Download Best Sellers Audiobooks in Teens, Fiction & Literature

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Title: Sonnys House of Spies

Author: George Ella Lyon

Narrator: Nick Landrum

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-02-12

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

From childrens author, renowned poet, and Golden Kite Award-winner George Ella Lyon comes Sonnys House of Spies, a deeply affecting story of a family whose closely guarded secrets are beginning to cause harm.

In 1950s Alabama, the Bradshaw children - Sonny, Loretta, and Deaton - are perfecting their spycraft. Ever since Mama kicked Daddy out of the house, 13-year-old Sonny has sensed that someone is watching them, someone unseen. So one Friday, Sonny sneaks out of town on his bike to search for his father. He doesnt know if hell find him, but one things for sure - he needs to know the truth.

Members Reviews:

Not a professional reviewer

Sonny's House of SpiesWow! What a truly excellent work of fiction. I know it's fiction...but I KNOW these characters! Sonny's House of Spies may have been written for a younger audience, but adults may enjoy it even more. For any Southerner raised in the '40's and '50's, it takes you home again.

Especially Excellent for Older YAs and Adults

It's the 1947, in a small town in Alabama and Sonny's dad has just walked out on them. "You don't know my daddy," the book begins, and Sonny tells the reader of the day his life changed. He knows there has to be something more to the split up than he has been told, and it puzzles him. A few years go by, and the reader sees small town Southern life through Sonny's eyes as he tries to handle his own life without a father, as well as every day living with his sometimes funny, sometimes difficult family. Sonny deals with heartbreak, pain, and love, familial and otherwise, and at last finds peace within himself regarding his father.

Sadly, this brief synopsis does nothing for the book. Telling a skeleton outline of the plot with no spoilers and none of Lyon's amazing writing is so unjust! This is an amazing book, with prose that sometimes verges on poetry. Lyon had me laughing out loud with Sonny's predicaments on one page, near tears on another, and spellbound from the sheer beauty of her language so often. She captures the feel of the South so well and so subtly that there are bound to be references that will pass by those uninitiated to Southern culture.

I couldn't NOT share a few lines that caught me especially:

"It was a sleepy kind of morning, the air like bathwater."

"Like some reversible cloth, Mama's laughter flipped over into sobs."

"We just stood by the shiny gray coffin with its handles like fancy toilet-paper holders and said "Yes" and "No" and "Thank you" and breathed whatever breaths came by: mint, onion, tobacco, whiskey, and bad."

"All the windows had been propped open, but it was one of those afternoons when the air lay on top of you like a big cat, and no waving of cardboard Jesus-at-the-door fans could make it get up and move."

My main regret is that I fear the intended audience will not be interested in the subject and that some of the emotional dilemmas may really be too mature for grades 5-8. It would be more appropriate, I think, for older YA readers. I would suggest that a parent of younger readers read it first (I give it a full recommendation for all adult readers) and then decide when/if it's appropriate for their child at that age.

Another quibble is that the dust jacket blurb is not very appealing; I only chose to read it because it took place in the South.

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Title: The River

Author: Gary Paulsen

Narrator: Peter Coyote

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-09-12

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 604 votes

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"We want you to do it again."

These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian was stranded alone in the wilderness for 54 days with nothing but a small hatchet. Yet he survived.

Now the government wants him to go back into the wilderness so that astronauts and the military can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive. Soon the project backfires, though, leaving Brian with a wounded partner and a long river to navigate. His only hope is to build a raft and try to transport the injured man a hundred miles downstream to a trading post - if the map he has is accurate.

Members Reviews:

Not just for teen boys, but for ANYONE who values Life!

This sequel to The Hatchet is so well-crafted and just as suspenseful as the first book. Just like The River that Brian paddles down, this story also has many twists & turns that keeps you riveted & inside Brian's head. You truly get a sense of his angst, even if you haven't spent time in The Backcountry. If you have (as I have) you get a true sense of his desperation & struggle to acclimatize when returning home that few understand who haven't experienced the struggle. After many days in true wilderness, I remember how mesmerized I was by running tap water & lights that went on with the flip of a switch. This cognitive dissonance is what drives Brian to return and what moves the plot so beautifully.

My only gripe is that the overly dramatic music is completely unnecessary! The excellent reader is all that is needed.

This book is NOT just for teen boys, but ANYONE who appreciates The Wilderness & wants to understand what is truly important in life.

10 y.o. boy gives 2 thumbs up

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

10 y.o.: Yes, it was great. Read/listen to Hatchet first.

Mom: A great listen in the car for the whole family. A little harrowing with clear danger to the main characters

What other book might you compare The River to and why?

