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Narrator

Melissa Hughes

Melissa Hughes
  • Charlotte Parkhurst was raised in an orphanage for boys, which suited her just fine. She didn't like playing with dolls, she could hold her own in a fight, and she loved to work in the stable. Charlotte had a special way with horses and wanted to spend her life training and riding them on a ranch of her own. The problem was, as a girl in the mid-1800s, Charlotte was expected to live a much different life—one without the freedoms she dreamed of. But Charlotte was smart and determined, and she figured out a way to live her life the way she wanted. Charlotte became an expert horse rider, a legendary stagecoach driver, and the first woman ever to vote. And she did these things at a time when they were outlawed for women. How? With a plan so clever and so secret—almost no one figured it out.

  • Paul Fleischman is a master of sound, incorporating a soaring, energetic musicality into his writing. His poems for two voices—"Joyful Noise" and "I Am Phoenix"—make for irresistible listening. Whether funny, sad, boisterous, or serene, each poem is a virtuoso performance, skillfully illuminating a unique personality from the natural world.

  • Not all governments have been run by men. Lives of Extraordinary Women turns the spotlight on the women who have wielded power, revealing their feats—and flaws—for all the world to see. Here you'll find twenty of the most influential women in history: queens, warriors, prime ministers, first ladies, revolutionary leaders. Some are revered. Others are notorious. But they were all real people with private interests and personalities. What were they really like? What did they do for fun? Did their neighbors gossip about them? What were their tragedies and their triumphs? In this grand addition to their highly praised series, Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt celebrate some of the world's most noteworthy women—rulers and rebels who refused to stay in the wings and let others run the show. Wild or mild, hated or beloved, each of these women dared to stand up and be a leader.
  • In this entertaining, informative collection, listeners will discover the idiosyncrasies—sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic—of twenty famous artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Peter Bruegel, Sofonisba Anguissola, Rembrandt van Rijn, Katsushika Hokusai, Mary Cassatt, Vincent Van Gogh, Käthe Kollwitz, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Marcel Duchamp, Georgia O'Keeffe, William H. Johnson, Salvador Dali, Isamu Noguchi, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Andy Warhol.
  • It's no secret that Beethoven went deaf, that Mozart had constant money problems, and that Gilbert and Sullivan wrote musicals. But what were these people—and other famous musicians—really like? What did they eat? What did they wear? How did they spend their time? What were they like as children? What were their phobias, obsessions, and bad habits? And what did their neighbors think of it all? Here are the fascinating and often humorous stories of twenty famous musicians—people of all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and lifestyles, from various countries and historical periods, beginning with Vivaldi and ending with Woody Guthrie. Accompanied by brilliant caricatures, Lives of the Musicians will appeal to those who love music, to those who like to hear the story behind a famous name, and to just about everyone else.
  • History comes to life in this dynamic volume! Here are inside views of twenty writers—people of all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and lifestyles, from various countries and historical periods. Included are William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Jane Austen, Emily Dickenson, Charles Dickens, and many others.

  • Pocahontas was the special favorite of her father, the great chief Pawhatan. And when the English settlers came to Virginia, she became a "sister" to Captain John Smith, who was "adopted" into her tribe. She was permitted to move freely between the Indian and white worlds, and her life seemed perfect. But soon there was trouble. Pocahontas was kidnapped by the settlers, who forced her to live like a white woman. She yearned for her father to meet the colonists' demands so all would be well again. But before Pocahontas made peace, she would be asked to turn her back on everything she loved—and to leave her Indian world behind forever.

  • Fourteen-year-old Rachel Marsh is nanny to John and Abigail Adams' children and witnesses firsthand how tension builds in the feisty New England town in the two years before it erupts into the Boston Massacre. Friends become foes and families divide as British troops arrive in 1768 to force the outspoken Bostonians to toe the line and obey the British government. 

    But the idea of liberty and self-government has taken hold, and once considered, cannot now be set aside. At the same time, Rachel begins to take stock of her own life and future, and learns that to live life to its fullest and with integrity, one must seek the truth for oneself and take a stand. 

    Ann Rinaldi, a master at making history come alive, creates an exciting front-row seat for the listener as she uses the voice of young Rachel Marsh to underscore that American liberty was not easily won, but at great cost to those who would not let their dreams die.

  • Snow is not the only thing falling this December—spirits are, too. That's because this year's needlework convention in Nashville is tragically interrupted when Milwaukee shop owner Belle Hammermill tumbles nine stories to her untimely death. At first, Betsy Devonshire thinks the fall was just an unfortunate accident. The trouble is, Belle's unsavory reputation causes suspicions to flare. She has plenty of enemies with more than enough motive. Leave it to Betsy and the other knitting hands to unravel the clues that will put the killer to rest for a long winter's night.

  • After her good friend Godwin has a nasty quarrel with John, his significant other, full-time needlework shop owner and part-time sleuth Betsy Devonshire finds herself with a roommate. Betsy doesn't mind having company, though Godwin is restless and unhappy over the sudden break-up. 

    But sadness turns to grief when Betsy and Godwin discover John dead in his home, and Godwin is arrested for the murder. Betsy knows her friend couldn't be the killer, and sets out to prove it. What she learns is that John had a cat's cradle of secret dealings that had made him a bundle of money, and a lot of enemies. Now, Betsy has to untangle a web of lies if she's going to save Godwin—and find the murderer.