Showing results by narrator "Maria Pendolino" in All Categories

When Ashley Shew became a self-described "hard-of-hearing chemobrained amputee with Crohn's disease and tinnitus," there was no returning to "normal." Suddenly well-meaning people called her an "inspiration" while grocery shopping or viewed her as a needy recipient of technological wizardry. Most disabled people don't want what the abled assume they want—nor are they generally asked. In vibrant prose, Shew shows how we can create better narratives and more accessible futures by drawing from the insights of the cross-disability community.

You'll love this collection of stories featuring quirky, yet lovable family members. In "Translating Aunt Edna", three boys decide to play a trick on their aunt, who insists on teaching them new vocabulary words. The English language can be complicated - there are so many words that describe the same thing! You’ll discover many of them in this silly story about a group of siblings who decide they are sick of learning new words! 

Wedding Planning for the Busy Feminist is filled with practical, funny advice from real brides, grooms, and vendors about how to plan your dream wedding on a budget. It's also an empowering survival guide that examines how modern women feel conflicted about outdated traditions and expensive social media fantasies but kinda want the perfect wedding anyway.

Samantha Smith hopes to shed her troubled past and reinvent herself as a freshman at San Diego University. When she crosses paths with a handsome tattoo-clad bad boy, her life is turned upside down, and Samantha finds herself with more adventure than she ever dreamed possible.

Enjoy this collection of origin folktales, also known as pourquoi stories, that explain why things are the way they are. In "Why Alligator Hates Dog", everyone respects M'su Cocodrie, the king of the swamp, except the dogs, who taunt him and make lots of noise. 

Making friends and fitting in don't always go together, especially in middle school. Enjoy this collection of stories about friendship. In "They Made Me Do It and...I'm Sorry", listen to story about how someone gets the silent treatment at CiCi's school every few weeks. But when everyone starts to ignore her friend Eric, what will she do? 

Enjoy this collection of funny animal stories. In "Small Mouse, Big Trouble", a trickster mouse causes trouble for a young girl. Can she outsmart the mouse, or will he have her room all to himself? When it seems like the mouse might just get his way, the clever girl uses a game that her father taught her to outwit the mouse. You’ll also find four other stories featuring some entertaining animals: "The Conduit Mouse", "Eudora Entwhistle and the Geese of Macadoodle-by-the-Sea", "The Pirates and the Peacock", and "Dragon Treat". 

Enjoy this collection of stories about middle-school children performing. In "World Music", Niccolo’s parents are professional musicians who play with a symphony orchestra. They want Niccolo to spend the summer playing violin with the youth symphony orchestra. Niccolo enjoys classical music and playing his violin, but after meeting his new neighbors, Jeremy and Melly, he wants to try something different. 

Beginning readers will love this collection of stories about kids discovering who they are. In "Someday", Ada dreams of becoming an inventor when she grows up. As she soon discovers, she is already looking for solutions to everyday problems. Also included are eight other stories of self-discovery: "Tall Enough", "Kojo's Shadow", "Sing Softer, Maggie", "If Henry Could Dance", "Wullus", "Shelby the Shy", Not Now, Natalie", and "Paint the Morning". 

Seth has a new stepfather, a new stepsister, and a new home. Adjusting to so many changes at once is difficult. He's happy for his mother, but he misses spending time alone with her. When a new neighbor moves in, Seth becomes fascinated by her African grey parrot. 

Enjoy this collection of outdoor adventure stories. In "Emerging from Darkness", listen to a thrilling story of siblings Michelle and William, who go out on a caving adventure. What happens when they end up losing their way? Also included are two other stories of families surviving the great outdoors: "Natural Instincts" and "Cottonmouths and Pigs". 

In "Miami by Fujian", Mariel is a young girl who is struggling with her identity. As a Chinese-American being raised by her adoptive Latino family in Miami, she doesn't understand who she really is. Mariel feels connected to her Latino culture, but all of the other kids make fun of her. After a trip to China, where she was born, Mariel learns about her Chinese heritage. Seeing the orphanage and all the children who are still up for adoption allow Mariel to be happy with her life. Also included are two other stories of heritage and diversity: "Amy's Metaphor" and "From Scratch". 

Tamitha meets the most interesting people! Enjoy this trilogy of humorous fantasy stories, which follow Tamitha's adventures: "Tamitha and the Troll Witch", "Tamitha and the Dragon", and "Tamitha and the Vampire".

Enjoy this collection of stories about children exploring the world around them. The collection begins with "Nature's Treasures", a poem featuring a young girl who learns about the wonders of the natural world. After this poem, enjoy eight short stories of children looking closer at nature: "Hidden Wonders", "The Building Season", "Weeds and Worms and Things that Squirm"," "A Pond for Maddie", "Flowers that Fly", "The Wasp's Picnic", "Firefly Tag", and "While Alena Was Sleeping".

You'll love this collection of folktales from China. In "The Magic Paintbrush", Liang is given a magical paintbrush that has the power to turn anything he paints into real life. Liang must be clever, using both his brain and painting power to escape the greedy emperor. Also included are five other Chinese folktales: "The Water Bucket", "Song Dingbo and the Hungry Ghost", "Money Problems", "The Terrible Kites of Len Yo", and "The Divine Tortoise." 

Enjoy this collection of stories for children about life on the farm. In "Hector Helps Out", Calliope the hen enlists the help of Hector the rooster in an effort to retain her egg. They work to pull a fast one on Farmer Bean. Also included are nine other stories about animals and living on the farm: "Hatch!", "Fresh from the Farm", "Grandpa Drives a Milk Truck", "Mem and Grandpa at the Farm Stand", "Diggory Dog", "Fleece Fiber, Yarn Sweater", "Harvest Time with Papa", "Herbert, Hurry Up", and "A Rootin' Tootin' Cowboy".

School can be a tough place, filled with cliques and bullies. In this collection, discover how schoolkids learn to fit in - and discover who they are in the process. In "My Name's Not Chuck", Steve's classmates give him the nickname Chuck, but he doesn't like this at all. Find out how he can use his talking pet parrot to get them to stop calling him Chuck. Also included are six other stories about fitting in at school: "Ava the Big", "Blushing Blake", "The Tanner Mystery", "Super Tulip", "Hobby Friday", and "The Mystery of Sound."

Enjoy this collection of magical short stories about dragons. In "When Dragon Shrank", hear an enchanting story of the friendship between Dragon and Red Squirrel, who swap sizes for a day. They experience one another's worlds and learn to appreciate themselves just the way they are. Also included are four other dragon stories: "Sir Thomas and the Dragon", "Too Many Dragons", "There Goes the Neighborhood", and "Mae and the Dragon." 

If you want to be an on-camera TV host, this book will help you to take that desire and mix it with goals, an action plan, training, and discipline to become good at hosting on camera and ultimately paid to do it or to drive your business.