Showing results by narrator "Ramon De Ocampo" in All Categories

When his dad announced they were moving to Iowa, Brian looked forward to making some new friends. But on his first day there, he makes an enemy instead - Frankie Heller, the meanest kid in town. Brian needs to hang out with someone cool to get back on track.... Alex has always been the coolest guy around, and good with money, just like his dad. But now the family's car dealership is struggling, and he needs to make some cash to keep up appearances. Then an opportunity falls in his lap.... Max is a scientific genius, but his parents are always busy with their own work. Building an actual plane should get their attention....

Ranging in age from six to 40, 38 sons and daughters of lesbians offer brief essays that could be valuable to like offspring, as well as to relatives and friends trying to understand the problems such children face. Homophobia, visited upon the children as well as their mothers, is the most commonly cited concern; some younger contributors feel isolated from their peers, and a couple of boys endure rejection from radical lesbian acquaintances.

A championship surfer, Jack Lopez accurately depicts the art of surfing in this tale described as The Outsiders for a new age.

In the Break tells the story of 15-year-old Jamie and Juan, best friends who live and breathe surfing. They don’t have a care in the world when they’re out on the water. But when an argument between Jamie and his abusive step-father comes to blows, Jamie turns to the one person who can help. Together the two (plus Jamie’s sister Amber) head for Mexico - surfboards stowed in the back.

Jamey Barlowe has been crippled since childhood, the result of being born on the Moon. He lives his life in a wheelchair, only truly free when he is in the water. But then Jamey’s father sends him, along with five other kids, back to the Moon to escape a political coup d’etat that has occurred overnight in the United States. Moreover, one of the other five refugees is more than she appears. Their destination is the mining colony, Apollo. Jamey will have to learn a whole new way to live, one that entails walking for the first time in his life.

Set at the height of the Roman Empire, in the last half of the first century AD - about the time of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, when Christianity was still an unimportant Jewish sect - these stories chronicle the cases of one of the few actual crimesolvers that we know of in ancient Rome. The stories are fictional, but the character of Quintilian is based on a real Roman barrister whose writings on rhetoric and on the education of the young are still read today.

His friends warned him not to try the fried pudding at the carnival, but Dan didn't listen. A short story in comics from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

From the Chelsea House Galaxy of Superstars series, this is an exciting biography of one of today’s hottest stars.

A seventeen-year-old boy, bullied and heartbroken, hangs himself. And although he felt terribly alone, his suicide changes everyone around him. His parents are devastated.

This is the story Harry Ransom. If you know his name it's most likely as the inventor of the Ransom Process, a stroke of genius that changed the world. Or you may have read about how he lost the battle of Jasper City, or won it, depending on where you stand in matters of politics. Friends called him Hal or Harry, or by one of a half-dozen aliases, of which he had more than any honest man should. He often went by Professor Harry Ransom, and though he never had anything you might call a formal education, he definitely earned it.

Chase and his friends Nicole and Rashawn made it to the safety of Nicole’s family’s farm, the winter home of the Rossi Brothers Circus, but the flood waters are rising and they need to reach higher ground. The lions have escaped their cages and an unpredictable jaguar is on the loose. Have Chase and his friends lived through a terrifying night only to face a new danger?

The adventures aren't over yet for Chase Masters and his dad. In this third installment, Chase heads south of the border with his friend Nicole Rossi to track down the Rossi Brothers Circus - lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and all - after a massive earthquake hits Mexico. With a volcano threatening to erupt as a result of the disaster, Chase has never faced such a serious threat to his survival!

Karen Tei Yamashita has been honored with the American Book Award and Janet Heidinger Kafka Award. A stunning portrait of Asian Americans in 1960s and ’70s San Francisco, I Hotel is a remarkable collection of 10 related novellas. Touching on such topics as Japanese internment camps and the Marcos dictatorship, the book presents readers with characters of rich design.

After the king of Damask dies, Bad Prince Charlie is put on the throne to divert attention from his uncles' plan-to procure Weapons of Magical Destruction.

The ad promised you'd be able to see into the spirit world. But they couldn't work for real... could they? A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Benny's friend Ray come up with his craziest invention idea yet: a machine that grants wishes. But when Benny realizes he has some wishes that need granting, he starts to wonder if it might just work. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

In Dare to Matter, VisionSpring founder Jordan Kassalow shares his own inspiring story and a nuts-and-bolts plan to help listeners who what to make a difference right now, no matter what their job, no matter what their circumstances, on their own terms, in their own time, in concert with their commitments and responsibilities.

Jack Duncan is a high school senior whose dream is to play baseball in college and beyond - as far away from Delano as possible. He longs to escape the political turmoil surrounding the labor struggles of the striking fieldworkers that infests his small ag town. Ever since his father, a grape grower, died under suspicious circumstances 10 years earlier, he's had to be the sole emotional support of his mother.

Young Bhryen's investigation of a stolen item plunges him into a world of forbidden magic and dark powers. Unknown to Bhryen, the crown of Ellaria is already in trouble, as sorcerous powers and the threat of war gathers around eating into the fabric of its fragile peace. Bhryen discovers that he possesses a dangerous gift. With the help of the fey, young boy J'arik, he must learn to master this gift while keeping it a secret from the temple. Though forbidden by the temple laws, using Bhryen's new found gift might be the only thing that can save them all.

Five running backs were selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Jamaal Charles was not among them. Despite piling up the fourth-most rushing yards at the University of Texas in just three seasons, he waited for eight other running backs to get selected ahead of him. The Middle School Rules of Jamaal Charles features the stories and lessons of Jamaal’s childhood, defined by people overlooking him.

The Middle School Rules of Brian Urlacher features the real-life childhood stories and exploits of young Brian Urlacher and illustrate how they shaped him into the world-class athlete he became. The first of The Middle School Rules series, these books not only entertain, but also inspire greatness in the next generation by highlighting the importance of being your best, overcoming adversity, and reaching your dreams through discipline and hard work.