Hatchet, the prequel. Also excellent

What about Peter Coyotes performance did you like?

Wonderful voice - expressive, made it easy to follow

Any additional comments?

10 y.o. boy: Good stuff, camping and survival and danger and no girls.

Mom: fun listen for the whole family

Awesome!!

Keeps your attention from beginning to end! Loved it and cant wait to hear next in series! Thanks

Time to end the Hatchet story

What would have made The River better?

A better story line. It felt like he ran out of stuff to write about. Just trying to rehash parts from Hatchet but it didn't work for me.

Has The River turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes

What does Peter Coyote bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

He did a good job as a story teller. I was pleased with that part of the book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I was disappointed with this book since I was a big Hatchet fan from my younger years

Great story, good reader

The river has a great story, I really enjoyed it, reader was also good. Great book.

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Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Narrator: Kate Rudd

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-10-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 20706 votes

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Audie Award Nominee, Best Teens Category, 2013

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazels story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Greens most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Critic Reviews:

"An electric portrait of young people who learn to live life with one foot in the grave. Filled with staccato bursts of humor and tragedy,

The Fault in Our Stars takes a spin on universal themes - Will I be loved? Will I be remembered? Will I leave a mark on this world? - by dramatically raising the stakes for the characters who are asking." (Jodi Picoult, best-selling author of

My Sisters Keeper and

Sing You Home)

"It's a testament to John Green's writing and Kate Rudd's narration that, in a book about teenagers with cancer, there are still plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Green's teens are precocious and clever, and Rudd sells it, delivering every 'or whatever' with perfect teenage inflection and fully inhabiting protagonist Hazel as she navigates the world with lungs ravaged by cancer. When Hazel has trouble breathing, we hear it in the way Rudd gasps and pants between words. It's a sad, funny, smart, beautiful book." (

AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Wonderful Poignant Story

STORY - As a rule I don't like sad books or movies, but I decided to take a chance on this one for the sake of variety and also the very high ratings. I was not disappointed. The only reason I didn't rate this book a 5 is because it was -- well, predictably sad. The story is about two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, who both have cancer and fall in love. They are both very smart, mature for their years and have healthy attitudes about their illness. The story doesn't dwell on tear-jerking descriptions of their symptoms and suffering. It is more about how they struggle to just be normal teenagers and try to do what other kids their age do. That is what's so sad, the fact that they just accept amputations, tubes and treatments as normal, often joking about their own shortcomings.

Despite the sadness, it is a beautifully written story and I couldn't stop listening. Hazel and Gus are loveable teenaged characters and their story seems very real. The truth that serious illnesses affect children is something we don't like to think about, but sometimes we need to be reminded.

NARRATION - The reading of this story is good, but there is nothing special about the performance.

OVERALL - If you don't mind a good cry, I would definitely recommend this book.

Sad Premise, Fantastic Story

Where does The Fault in Our Stars rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I would place this one near the top of the YA titles I've sampled.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the couple's time in Amsterdam. I liked the author of Hazel's book.

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Title: Johnny Casanova

Author: Jamie Rix

Narrator: John Hodgkinson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-01-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Johnny Worms is hot to trot, a red hot chilli pepper, the unstoppable sex machine. Well, so he believes! The rest of the world is less appreciative of his charms - take Alison Mallison, for example. All Johnny gets from his efforts to woo her are some painful blows in a sensitive area, courtesy of her huge protector, Timothy Winchester. Johnnys best friend, Ginger, may tell him that girls is trouble, but when loves thunderbolt strikes in the form of a beautiful vision in purple, what can Johnny do? And is it his fault that Cyborg Girl, Deborah Smeeton, finds him irresistible?

Read by John Hodgkinson.

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Title: Playground

Subtitle: The Mostly True Story of a Former Bully

Author: 50 Cent

Narrator: Dwayne Clark

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-02-11

Publisher: Quercus Publishing PLC

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

'I wonder what she would've said if I'd told her all the parts the report left out, like how I'd woken up that morning and pulled that sock out of my draw and filled it, one after the other, with the D batteries I'd bought the last time I visited my dad in the city. But there was no way. There was just no way I'd ever tell anyone what really went down that day....'

Thirteen-year-old Butterball doesn't have that much going for him. He's teased about his weight. He hates the suburb his mum moved them to so she could go to nursing school and start her life over. He wishes he still lived with his dad in New York City - where there's always something happening, even if his dad doesn't have much time for him. Still, that's not why he beat up Maurice in the playground. Now his school is forcing him to talk to some out-of-touch lady therapist, as though she could ever fix him - as though she could ever figure out the truth. No, Butterball's lips are sealed about what happened that day. But some tales can't help being told. And this is one of them.

