“Elements of tall tale abound, and the language is fast and funny.” —Booklist
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- Me and Billy
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Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 3/01/13
Formats: Digital Audy
Life at Deacon Smith's Home for Waifs would be completely dreary if it weren't for Possum's best friend, Billy, who "thinks up lies faster than he can talk" and provides plenty of excitement for the other boys. When Billy hears that gold is hidden in the mountains—"Great big chunks of it, some of 'em big as your fist"—he plans to escape, taking Possum with him. The two runaways embark on a journey in search of their dream—the gold that will lead to a better life. To earn enough money for their adventure, they join Professor Alberto Santini, "savant of the healing arts," and his road show. The professor teaches the boys how "spieling" can make a buck, but it's only the professor who seems to be earning any money. Just as Possum and Billy realize that they've been conned, they get tangled up in a murder. The boys try to keep ahead of the law as they continue their search for gold, but their friendship becomes strained as Possum begins to feel more and more different from Billy. Is the boys' friendship strong enough to carry them through to the end of their journey?
- Me and Billy
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Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 3/01/13
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Rainbow Road
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By Alex Sanchez
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 12/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
Jason Carrillo came out to his basketball team senior year and lost his university scholarship. Now, with graduation behind him and summer ending, he's asked to speak at the opening of a gay and lesbian high school across the country. But after spending years in the closet and losing his scholarship dream, what message can he offer?
Kyle Meeks is getting ready to go to Princeton in the fall and trying to see as much as possible of his boyfriend Jason before they have to separate. When Jason tells him about his speaking invitation, Kyle jumps at the chance to drive across country with him. Yet he can't help worrying: Will their romance survive two weeks crammed together in a car?Nelson Glassman is happy his best friend Kyle has found love with Jason. Now he's looking for his own true love and hopes he might find his soul mate during the road trip. But will being the "third wheel" in a trio ruin his friendships with Kyle and Jason?
During an eye-opening postgraduation summer road trip, each of the three very different boys also embarks on a personal journey across a landscape of love, sexuality, homophobia, and, above all, friendship.- Rainbow Road
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By Alex Sanchez
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 12/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Rainbow High
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By Alex Sanchez
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 11/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
Nelson Glassman may have been exposed to the HIV virus and is terrified of testing positive. But what if being positive is the only way to keep the guy of his dreams?
Kyle Meeks finally has the guy of his dreams and is ready to do anything to stay by his side, but will "anything" include sabotaging his own future?
Jason Carrillo knows he has to face his future and is prepared to face it out and gay, but is he prepared to let go of the dream that has sustained him all of his life?
As their high school days draw to a close and these three friends move toward one of life's most defining crossroads, each will be compelled to choose his own direction—and prepare for the consequences.Bold voice Alex Sanchez continues the story begun in his critically acclaimed debut Rainbow Boys with this captivating and straightforward depiction of living, loving, and losing that goes straight to the heart of what it means to be young and gay.
- Rainbow High
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By Alex Sanchez
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 11/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Hard Gold
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By Avi
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 10/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
Early Whitcomb's family needs a miracle. Their Iowa farm has been in the family for generations, but a long drought has withered their savings and left them in debt. Meanwhile, the great Chicago and Northwestern Railroad wants their land, and if the Whitcombs can't pay their loans, the local banker, Judge Fuslin, will foreclose and sell the farm as his own. Early's uncle (though he's more like a brother), Jesse, thinks he has the solution—to head West and dig for gold.
Fueled by reports of prospectors striking it rich in the Rocky Mountains, Jesse can't think about anything but gold, and his determination to get to the western territories grows stronger by the day. Early is wild to go with him, as much for the adventure as for the gold. But the journey costs money—more than the boys can afford—and when Jesse flees during the night, after being accused of a robbery, Early doesn't know what to believe. Then Jesse sends an electrifying message—that he has found gold, but his life is in danger—and Early knows he must do whatever it takes to find him, even if it means running away and joining a wagon train with a strange family.
The journey is dangerous and full of hardships, and the closer the travelers get to their destination, the more ruined lives they encounter—lives consumed by the hunt for gold. Then to his horror, Early learns that Jesse has been accused of another, much bigger crime and has fled to a secret place in the mountains. Somehow, Early must get to him without leading Jesse's pursuers right to his door. And even if he succeeds, Early will still have to make the hardest choice of his life.
- Hard Gold
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By Avi
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 10/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
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- Rainbow Boys
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By Alex Sanchez
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 10/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
Jason Carrillo is a jock with a steady girlfriend, but he can't stop dreaming about sex—with other guys. Kyle Meeks doesn't look gay, but he is. And he hopes he never has to tell anyone—especially his parents. Nelson Glassman is "out" to the entire world, but he can't tell the boy he loves that he wants to be more than just friends.Three teenage boys, coming of age and out of the closet.
In a revealing debut novel that percolates with passion and wit, Alex Sanchez follows these very different high school seniors as their struggles with sexuality and intolerance draw them into a triangle of love, betrayal, and, ultimately, friendship.
- Rainbow Boys
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By Alex Sanchez
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 10/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
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- With Every Drop of Blood
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By James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 5/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy
A vivid portrayal of the Civil War. Johnny, fourteen, convinces his mother to let him join a wagon train carrying food to Confederate soldiers. He has been brought up to believe that all blacks are stupid; thus, when captured by a black Union soldier who insists that Johnny teach him to read, he deliberately tricks him. The boy is surprised the soldier saves him from imprisonment and their relationship grows throughout the book.
- With Every Drop of Blood
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By James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
Read by Alston Brown
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Release Date: 5/01/12
Formats: Digital Audy