Elephant Young Adult

Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise. The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus, we don't like to talk, or even think, about the extent of our selfishness. This is "the elephant in the brain".

The Memory of an Elephant is an epic saga told by an aging African elephant as he makes a last, perilous journey to find the humans who rescued him as an orphan some fifty years ago. Interwoven with his narrative are the tumultuous lives of the family who raised and then lost him.

People aren't always what they seem to be. Sometimes we even surprise ourselves. So discovers seventeen-year-old Russel Middlebrook in The Elephant of Surprise, a stand-alone sequel to Brent Hartinger's landmark 2003 gay young adult novel Geography Club (which has now been adapted as a feature film co-starring Scott Bakula and Nikki Blonsky). In this latest audiobook, Russel and his friends Min and Gunnar are laughing about something they call the Elephant of Surprise - the tendency for life to never turn out as expected.

When 11-year-old Jack Martel crawls out of his pup tent on the first morning of his camping trip with his mom in Acadia National Park, he notices right away that something isn’t right. Where is his mom’s tent, and their rental car? And where is his mom? Any other kid might panic, might even go to the police. But Jack isn’t like other kids. And his mom isn’t like other moms. Jack knows that it’s up to him to find his mom before someone figures out what’s happened and separates them forever.

Zura Jameson is not your average 11-year-old girl. Born and raised in Africa, she and her parents live on an elephant sanctuary her parents created and operated, a sanctuary they named Wild Hearts. It was her home, a place like no other. It was there, while helping her parents with the elephants, that she grew accustomed to the wilds of the jungle, training and honing her skills that would prepare her for almost anything. Little did she know those skills would be put to the test in a way she could never imagine, a test of survival.

When pickpocket Danny accidentally bids for Maharajah the elephant at an Edinburgh auction, he's swept up on an unforgettable journey. His new employer, a zookeeper, transforms Danny into a bejewelled Indian prince. As he rides Maharajah from Scotland to his new home in England, even Queen Victoria follows their journey with delight. But as a rival zookeeper wagers on their failure, Danny's shady connections threaten to overturn the mission....

Kiya is a former space pirate with a fast ship trying to make a legit living when she accepts a commission from diplomat Janus Alotus. He's got a price on his head and space plague wracking his body. Kiya’s task: Use her unique skills to bring Janus’ daughter, Nadir, home safely, so he can sacrifice himself to Admiral Ghan, ruler of the Pirate Council. Janus’ public execution will be a last, desperate attempt to bring peace to the galaxy, even if it takes a war to accomplish it.

Sully, 14, is determined to learn how to pitch as a right-hand amputee. Struggling to adjust to life after the accident that took his own hand and his twin brother’s life, Sully seeks to realize the big dream he and his bro once shared: to bring home a first-ever championship for their town in an annual baseball tournament.

Once upon a time, the Caliph of Baghdad sent the Emperor Charlemagne a wonderful gift: An elephant named Abul Abbas. That gift brought great magic into the royal court, and a great betrayal. With the help of a stableboy who is more than he seems, and the Elephant himself, the Emperor’s daughter Rowan must learn to master that magic and save her father’s life.

On a hot day in the African savannah, a group of elephants searches for food. While foraging they often lose sight of one another. Yet at the end of the day, in one coordinated movement, the elephants suddenly regroup. This coordinated movement - and others like it - has puzzled scientists and caused them to question how elephants communicate with each other. Since the 1990s, scientists have gathered significant data on elephant “talk.”

When Elephants Fight presents the stories of five children - Annu, Jimmy, Nadja, Farooq and Toma - from five very different and distinct conflicts - Sri Lanka, Uganda, Sarajevo, Afghanistan, and the Sudan. Along with these very personal accounts, the book also offers brief analyses of the history and geopolitical issues that are the canvas on which these conflicts are cast. When Elephants Fight is about increasing awareness.

The Last Elephant in New York City is the story of Maxwell, a Ghanaian wildlife ranger, Jessie, an American researcher, and the elephant that united them. On a decades-long mission of compassion, this is a journey of heartbreak, hope, and redemption, laid out in snapshots, like memory itself. Illustrating the worst and best of humanity, it's a glimpse of parallel worlds - the ongoing sorrows of African elephant poaching and the struggles of life for elephants in zoos. Listen to it with someone you love.