
Normal: One Kid's Extraordinary Journey
Young REad
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Ellen Archer
-
Matt Gumley
About this listen
Praised by R.J. Palacio as “wondrous” - this moving memoir follows a teenage boy with TC syndrome and his exceptional family from diagnosis at birth to now.
“This touching memoir is a must-read for anyone who wants to know more about the real-world experiences of a child with craniofacial differences and his extraordinary family. It’s also more than that. It’s a story about the love between a mother and a son, a child and his family, and the breadth of friends, helpers, and doctors that step in when the unexpected happens. It’s a story that will make young readers reevaluate the word ‘normal’ - not only as it applies to others, but to themselves. Any book that can do that is pretty wondrous, as far as I’m concerned.” (R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder)
Normal. Who is to say what this word means? For Magda Newman, it was a goal. She wanted her son Nathaniel to be able to play on the playground, swim at the beach, enjoy the moments his friends took for granted. But Nathaniel’s severe Treacher Collins syndrome - a craniofacial condition - meant that other concerns came first. Could he eat without the aid of a gastrointestinal tube? Could he hear? Would he ever be able to breathe effortlessly? But Nathaniel looks at “normal” from a completely different perspective.
In this uplifting and humorous memoir, mother and son tell the story of his growing up - from facing 67 surgeries before the age of 15, to making friends, moving across the country, and persevering through hardships. How they tackle extraordinary circumstances with love and resilience is a true testament to Magda and Nathaniel’s family, and to families everywhere who quietly but courageously persist.
©2019 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (P)2019 Houghton Mifflin HarcourtListeners also enjoyed...
-
My Life as a Potato
- By: Arianne Costner
- Narrated by: Robbie Daymond
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ben Hardy believes he's cursed by potatoes. And now he's moved to Idaho, where the school's mascot is Steve the Spud! Yeah, this cannot be good. After accidentally causing the mascot to sprain an ankle, Ben is sentenced to Spud duty for the final basketball games of the year. But if the other kids know he's the Spud, his plans for popularity are likely to be a big dud! Ben doesn't want to let the team down, so he lies to his friends to keep it a secret. No one will know it's him under the potato suit...right?
-
-
Excellent
- By Leslie Diminnie on 11-13-22
By: Arianne Costner
-
Wonder
- By: R. J. Palacio
- Narrated by: Kaya McLean, Lila Sage Bromley, Dariana Alvarez, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Beginning from Auggie’s point of view and expanding to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others, the perspectives converge to form a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
-
-
Must-read for kids!
- By Diane GP on 01-10-23
By: R. J. Palacio
-
Snow Treasure
- By: Marie McSwigan
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 12-year-old Peter Lundstrom, the Norwegian winter of 1940 begins like any other. When he isn’t in school, he spends the cold days outside, going sledding in the deep snow of his mountain village. But all around him, the adults are talking about the war that is raging through much of Europe. One day Uncle Victor warns that German soldiers will invade soon. He believes they will try to steal the bank’s gold bullion. But he has a daring plan to protect the treasure.
-
-
Great story 🙂
- By Angie Brock on 10-19-18
By: Marie McSwigan
-
Adventures with Waffles
- By: Maria Parr, Guy Puzey - translator, Kate Forrester - illustrator
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it's coaxing a cow onto a boat or tobogganing down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill - and sometimes an injury - to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny's waffles, which make everything just perfect. But when Lena has to move away, and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems nothing will ever be right again.
-
-
very fun!
- By AnotherCustomer on 06-28-20
By: Maria Parr, and others
-
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
- By: Laura Shovan
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross, Kevin R. Free, Jessica Almasy, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eighteen kids, one year of poems, one school set to close. Two yellow bulldozers crouched outside, ready to eat the building in one greedy gulp. But look out, bulldozers. Ms. Hill's fifth-grade class has plans for you. They're going to speak up and work together to save their school.
By: Laura Shovan
-
From the Desk of Zoe Washington
- By: Janae Marks
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her 12th birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime? A crime he says he never committed. Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship
-
-
Don't judge based on rumors
- By Reign_awakening on 05-23-20
By: Janae Marks
-
My Life as a Potato
- By: Arianne Costner
- Narrated by: Robbie Daymond
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ben Hardy believes he's cursed by potatoes. And now he's moved to Idaho, where the school's mascot is Steve the Spud! Yeah, this cannot be good. After accidentally causing the mascot to sprain an ankle, Ben is sentenced to Spud duty for the final basketball games of the year. But if the other kids know he's the Spud, his plans for popularity are likely to be a big dud! Ben doesn't want to let the team down, so he lies to his friends to keep it a secret. No one will know it's him under the potato suit...right?
