Avi. The Player King. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781501983023. Read by John Keating. Gr 5-8–England, 1486. King Henry VII has recently snatched the English Crown and now sits on the throne, while young Prince Edward, who has a truer claim, has apparently disappeared. Meanwhile, a penniless kitchen boy named Lambert Simnel is slaving away at a tavern in Oxford-until a mysterious friar, Brother Simonds, buys Lambert from the tavern keeper and whisks him away in the dead of night. But this is nothing compared to the secret that the friar reveals: You, Lambert, are actually Prince Edward, the true King of England! With the aid of the deceitful Earl of Lincoln, Brother Simonds sets out to teach the boy how to become the rightful English king. Lambert has everything to gain and nothing to lose, or so he thinks. Yet in this dangerous battle for the throne, Lambert is not prepared for what's to come-or for what it really means to play at being a king. Blakemore, Megan Frazer. The Daybreak Bond. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781501931949. Read by Cassandra Morris. Gr 4-6–Mori and her friends Julia, Benji, and Theo have never seen the world beyond the walls of their utopian community, Old Harmonie. That changes when their new friend Ilana is threatened by the rules that are supposed to keep them all safe. Together they escape, hoping to find help in Boston with Dr. Agatha Varden, one of Old Harmonie's pioneering founders. But as they encounter kids from the outside and face challenges they never expected, Mori and her friends begin to understand the complicated reality of their supposedly perfect world. With the help of these new friends, they just might be able to save Ilana, but at what cost? Ginns, Russell. Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans. Listening Library. ISBN 9780525525615. Read by Kathleen McInerney & Grover Gardner. Gr 4-6–Samantha Spinner's uncle Paul disappeared, and here's what he left: Samantha's sister got a check for $2,400,000,000. Samantha's brother got the New York Yankees. And Samantha got a rusty red umbrella with a tag hanging off its worn handle. The tag says "Watch out for the RAIN." After all the strawberry waffles, stories, and puzzles they've shared, how could he just leave without saying goodbye? And what is the meaning of that mysterious message? The answer is simple. Sam knows in her heart that Uncle Paul is in danger. And if he taught her anything, it's that not everything is exactly what it seems. Which is why we should pay close attention to that rusty red umbrella, and never trust a monkey at a hula-hoop contest. The RAIN is coming and Samantha Spinner is about to find herself mixed up in some super-important, super-dangerous, super-secret plans. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Children of Refuge. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781470322069. Read by Ramon de Ocampo. Gr 4-6–After Edwy is smuggled off to Refuge City to stay with his brother and sister, Rosi, Bobo, and Cana are stuck alone-and in danger-in Cursed Town in the thrilling follow-up to Children of Exile from New York Times bestselling author, Margaret Peterson Haddix. It's been barely a day since Edwy left Fredtown to be with his parents and, already, he is being sent away. He's smuggled off to boarding school in Refuge City, where he will be with his brother and sister, who don't even like him very much. The boarding school is nothing like the school that he knew, there's no one around looking up to him now, and he's still not allowed to ask questions! Alone and confused, Edwy seeks out other children brought back from Fredtown and soon discovers that Rosi and the others-still stuck in the Cursed Town-might be in danger. Harrison, Vashti. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. Hachette Audio. ISBN 9781549114366. Read by Robin Miles & Bahni Turpin. Gr 3-7–Featuring forty trailblazing black women in American history, Little Leaders educates and inspires as it relates true stories of breaking boundaries and achieving beyond expectations. Illuminating text paired with irresistible illustrations bring to life both iconic and lesser-known female figures of Black history such as abolitionist Sojourner Truth, pilot Bessie Coleman, chemist Alice Ball, politician Shirley Chisholm, mathematician Katherine Johnson, poet Maya Angelou, and filmmaker Julie Dash. Kadohata, Cynthia. Checked. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781501982781. Reader TBA. Gr 3-7–Hockey is Conor's life. His whole life. He'll say it himself, he's a hockey beast. It's his dad's whole life too-and Conor is sure that's why his stepmom, Jenny, left. There are very few things Conor and his dad love more than the game, and one of those things is their Doberman, Sinbad. When Sinbad is diagnosed with cancer, Conor chooses to put his hockey lessons and practices on hold so they can pay for Sinbad's chemotherapy. But without hockey to distract him, Conor begins to notice more. Like his dad's crying bouts, and his friend's difficult family life. And then Conor notices one more thing: Without hockey, the one thing that makes him feel special, is he really special at all? Mincks, Margaret. Payback on Poplar Lane. Listening Library. ISBN 9780525531517. Read by Monika Felice Smith & Christopher Gebauer. Gr 4-6–Twelve-year-old Peter Gronkowski prides himself on being a professional businessman. Tired of the clichéd lemonade stands that line his block, he decides to start a better business with the help of an intern. But his intern of choice, the quiet and writerly Rachel Chambers, turns out to be more than he bargained for. Rachel is innovative, resourceful, driven--and when she's had enough of Peter's overbearing management style, she decides to start a competing empire next door. As their rivalry and sabotage tactics become more outrageous--Slander! Espionage! Lemonade threats!--Peter and Rachel ultimately learn the hard way that "nothing gold can stay" and that friendship is more important than money. Roy, Léna & Charlotte Jones Voiklis. Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Her Granddaughters. Listening Library. ISBN 9780525634089. Read by the authors. Gr 5-8–just in time for the all-new A Wrinkle in Time film, directed by Ava DuVernay and featuring a multi-racial cast (release date: March 9, 2018). Madeleine L'Engle (1918--2007) is the beloved author of A Wrinkle in Time, its sequels, and numerous other works for children and adults. Now, her granddaughters have written her biography with never-before-seen archival materials--including photographs, letters, and journal entries--from throughout the writer's life. Stevens, April. The Heart and Mind of Frances Pauley. Listening Library. ISBN 9780525525493. Read by Kathleen McInerney. Gr 4-6–Eleven-year-old Frances is an observer of both nature and people, just like her idol, the anthropologist Margaret Mead. She spends most of her time up on the rocks behind her house in her "rock world," as Alvin, her kindhearted and well-read school bus driver, calls it. It's the one place where Frances can truly be herself, and where she doesn't have to think about her older sister Christinia, who is growing up and changing in ways that Frances can't understand. But when the unimaginable happens, Frances slowly discovers that perhaps the world outside her rugged, hidden paradise isn't so bad after all and maybe--just maybe--she can find connection and camaraderie with the people who have surrounded her all along.