Showing results by narrator "Ramon de OCampo" in All Categories

When a puggle meets two new poodle friends, there is a question the poodles feel they must ask. What are you? What am I? Yes, what are you? I am a dog. No, what are you? So begins a conversation about family and identity, and about the things we're good at... and why we're good at them. Brimming with warmth and playfulness, What Are You? is an exemplary book for early listeners. Equally funny and thoughtful, the book includes prompts to facilitate important first conversations about stereotypes and bias between child and adult.

In 2488, Battle Quest, an arrow shooting, sword fighting, magic slinging live action RPG, is the most popular sport in the universe. Tal works in a trash dump by day and fights in a street samurai pit by night. He dreams of becoming a Battle Quest pro to pull his sisters and grandmother from the slums. Problem is he’s too short, too broke, and his highlight vid-reel has more fails than an ogre’s got warts.

Caleb Springer is the up-and-coming star freshman quarterback on the high school football team, which isn't a surprise considering his dad, Sammy Springer, was an NFL superstar and is now the town celebrity. College scouts are already snooping around Caleb, and his future seems set. But just as Caleb's glory days begin, his dad starts to change. He's forgetting things and getting angry at random times. Caleb is forced to confront a bleak possibility: The sport that gives him so much status and self-worth might be the cause of his dad's strange behavior.

Zack and Zara have survived their first brush with nobles at the Academy. An experience that has left them trapped, lost inside a portal they were forced to enter. If they can make it back, it will be their turn to make the rules and create some havoc. Together they have grown stronger, pushing back against their past. Now they have something new: a friend. The portals, which gave them a way to fight back and to claim the life they always wanted, have done more than that. They brought them into the spotlight and made Zara a princess.

The Animorphs' latest adventure takes them where no man has ever gone before…into Marco's left nostril. Who else could be responsible for this mess but a crew of miniature egomaniacs? The Helmacrons have returned to demand the morphing cube because they need more power to escape Earth's atmosphere. In the middle of their threats, Rachel tries to destroy their ship, and some of the little warriors bail…right into Marco's body.

On the morning of Henry Ludd's thirteenth birthday, the power goes out. No phones, no news, and planes are literally falling out of the sky. Henry's father was away from the family farm and he has not returned. Four months later, the electricity still hasn't come back. While Henry's family is protected in their walled compound with wind turbines fueling their electricity, the rest of their area has suffered. Henry's father still hasn’t been found. Determined to find him, Henry ventures out to the zoo where his dad was last seen, traveling alone through the world of the Switch. 

Some stories are all about the crime. These stories are about the maelstrom of what happens afterward. A hard-bitten crew of professional thieves pull of the score of their lives, coming away with millions in cash, enough to change their lives, make new identities, start fresh. But that's when the real trouble begins. In this linked anthology, we follow each member of the crew of culprits after the heist and watch as this perfect score ends up a perfect nightmare.

Charles is reaching the end of his rope. The things he has seen have nearly become too much. He never signed up to be a hero. It was never a burden he wanted. Only his burgeoning family has kept him going for this long, but now even Gaia needs his help. The system the Gods created for their game is on the brink of collapse. There have been too many people and events that they never accounted for since it began, each one causing cascading errors. The biggest two being Charles and his sister Charlotte.

It's the second week of school, and Buddy is wondering if the other second grade class might be more fun. They've even chosen a cool class name. How will his class ever compete? Especially when Ms. Maple says they shouldn't be competing at all?

Filipino-American bounty hunter Domingo has made a career of catching criminal undocumented immigrants. He’s the best in the business—and it isn’t lost on him that he’s so good because of his similarities to his targets. Despite Domingo’s claims that he is unsympathetic to their plight, yet spends his spare moments on stakeouts and in between jobs writing a book of advice for aspiring immigrants. Brash, funny, and candid, he compiles the names of all the people he’s apprehended, documenting the hazards of his profession, and imparting advice to foreigners who dare to dream of life in America.

Buddy has a good feeling about second grade. He knows where to go, his best friend is in his class, and he’s ready for a great year. And then Bea shows up—new, tardy, and showing off brand new stitches. Buddy was not expecting Bea. Bea's fast talking and upside-down thinking leave Buddy feeling buzzy—and with his hair full of mayonnaise. How will he and Bea ever figure out how to get along in the same classroom community?

What's a kid to do when given a day-of-the-week underwear set—wear Monday's undies on Monday, Tuesday's undies on Tuesday like a rule-following robot? No sirree bob! He'll cut and craft, snip and sew until every single one of his friends—from an octopus to a piggy bank to, yes, a line of ants—has their own pair of underwear, whether they want them or not.

Ben Cutler loves everything about soccer! He's got a great team, and they have the best pre-game chants and half-time jokes. He and his best friend, Jay-Jay, even invent dances for when they score a goal! And Ben is good at soccer. Like REALLY good. Too good for a casual rec team. Soon, he's recruited for a travel team.

No one ever thought it would come to this. Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, Marco, and Ax know that even if they could have warned people in the beginning, no one would have believed their story. A story about an invasion of parasitic aliens. So for all this time, Jake and the other Animorphs have secretly fought a desperate battle. Secretly held the Yeerks at bay. But those days are over. It's come down to the final battle between the Yeerks and Animorphs. And no one knows who will win, lose, or live.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America entered World War II, and a new theater of battle opened up in the Pacific. But US troops, along with thousands of Filipino soldiers who fought alongside them, were overtaken in the Philippines by a fiercely determined Japanese navy, and many Americans and Filipino fighters were killed or captured. These American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to endure the most horrific conditions on the deadly trek known as the Bataan Death March.

New York, August 1974: a man is walking in the sky. Between the newly built Twin Towers, the man twirls through the air. Far below, the lives of complete strangers spin towards each other: Corrigan, a radical Irish monk working in the Bronx; Claire, a delicate Upper East Side housewife reeling from the death of her son; Lara, a drug-addled young artist; Gloria, solid and proud despite decades of hardship; Tillie, a hooker who used to dream of a better life and Jazzlyn, her beautiful daughter raised on promises that reach beyond the skyline of New York.

An infamously proficient player-killer—thanks to his unique class and unparalleled bladework—he's hunted by mages, militia, and a max-level prick. Barely hindered by insomnia and self-doubt, he's a hero (plausibly). With the fate of the city resting on his shoulders, he'll need every shred of skill, cunning, and courage he can convince himself to muster. It's that or be crushed under the weight of all his lies.

The Yeerks aren't playing around anymore. They're no longer hiding behind a silent invasion. And one of the first steps in their new plan is to take over the National Guard, to prepare for all-out war against humanity. Marco and the other Animorphs couldn't be less prepared for this news. The Yeerks know who they are, forcing them to hide to protect their families. Things are falling apart, and for once Jake may not be able to make the decision that will save them...