-
-
Excellent
- By Leslie Diminnie on 11-13-22
By: Arianne Costner
-
Wonder
- By: R. J. Palacio
- Narrated by: Kaya McLean, Lila Sage Bromley, Dariana Alvarez, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Beginning from Auggie’s point of view and expanding to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others, the perspectives converge to form a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
-
-
Must-read for kids!
- By Diane GP on 01-10-23
By: R. J. Palacio
-
Snow Treasure
- By: Marie McSwigan
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 12-year-old Peter Lundstrom, the Norwegian winter of 1940 begins like any other. When he isn’t in school, he spends the cold days outside, going sledding in the deep snow of his mountain village. But all around him, the adults are talking about the war that is raging through much of Europe. One day Uncle Victor warns that German soldiers will invade soon. He believes they will try to steal the bank’s gold bullion. But he has a daring plan to protect the treasure.
-
-
Great story 🙂
- By Angie Brock on 10-19-18
By: Marie McSwigan
-
Adventures with Waffles
- By: Maria Parr, Guy Puzey - translator, Kate Forrester - illustrator
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it's coaxing a cow onto a boat or tobogganing down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill - and sometimes an injury - to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny's waffles, which make everything just perfect. But when Lena has to move away, and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems nothing will ever be right again.
-
-
very fun!
- By AnotherCustomer on 06-28-20
By: Maria Parr, and others
-
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
- By: Laura Shovan
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross, Kevin R. Free, Jessica Almasy, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eighteen kids, one year of poems, one school set to close. Two yellow bulldozers crouched outside, ready to eat the building in one greedy gulp. But look out, bulldozers. Ms. Hill's fifth-grade class has plans for you. They're going to speak up and work together to save their school.
By: Laura Shovan
-
From the Desk of Zoe Washington
- By: Janae Marks
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her 12th birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime? A crime he says he never committed. Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship
-
-
Don't judge based on rumors
- By Reign_awakening on 05-23-20
By: Janae Marks
-
Dog Squad
- By: Chris Grabenstein
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Duke is not your average dog. Along with his crew, he fights crime and goes on claw-biting adventures helping dogs in peril in the hit streaming sensation - Dog Squad! Fred is a pretty average dog. He's scrappy. He's loveable. But he's not brave like his heroes on Dog Squad.
-
-
Best book EVER!!!
- By J Hill on 12-26-24
-
The Lion of Mars
- By: Jennifer L. Holm
- Narrated by: Maxwell Glick
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bell has spent his whole life—all eleven years of it—on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid—he loves cats and any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't they have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell—a regular kid in a very different world—to uncover the truth and save his family...and possibly unite an entire planet.
-
-
That the rats got on the ship
- By Heather T. on 09-18-24
By: Jennifer L. Holm
-
The Unteachables
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Sarah Beth Goer, Oliver Wyman, Josh Hurley, and others
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hilarious new middle grade novel from beloved and best-selling author Gordon Korman about what happens when the worst class of kids in school is paired with the worst teacher. The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction - and maybe even a shot at redemption.
-
-
Awesome story, thoroughly enjoyable!
- By Debbie on 04-22-19
By: Gordon Korman
-
Out of My Mind
- By: Sharon M. Draper
- Narrated by: Sisi Aisha Johnson
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy.
-
-
♡
- By KiNg35 on 11-17-16
By: Sharon M. Draper
-
Muffled
- By: Jennifer Gennari
- Narrated by: Julia Atwood
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Amelia does not like noise. From subway brakes to squeaky sneakers, she is sensitive to sound, just like her dad. Amelia has always worn noise-canceling headphones, but now that she’s going into fifth grade, her parents want her to stop wearing them. To make matters worse, she must learn to play an instrument! Or, as Amelia sees it, make noise on purpose. To help Amelia cope, her father gives her a pair of earmuffs to wear instead. Even with her new earmuffs, Amelia struggles at school…until she gets partnered with Madge in music class.
By: Jennifer Gennari
-
The Boy at the Back of the Class
- By: Onjali Q. Raúf
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There used to be an empty chair at the back of Mrs. Khan's classroom, but on the third Tuesday of the school year a new kid fills it: nine-year-old Ahmet, a Syrian refugee. The whole class is curious about this new boy - he doesn't seem to smile, and he doesn't talk much. But after learning that Ahmet fled a very real war and was separated from his family along the way, a determined group of his classmates bands together to concoct the greatest idea in the world - a magnificent plan to reunite Ahmet with his loved ones.
