Showing results by narrator "Avi Roque" in All Categories

Mac has never really felt like he belonged. Definitely not at home—his dad’s politics and toxic masculinity make a real connection impossible. He thought he fit in on the baseball team, but that’s only because he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Finding his first gay friend, Cammy, was momentous; finally, he could be his authentic self around someone else. But as it turned out, not really. Cammy could be cruel, and his “advice” often came off way harsh.

After an incident at his school leaves closeted trans teenager Asher Sullivan needing stitches, his mother betrays him in the worst possible way—she sends him to Catholic school for his senior year. Now he has to contend with hideous plaid skirts, cranky nuns, and #bathroomJesus. Nighttime brings an escape for Asher when he dreams of the Midnight Circus—the one place where he is seen for the boy he truly is. Too bad it exists only in his sleep. At least, that’s what he believes until the day his annoyingly attractive trapeze rival, Apollo, walks out of his dreams and into his classroom.

In That Way Madness Lies, 15 acclaimed YA writers put their modern spin on William Shakespeare’s celebrated classics!

Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, and the other denizens of Mount Olympus feel almost as present and larger than life today as they did when they were worshipped as gods. Humanity has been telling and retelling stories about the characters from Greek and Roman myth for centuries—heck, the Romans liked the Hellenic originals so much, they remade them faster than Marvel remakes Spider-Man movies. And from Virgil's Aeneid to Xena: Warrior Princess to Percy Jackson to The Song of Achilles, the obsession has never waned.

Ashley "Ash" Bishop has always known who he is: a guy who loves soccer, has a crush on his friend Michelle, and is fascinated by the gruesome history of his hometown, Salem, Massachusetts. He's also always known that he's intersex, born with both male and female genitalia. But it's never felt like a big deal until his junior year of high school, when Ash gets his first period in front of the entire boys' soccer team. Now his friends and teachers see him differently, and his own mother thinks he should "try being a girl".

Eight-year-old Dak spends his days scooping llama poop and dreaming of adventure. Then he meets Fenn, the mysterious girl who lives next to his family’s farm, and Lucy, a llama…who wears a scarf? And talks? And turns PURPLE?! Suddenly Dak is on a magical whirlwind adventure! Turns out Lucy is the keeper of the magical stones that protect the people of Ravenwood —and a thief has tried to steal them. Now they're scattered across the kingdom! The good news? Lucy has found the Fire Stone. The bad news? A family of dragons found it first and they won’t give it up easily.

What is the right way to handle an abusive partner? An unexpected pregnancy? A toxic friendship? Chronic unemployment? Gender dysphoria? A family member going to war? A disability? Anger? Loneliness? Finding themselves in disempowering, frightening, or otherwise unendurable circumstances, the girls, women, and non-binary characters in Maria Adelmann's stories look for ways to free themselves into new lives or, at the very least, new states of feeling.

For 30 years, the Fellowship of the Anointed isolated its members, conditioning them to believe that pain is power. That magic is suffering. That the world beyond the fence has fallen prey to monsters. But when their leader is arrested, all her teachings come into question. Those touched by the Fellowship face a choice: How will they adjust to the world they were taught to fear, and how will they relate to the cult's last crusader, Lark?

One day, Dak was scooping llama poop on his family's farm. The next, he's on a magical adventure to save the kingdom! Dak, Fenn, and the magical llama Lucy have found the Fire Stone but eleven of the magical stones that protect Ravenwood are still missing! The search for the next stone leads Dak, Fenn, and Lucy to Starfall Forest, where the very shy and protective herd of alicorns—magical horses with wings and a horn—live. The alicorns have the Star Stone, and it's leaking magic everywhere and causing havoc at the royal wedding!

Seventeen-year-old Gael is used to keeping to himself. Though his best friend convinces him to attend a meeting of Plus, a support group for LGBTQIA+ teens, Gael doesn’t plan on sharing much. Where would he even start? Between supporting his mother through her bouts of depression, dealing with his estranged father, and navigating senior year as a transgender boy at a conservative Tennessean high school, his life is a lot to unload on strangers. But after meeting easygoing Declan, Gael is welcomed into a new circle of friends who make him want to open up.

Some people are boys. Some people are girls. Some people are both, neither, or somewhere in between. This sweet, straightforward exploration of gender identity will give children a fuller understanding of themselves and others. With child-friendly language, It Feels Good to Be Yourself provides young listeners and parents alike with the vocabulary to discuss this important topic with sensitivity.

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela [grandmother] one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress.

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him. In an attempt to prove himself a true brujo and gain his family’s acceptance, Yadriel decides to summon his cousin’s ghost and help him cross to the afterlife. But things get complicated when he accidentally summons the ghost of his high school’s resident bad boy, Julian Diaz–and Julian won't go into death quietly. The two boys must work together if Yadriel is to move forward with his plan. But the more time Yadriel and Julian spend together, the harder it is to let each other go.

Una colección de 35 ensayos y poemas audaces, importantes e innovadores de inmigrantes, refugiados y soñadores, incluidos escritores, artistas y activistas galardonados, que iluminan la experiencia de vivir sin documentos.

Middle school is the worst, especially for David Bravo. He doesn’t have a single class with his best (okay, only) friend, Antoine. He has to give a class presentation about his heritage, but he’s not sure how—or even if—he wants to explain to his new classmates that he’s adopted. After he injures Antoine in an accident at cross-country practice, he just wishes he could do it all over.

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes - and what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

Black Beauty is born with a fine coat, a white foot, and a silver star on his forehead. As a foal he spends the days with his mother in an idyllic paradise until a vicious groom injures him, and his beloved owners have no choice but to sell him. As he passes from owner to owner he faces cruelty and hardship, as well as compassion and kindness. Through it all–all his struggles to survive–Black Beauty refuses to let his spirit be broken. Will he ever find the happiness and peace he craves?

As Gem, Rory, and Enzo search for a way to restore the balance without sacrificing themselves, new horrors make them question how far they're willing to go. In the end, Gem may be forced to fully embrace their merciless nature and kill off their own humanity—if it ever really existed in the first place.

Dak, Fenn, and the magical llama Lucy are on a quest to find the missing magical stones of Ravenwood! When Lucy senses the Earth Stone, they are whisked away to a farmer’s festival in Silverglade Meadow. Then, there's an earthquake! The villagers blame the kitsune, magical three-tailed foxes that live in the forest. But Dak isn’t so sure it’s their fault. In fact, Dak is sure the peaceful creatures can help the village! Can Dak, Fenn, and Lucy find the earth stone and help the kitsune, before the earthquakes destroy the festival?

Julián and his abuela are going to a wedding. Better yet, Julián is in the wedding. Weddings have flowers and kissing and dancing and cake. And this wedding also has a new friend named Marisol. It’s not long before Julián and Marisol set off for some magic and mischief of their own, and when things take an unexpected turn, the pair learns that everything is easier with a good friend by your side.