Members Reviews:

It's ok

Ok but I'm in my 50s so probably not where it is aimed. It is easy listening though

Loved this

The performance was really strong - I felt entirely inside the characters head - his hopes, fears and dreams. I was gripped by it - willing Butter Ball on.

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Title: Treehouse Orphans

Author: Dorothy Burgess Greimann

Narrator: Laura Wagner

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-11

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Follow Ben and Ted, orphaned brothers, as they fight the challenges of growing up in a foster home. Abandoned at school when their mother is murdered, Ben must care for his younger brother as they attempt to hide from the teachers that will turn them over to a dreaded foster home. But an emergency leads Ted to the hospital, and the boys must give away their secret. Placed to live in a foster home with the loving Donna and Carl Justin, Ben and Ted see a whole new side of family. They finally have a peaceful home where they are safe and loved. But The Tree House Orphans> find themselves in trouble when they happen upon their evil neighbor's old barn and discover the secrets within! Now he wants revenge and won't stop at any cost until he destroys the boys' family. Traumatized by the neighbor's constant threats, the children must decide whether to internalize their fear or overcome their circumstances. With the love from their new family, will they be able to overcome these traumatic events and grow into well-adjusted young men, or will they forever be doomed to live a life of terror? This heartwarming story of adventure, fun, and mystery encompasses all the trials of growing up. Children and parents alike will find themselves entrenched in a story that never slows down!

Members Reviews:

Treehouse Orphans- Great Reading for Teachers!

Treehouse Orphans reflects the lives of many children today in our public schools. As an elementary teacher, I could relate to the adventures and struggles experienced by the children in this story. Even through tragedy, children have hope through adults who care for them, and their own need for a better life filled with love. The author has obviously created the book from many valuable years of teaching and caring for children.

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Title: Swapped by a Kiss

Author: Luisa Plaja

Narrator: Penelope Rawlins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-11-11

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Rachel hates her life. So when her boyfriend David goes to a music festival in England she decides to surprise him - but she gets a nasty shock of her own. Hurt and angry, Rachel makes a wish - and finds herself in someone else's shoes! Can she keep the swap a secret? And will she ever be herself again? Over the course of a very weird weekend, Rachel puts herself in someone else's shoes and finds that her own maybe weren't as uncomfortable as she'd always thought. But can she ever be herself again?

Members Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Rachel is in love. So is her friend, Jo. Unfortunately, they're in love with the same boy, Rachel's boyfriend, David.

So when Rachel catches Jo and David kissing at a music festival, adding fuel to their already disintegrating relationship, she finds herself wishing to be anywhere else. Instead, she finds herself trapped inside the body of none other than Jo herself!

Will she and Jo find a way to switch back, or will they be stuck forever?

Luisa Plaja's British chick-lit is full of spunk and sass. Rachel and Jo epitomize the time old, if not slightly overused, tale about walking in another person's shoes (literally) to figure out what their life is like. The pace at times lags, but the characters do have a realism that will make them relatable to any girl who has ever been in love.

Reviewed by: Monica Sheffo

A Great Sequel

Swapped By a Kiss is the sequel to Split By a Kiss. I enjoyed Swapped By a Kiss better than the previous book. The main character Rachel has attitude and a good sense of humor. Jo is a part of this story too, and though I wish she was featured a tad bit more, she adds to the excitement. The book is a modern Freaky Friday that both Teen Brits and Young Adult Americans would likely enjoy.

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Title: The Death Cure

Subtitle: Maze Runner, Book 3

Author: James Dashner

Narrator: Mark Deakins

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-11-11

Publisher: Listening Library

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7136 votes

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Don't miss book three in the #1 New York Times best-selling Maze Runner series, soon to be a major motion picture starring Dylan O'Brien!

WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends the Gladers. But it's finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.

What WICKED doesn't know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it's enough to prove that he can't believe a word of what they say.

Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He'll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.

The time for lies is over.

The first two books, The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, are also #1 worldwide blockbuster movies featuring the star of MTV's Teen Wolf, Dylan O'Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster!

Also look for The Fever Code, the much-buzzed-about series conclusion that finally reveals the story of how the maze was built, and James Dashner's other best-selling series, the Mortality Doctrine: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives.