-
-
I love it
- By Danielle Tebon on 10-27-24
By: Onjali Q. Raúf
-
Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls
- Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls Series, Book 1
- By: Beth McMullen
- Narrated by: Kelsey Navarro
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a botched escape plan from her boarding school, Abigail is stunned to discover the school is actually a cover for an elite spy ring called The Center, along with being training grounds for future spies. Even more shocking? Abigail's mother is a top agent for The Center and she has gone MIA, with valuable information that many people would like to have - at any cost. Along with a former nemesis and charming boy from her grade, Abigail goes through a crash course in Spy Training 101, often with hilarious - and sometimes painful - results.
-
-
Too graphic
- By Richard V on 10-04-22
By: Beth McMullen
-
Allergic: A Graphic Novel
- By: Megan Wagner Lloyd, Michelle Mee Nutter
- Narrated by: Priya Ayyar, Dan Bittner, Matt Braver, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At home, Maggie is the odd one out. Her parents are preoccupied with the new baby they're expecting, and her younger brothers are twins and always in their own world. Maggie thinks a new puppy is the answer, but when she goes to select one on her birthday, she breaks out in hives and rashes. She's severely allergic to anything with fur! Can Maggie outsmart her allergies and find the perfect pet? Megan Wagner Lloyd draws on her own childhood to tell a heartfelt story of family, friendship, and finding a place to belong.
-
-
One of my favorites!!!!!!!!!
- By Rshell Marie on 10-06-23
By: Megan Wagner Lloyd, and others
-
When Life Gives You Pears
- The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People
- By: Jeannie Gaffigan
- Narrated by: Liz Noth, Jeannie Gaffigan, Jim Gaffigan
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an audiobook that is The Big Sick meets Dad Is Fat, Jeannie Gaffigan, writer/director/producer/accused supermom and wife of best-selling author/comedian Jim Gaffigan, writes with humor and heart about the pear-sized brain tumor she had removed, the toll it took on her enormous family, and the priceless lessons she learned along the way.
-
-
Thanks God for reminding me who is in control
- By C. A. Pierson on 10-17-19
By: Jeannie Gaffigan
-
Finding Chika
- A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family
- By: Mitch Albom
- Narrated by: Mitch Albom
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chika Jeune was born three days before the devastating earthquake that decimated Haiti in 2010. She spent her infancy in a landscape of extreme poverty, and when her mother died giving birth to a baby brother, Chika was brought to The Have Faith Haiti Orphanage that Albom operates in Port Au Prince. With no children of their own, the 40-plus children who live, play, and go to school at the orphanage have become family to Mitch and his wife, Janine. But at age five, Chika is suddenly diagnosed with something a doctor there says "no one in Haiti can help you with."
-
-
BUY READ AND RECOMMEND THIS BOOK
- By The Birds. on 11-05-19
By: Mitch Albom
-
Tell Me Everything
- A Memoir
- By: Minka Kelly
- Narrated by: Minka Kelly
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fans know her as the spoiled, rich cheerleader Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights or as the affluent, mysterious Samantha on the HBO megahit Euphoria. But as revealed for the first time in this book, Minka Kelly’s life has been anything but easy. Raised by a single mother who worked as a stripper and struggled with addiction, Minka spent years waking up in strange apartments as she and her mom bounced around the country, relying on friends and relatives to take them in. Now an established actress and philanthropist, Minka takes this next step in her career as a writer.
-
-
Had me until the white privileged and cis comments
- By Rachel Gilbert on 06-02-23
By: Minka Kelly
-
Birdie & Harlow
- Life, Loss, and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn’t Want Kids (…Until I Did)
- By: Taylor Wolfe
- Narrated by: Taylor Wolfe
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meant to be a last-minute anniversary gift for her then boyfriend (and now husband), the highly energetic and loud-mouthed Vizla puppy named Harlow turns out to be the best snap decision twenty-year-old Taylor ever makes—and the beginning of the most epic friendship she ever has. As Wolfe’s resistance to 9-5’s and traditional adulthood grows, Harlow becomes the perfect companion for her eccentricities in a world that thrives on conformity.
-
-
So special
- By Anonymous User on 10-10-23
By: Taylor Wolfe
This book is so good 😊
Love wonder
Good narrative and the story is very interesting and cool
I agree
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.