Showing results by narrator "Pete Cross" in All Categories

Before Harry Houdini (1874-1926) became the greatest magician in the world, he was just little Ehrich Weisz, a Hungarian-born immigrant who moved to America with his family and performed stage tricks for a little extra cash. He started off with card tricks and then eventually began performing the escape acts that would make him famous. Known for his daring and death-defying illusions, he would do some of the greatest tricks ever: escaping from a milk can, being buried alive, and being locked inside a crate and thrown into a river.

In this new collection of nonfiction from the celebrated author of Zorrie, Laird Hunt uses fiction as an inspiration, a tool, even an obsession, employing its methods to get to the heart of experience. The “sizzling” work of Jane Bowles colors his wanderings through Palermo while a London museum trip provokes a consideration of taxidermy’s storytelling potential and fairytales blend with echoes of W. G. Sebald, Willa Cather, and László Krasznahorkai.

In The Great Great Wall, architectural historian and critic Ian Volner takes a deep dive into the story of Donald Trump’s wall. Volner follows the conception, selling, design, and construction (or lack thereof) of this expensive and consequential barrier, giving listeners a detailed description of what’s happening in Washington, DC - and along the border. He also travels far afield, to China, the Middle East, northern England, and back to our border to examine the barriers we’ve been building for centuries.

In the Hollywood hills, a mountain lion is struggling to survive. Isolated and afraid in a place devastated by drought, the lion’s endless hunger begins to get to him. As the land around him continues to decay, he begins to fantasize about killing the hikers who pass him. As it protects the precarious welfare of a nearby homeless encampment, it confronts temptations and threats, taking us on a tour that spans the city’s cruel inequalities to the toll of climate grief, all while grappling with the complexities of its own gender identity and memories of a vicious, absent father.

This Highlights Listen & Learn! Audio Study, intended for those in grade four, introduces listeners to the rich culture and long history of El Salvador, a country in Central America. In addition to learning about El Salvador, listeners will be introduced to comprehension skills that will help them better understand the story. These skills include cause-and-effect, identifying sequence of events, and vocabulary-building.

When Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton's corpse is discovered behind the easels of Manhattan's famed art school, whispers in the art community say he had it coming. As Benton's list of enemies lengthens to include League instructors, Vietnam War protesters, and members of Andy Warhol's entourage, one art student is ultimately pinned for the crime. The only problem? The suspect has vanished.

Learning is an adventure in Ms. Frogbottom’s class because she’s got a magic map - one that takes her students all over the world to do battle with mythical monsters no one believes are real. All Ms. Frogbottom has to do is take out the map, tap a country and - SHAZAAM! - off they go to a place somewhere far far away. When Ms. Frogbottom’s crew lands in Scotland, they come nose-to-nose with the legendary Loch Ness Monster!

Harry Gruber plays the role of Scrooge in his school's production of A Christmas Carol, and he is extra nervous about tonight's performance because his father is in the audience - not away for business, as usual. Will the story's message of Christmas cheer and the redemptive power of love reach his father's distracted Scrooge heart?

This Highlights Listen & Learn! Audio Study, intended for those in grade five, features a story called The Video Game Hero and focuses on vocabulary, plot, and characterization. The story follows Jack, a very talented video-game player who also uses a wheelchair. Jack often feels lonely at school because he doesn't have many friends. When Jack wins a video-gaming competition, his classmates seem to take more of an interest in him. At the end of the story, Jack learns a very interesting lesson about the people around him.

Choices we can expect to encounter, from life-changing career moves to the best route to the coast can expend a lot of time and mental energy if we haven't learned the basic skills required for getting things done effectively and decisively. This book is a basic practical guide to the all-important mental process by which we all live our lives: analyzing a situation, sorting out how to respond to it, and taking action accordingly.

It’s easy for new fans to get overwhelmed by the sprawling mythology and complexity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now spans more than 20 films and TV shows. Unlike encyclopedias and guides that offer diehard fans trivia, details, and deep dives into every on-screen moment, this first-of-its-kind explainer is an easy, fun, and accessible introduction to the hundreds of characters, plots, and interconnected stories that make up one of the greatest pop-culture franchises of all time.

On the central and north coast of British Columbia, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, containing more organic matter than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. The area plays host to a wide range of species, from thousand-year-old western cedars to humpback whales to iconic white Spirit bears. According to local residents, another giant is said to live in these woods.

Mister Rogers is one of the most beloved television personalities, but before he was the man who brought us Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, he was just little Freddie Rogers. Although he was often sick and had trouble making friends as a child, his mom and grandfather encouraged him to ask for help and explore the world. With their support, he learned how to better say what he was feeling and see the beauty around him. As he grew up, he realized he could spread the message of compassion, equality, and kindness through television.

Follow Lumos, an adorable facility dog, as he helps a child through getting stitches. Facility dogs are specially trained to help kids through medical experiences—from lifting spirits, motivating movement, modeling the power of play, and more.

Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement -- Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead. Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can't really live, either. Not while he's bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths.

This Highlights Listen & Learn! Audio Study, intended for those in grade four, introduces listeners to the importance of caring for your community. Getting Down and Dirty focuses on some of the run-down problem places found in cities, and how communities have joined together to turn these places into beautiful shared spaces. In addition to discussing bettering our communities, this audio study takes a look at some key comprehension skills including identifying an author's purpose, determining cause-and-effect relationships, and building vocabulary.

This Highlights Listen & Learn! Audio Study, intended for those in grade three, introduces listeners to Elizabeth Jane Cochran, better known as Nellie Bly. She was an uneducated woman who landed a job as a journalist in a time when women were thought to belong at home and not in the workforce. The comprehension skills featured in this audio study include understanding informational texts, problems and solutions, and vocabulary-building.

Astrid has loved the stars and space for as long as she can remember. “I want to be an astronaut!” she says to everyone who will listen. While her mama is away, Astrid and her papa have fun acting out the challenges an astronaut faces on a space mission - like being in zero gravity (“I can do that all day long!” she says), eating food from a kind of tube, and doing science experiments with the help of cookie sheets. When at last it’s time to meet Mama at the airbase, Astrid wears her favorite space T-shirt to greet her. But where exactly has Mama been?

Kaia is the brave type. Like hottest-hot-pepper brave. But there is one thing that scares her: bees! And right now, thousands of bees live on her roof because Kaia's dad is a beekeeper. Her dad says that the world needs bees and that’s why they are beekeepers. But only he goes on the roof, not Kaia - unless she can find a way to be the brave girl she always says she is. Kaia’s small courageous steps - and her tiny insect neighbors - are depicted with great empathy and charm.

This Highlights Listen & Learn! Audio Study, intended for those in grade five, tells the story of a teenage boy who is inspired by a story his grandparents tell him. As a result, he feels inspired to perform something original at his own school talent show. In addition to the story, this audio study provides a full lesson on the importance of characters, how the sequence of events presented in a story can change our perception, and features key vocabulary words.