lives Matter competition hosted by Virgin Radio in July, this audiobook contains a selection of inspiring, moving and poignant short stories from 500 Words: Black Lives Matter submitted by children from across the country and read by David Tennant, Amanda Abbington, Stephen Graham, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vivienne Acheampong, Jude Owusu, Angellica Bell, Michael Underwood, Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Shobna Gulati, Rebecca Gethings and James Hepher; familiar voices who have kindly donated their time and talent to make this special project possible. Almost 6,000 children, aged between 5-13, submitted stories expressing their personal experiences, tales of empathy, learning and respect, building on the international conversation around Black Lives Matter. Originally devised by Chris Evans, the 500 Words competition has a rich 10-year heritage, giving children of all ethnicities and backgrounds a platform to express their imaginations and creativity through storytelling. Eight finalists and a further 92 stories were selected to be included in this important and timely collection, With writing tips from head judges Malorie Blackman, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Charlie Higson and Francesca Simon. Profits from the sale of the book are being donated to the children's literacy charity Coram Beanstalk in order to further their mission - building readers for life. 'What follows is an amazing and profound collection of some of our favourites. Be prepared to laugh, sigh and cry.' - Chris Evans 'Being part of 500 Words: Black Lives Matter was incredibly important to allow our younger generation an outlet for them to vocalise their thoughts and stories on this global issue of racism using the power of words.' - Angellica Bell

Various (Author), Amanda Abbington, Angellica Bell, David Tennant, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, James Hepher, Jim Broadbent, Jude Owusu, Michael Underwood, Nicole Kidman, Rebecca Gethings, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Shobna Gulati, Stephen Graham, Vivienne Acheampong (Narrator)

Audiobook

Crossfire

Brought to you by Penguin. Crossfire is the long-awaited new novel in legendary author Malorie Blackman's ground-breaking Noughts & Crosses series - perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale and The Power. Thirty-four years have passed since Sephy Hadley - a Cross - first met Callum McGregor - a nought. Their love was forbidden, powerful - and deadly. Life is seemingly very different now for noughts and Crosses - including for Sephy and Callum's families. But old wounds from the past are hard to heal, and when you're playing a game as dangerous as they are, it won't be long before someone gets caught in the crossfire. Praise for Noughts & Crosses: 'The Noughts & Crosses series are still my favourite books of all time and showed me just how amazing story-telling could be' - Stormzy 'The most original book I've ever read' Benjamin Zephaniah 'Blackman 'gets' people . . . she 'gets' humanity as a whole, too' Guardian 'Powerful' Sunday Times Crossfire is the long-awaited new novel in legendary author Malorie Blackman's ground-breaking Noughts & Crosses series - perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale and The Power. Thirty-four years have passed since Sephy Hadley - a Cross - first met Callum McGregor - a nought. Their love was forbidden, powerful - and deadly. Life is seemingly very different now for noughts and Crosses - including for Sephy and Callum's families. But old wounds from the past are hard to heal, and when you're playing a game as dangerous as they are, it won't be long before someone gets caught in the crossfire. Praise for Noughts & Crosses: 'The Noughts & Crosses series are still my favourite books of all time and showed me just how amazing story-telling could be' - Stormzy 'The most original book I've ever read' Benjamin Zephaniah 'Blackman 'gets' people . . . she 'gets' humanity as a whole, too' Guardian 'Powerful' Sunday Times

Malorie Blackman (Author), Josh Dylan, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Rebecca Lee, Vivienne Acheampong (Narrator)

Audiobook

Endgame: The final book in the groundbreaking series, Noughts & Crosses

Brought to you by Penguin. It is 20 years in 2021 since Malorie Blackman's groundbreaking series began with Noughts & Crosses, which charted the deeply forbidden romance between Sephy (a Cross) and Callum (a nought) - a love affair which had repercussions for their families for generations. Endgame, the breathtaking conclusion to the series, influenced by the unprecedented global events of recent years, is full of twists and turns and emotions, with its incredible characters reaching a dramatic conclusions to their stories. 'The cliffhanger ending will leave fans desperately awaiting the next installment' Mail on Sunday, 'Must-Read Books of the year, 2019' on Crossfire.The powerful conclusion to iconic author Malorie Blackman's ground-breaking Noughts & Crosses -the series that taught a generation to think and act differently. © Malorie Blackman 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Malorie Blackman (Author), David John, Josh Dylan, Masali Baduza, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Rebecca Lee, Simon Darwen, Vivienne Acheampong (Narrator)