Praise for James Dashner and the Maze Runner series:

Critic Reviews:

"[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost." (EW.com)

"Wonderful action writing fast-paced...but smart and well observed." (Newsday)

"[A] nail-biting must-read." (Seventeen.com)

"Breathless, cinematic action." (Publishers Weekly)

"Heart-pounding to the very last moment." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Exclamation-worthy." (Romantic Times)

"Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book." (Deseret News)

Members Reviews:

Very young adult

I watched the movie for the Maze Runner and really enjoyed it. I downloaded all of the audible books in the series barring the prequel. I've been listening to all three for days wanting to get to the end to get answers and find out how Dashner would pull it all together. Perhaps I'm too old for this particular series but I found it lacking. The story line - particularly for the death cure was quite cheesy and the writing wasn't very sophisticated. The underlying story wasn't terrible but there are much better books available. It felt like it was written to specifically become a Hollywood action movie. Instead of being a solid story it relied on gore and constant action/suspense that became tedious after a while. Some of the interactions between Thomas and his love interest were particularly cringeworthy and like others have said by the end you just don't feel very invested in anyone. The Maze Runner had some compelling aspects but the story become so outrageous and absurd by the last book that I was mostly just trying to finish it. It wasn't the worst book I've read/listened to but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. Hopefully Hollywood can make something out of the final books. We'll see.

The big let down

Would you try another book from James Dashner and/or Mark Deakins?

I might try another book. The first two books where good. The third book was not bad till about the last 12 chapters, at this point the book train wrecks and I have to wonder if he was coerced to changing the ending by the editor.

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Title: Soul Beach

Author: Kate Harrison

Narrator: Julie Maisey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-14-11

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group Limited

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love...

But why is Soul Beach only in habited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next? The first book in an intriguing and compelling trilogy centred around the mystery of Megan Forster's death.

Members Reviews:

Sensational! Cant wait for next instalment!

This book is aimed at the teen market, however I am a parent of a teenager, and I LOVED this audio book. The story is so different to anything on the market that I wasnt sure I would like it. I am so used to listening to American books with US narrators that the English setting/British narrator was a refreshing change. The murders' interludes were a really interesting addition to the narration too. The author has created a storyline that is original and innovative. I have been left wanting to know what happens next to Alice, Danny and Megan...

Target Age Group?

This book would may have been okay if I were still in my teens and not my 30's!!

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Title: Shelter

Subtitle: A Mickey Bolitar Novel

Author: Harlan Coben

Narrator: Nick Podehl

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-06-11

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2598 votes

Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Mickey Bolitars year cant get much worse. After witnessing his fathers death and sending his mom to rehab, hes forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools.

A new school comes with new friends and new enemies, and lucky for Mickey, it also comes with a great new girlfriend, Ashley. For a while, it seems like Mickeys train wreck of a life is finally improving - until Ashley vanishes without a trace. Unwilling to let another person walk out of his life, Mickey follows Ashleys trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that this seemingly sweet, shy girl isnt who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickeys father. Soon, Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it makes high school drama seem like a luxury - and leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew.

First introduced to readers in Harlan Cobens latest adult novel, Live Wire, Mickey Bolitar is as quick-witted and clever as his uncle Myron, and eager to go to any length to save the people he cares about.

Members Reviews:

Got it by mistake!

Where does Shelter rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I have been a huge Coben fan for years. I bought this on that basis, but almost sent it back to audible when I realized in the first two chapters that it was for teens. I kept saying I was going to shut it off, but before I knew it I was hooked and completed the book in a few days! Coben is BACK! Great stuff, looking forward to reading the next one in the series. I really like the character Spoon.

A teenage adventure for everyone--sequel, please?

Book definitely WI! (worth it)

I turned on this book, laid back, and never wanted to turn it off. The reader was awesome. The setting small town USA. The likable young hero primed for conflict and adventure. I knew right away this was going to be great! I was right. The story flowed effortlessly from Beginning to E.

And I didnt forget the ND from the end. The book didnt end. It just kinda stopped. I was shocked, and was sure I was wrong, even as I heard the familiar words, Audible hopes you have enjoyed this program.

What?

I immediately went back to Audible to see if this was Part 1 of a series, but couldt find anything about it. Bummer. Id really like to know what happens next. I really hope Harlan Coben has more coming.

The story was set in high school, with a 15-year-old Mickey Bolitar as the hero. He is at a new school in an unfamiliar town, and is thrust into 2 separate mysteries he must unravel, with help from his new, courageous, talented, outcast, lovable friends. Though he doesnt know the town, the folks there seem to know himfreaky.

Good for most ages, this book shouldnt be classified for teenagers only just because the cast is young. Most people in The States have been to high school, and everyone can identify with part of the story.

My only wish is to hear more! And 7 hours was not nearly enough. We just got to the center of the story, found the bad guys, the monsters, the secret society. Time for the hero to bare his basketball muscles and save the day! Audible hopes you have enjoyed this program. Arg.

You can read more of my reviews online

PS Love these $4.95 sales for members. I would never have bought such a short book with one of my credits, so I would have missed this gem. Will definitely listen to it again.