Audiobook

Soul Tourists: From the Booker prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other

Brought to you by Penguin. Stanley Williams, angst-ridden banker and boffin, wonders whether there's more to life than his daily nine-to-five grind. One night he's dragged to a disco at Piccadilly Circus and there he meets Jessie: artiste, motormouth, ducker and diver. She swoops Stanley out of his soulless life and off on a rollercoaster road trip across Europe, bringing him face to face with a host of forgotten luminaries from the rich mix of black European history and literature. © Bernardine Evaristo 2006 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Bernardine Evaristo (Author), Bernardine Evaristo, Kayi Ushe, Vivienne Acheampong (Narrator)

Audiobook

Supporting Cast

Brought to you by Penguin. As she walks out of her marriage, a woman remembers the day her husband rescued a boy from drowning. A blind man on his wedding day celebrates the pursuit of love. And a young man leaves prison with only one desire - to see his son again. Kit de Waal's characters light up the page in vivid stories of thwarted desire, love and loss. With power and precision, humanity and insight, Supporting Cast captures the extraordinary moments in our ordinary lives, and the darkness and the joy of the everyday. © Kit de Waal 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Kit De Waal (Author), Clifford Samuel, Daisy Badger, Damian Gildea, Kristin Atherton, Sam Woolf, Simone Kirby, Vivienne Acheampong (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Brighton Mermaid

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson, read by Pippa Bennett-Warner and Vivienne Acheampong. Brighton Beach, 1993 Teenagers Nell and Jude find the body of a young woman and when no one comes to claim her, she becomes known as the Brighton Mermaid. Nell is still struggling to move on when, three weeks later, Jude disappears. Twenty-five years on, Nell is forced to quit her job to find out who the Brighton Mermaid really was - and what happened to her best friend that summer. But as Nell edges closer to the truth, dangerous things start to happen. Someone seems to be watching her every move, and soon she starts to wonder who in her life she can actually trust... Fast-paced and thrilling, The Brighton Mermaid explores the deadly secrets of those closest to you.

Dorothy Koomson (Author), Pippa Bennett-Warner, Vivienne Acheampong (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Mermaid of Black Conch

March 1976: St Constance, a tiny Caribbean village on the island of Black Conch, at the start of the rainy season. A fisherman sings to himself in his pirogue, waiting for a catch - but attracts a sea-dweller he doesn't expect. Aycayia, a beautiful young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid, has been swimming the Caribbean Sea for centuries. And she is entranced by this man David and his song. But her fascination is her undoing. She hears his boat's engine again and follows it, and finds herself at the mercy of American tourists, landed on the island for the annual fishing competition. After a fearsome battle, she is pulled out of the sea and strung up on the dock as a trophy. It is David who rescues her, and gently wins her trust - as slowly, painfully, she starts to transform into a woman again. But transformations are not always permanent, and jealousy, like love, can have the force of a hurricane, and last much longer The novel's characters are an unlikely mix: a mermaid, a fisherman, a deaf boy, a Caribbean artist and sweetman and a benevolent white landowner. Miss Arcadia Rain's own love story is interwoven with Aycayia and David's and the rivalries and affections in both family and community are brought brilliantly to life. Themes of unconditional love, friendship, family and loss, are examined without sentimentality. Roffey manages to write convincingly about a mermaid, a 'legend drawn from the sea', returned to land, to survive, heal and live again, as a real woman in modern times.

Monique Roffey (Author), Ben Onwukwe, Vivienne Acheampong (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Vivienne Acheampong