Showing results by narrator "Marisa Blake" in All Categories

The (Other) F Word combines the voices of Renée Watson, Jes Baker, and more in a relatable and gift-worthy guide about body image and fat acceptance. This dazzling collection of poetry, essays, and fashion tips is meant for people of all sizes who desire to be seen and heard in a culture consumed by a narrow definition of beauty. By combining the talents of renowned fat YA and middle-grade authors, as well as fat influencers and creators, The (Other) F Word offers teen listeners and activists of all ages a tool for navigating our world with confidence and courage.

Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school...until the day that Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so. Sofia misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Then she gets an idea - the town can turn the slimy mess into a park! She brainstorms and plans and finally works up the courage to go to City Hall - only to be told by a clerk that she can’t build a park because she’s just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.

Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely there cheerleading outfit is one thing - but parading around in nothing but a smile? If she’s going to have any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again, off-again boyfriend, Jack, she’s going to have to keep a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves under wraps.

When Lola comes home to her parents' house to find a horde of relatives mourning her death, no one is more surprised than she is. The news had reported that one Lola Cruz, private investigator, was found murdered in an alley, causing great alarm in the Cruz family. Before Lola can say, "boo", a cop comes to the house. It turns out the dead woman had a driver's license with Lola's information.

Meet Lola Cruz. After paying her dues as an intern, she's now a full-fledged detective at Camacho and Associates. Her boss is Manny Camacho, a muy caliente former cop with a mysterious ex-wife, a Lara Croft look-alike girlfriend, and a sudden personal interest in Lola. Her first big case? A missing mother who may not want to be found. And to make her already busy life even more complicated, Lola's helping her cousin plan her quinceañera and battling her family and their old-fashioned views on women and careers.

After a tragedy separates her from her mother, Juana García leaves in search of her father, who left them two years earlier. Out of money and in need of someone to help her across the border, Juana meets Adelina Vasquez, a young woman who left her family in California to follow her lover to Mexico. Finding themselves - in a Tijuana jail - in desperate circumstances, they offer each other much needed material and spiritual support and ultimately become linked forever in the most unexpected of ways.

Believing he’s tracked down his missing informant in a gem-smuggling investigation, FBI agent Ryan McCloud unwittingly leads deadly assassins to Catherine Reed’s mountain hideout. As the informant’s identical twin, and already hiding from her abusive ex-husband, Catherine now has two threats to her life. With danger at every turn, can Ryan protect Catherine and find her missing sister…before it’s too late?

Bienvenidos [Welcome] to Lucía’s home. Lucía lives in her casa [home] with her big, loud, beautiful familia, and she’s going to show you around! From la puerta [the door], where Abuela likes to wave to the neighbors and wait for packages from Puerto Rico or Spain, to la cocina [the kitchen], where Lucía watches her Mamá turn empty pots into soups and arroces, to el patio [the backyard], where Lucía and her cousins (and her cousin’s cousins!) put on magic shows, Lucía loves her busy and cozy casa [home].

Rocio has grown up in Central America, but now she and her family are moving to the United States. Rocio does her best to adjust to a new way of living, but there are many things she misses from her old life—Abuela’s cooking, Abuela’s pinata creations, Abuela’s warm hugs, and of course, Abuela herself most of all. But Abuela finds a way to send Rocio something special just in time for her birthday—a gift wrapped with lots of love—and that fills Rocio to the brim.

Conoce a Gustavo. Él es un fantasma y como a cualquier ser paranormal le encanta hacer lo que le es normal: atravesar paredes, hacer volar objetos y brillar en la oscuridad. También le encanta tocar el violín. Pero Gustavo tiene un problema. Él es muy, muy tímido; y aunque su deseo más grande es tener amigos, nunca se ha atrevido a hablarle a ninguno de los monstruos en su pueblito. Con el Día de Muertos cerca, ¿se atreverá Gustavo a dejar que lo vean?

Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can’t see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves?

Fitz Holton waits in fear for the day his single mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s starts stealing her memory. He’s vowed to stay close to home to care for her in the years to come - never mind the ridiculous college tour she’s forcing him on to visit schools he knows he’ll never go to. Juniper Ramirez is counting down the days until she can leave home, a home crowded with five younger siblings and zero privacy. Against the wishes of her tight-knit family, Juniper plans her own college tour of the East Coast with one goal: to get out.

Yolanda Rodríguez-O’Connell has a secret. All the members of her family have a magical gift - all, that is, except for Yolanda. Still, it’s something she can never talk about...because, if she does, the townsfolk will call her family brujas - witches. When her grandmother, Wela, falls into an unexplained sleep, Yolanda is scared. Her father is off fighting in a faraway war, her mother died long ago, and Yolanda has isolated herself from her best friend and twin sister. If she loses her grandmother, who will she have left?

Santa has it so easy: a workforce of elves to make the presents, a team of reindeer to deliver them, even a hi-tech factory! The Easter Bunny has to make and wrap all the chocolate eggs and deliver them all by himself. Now Bunny has had enough. But will his plan for a Christmas disaster turn into a Christmas delight?

Krista Galloway is not a fan of Christmas. After her rough childhood in multiple foster homes, the holiday season just brings too many bad memories to the surface. But when she accepts a job as a city manager in the mountain town of Winter Hill, Washington, Christmas is part of the deal. The small town is famous for its Christmasville celebration, something that the city manager...well, manages. As she tries to make her tiny new apartment feel like home for her and her eight-year-old daughter, Emily, Krista begins to wonder if this move was a mistake.

A young girl sets out on errands for the day, and while she's gone, the farm maiden prepares a piñata from scratch with help from a boy, horse, goose, cat, sheep, and farmer. After they all fall asleep in the afternoon sun, they must scramble to finish preparations in time - just as the girl arrives back to her surprise party.

An instant classic about the sweet sentiment of life and its most meaningful, memorable moments. Kelly Grettler's peaceful prose is the heart of this tender, relatable story about the passing of time. Sweet Tea by the Live Oak Tree takes the listener on a sentimental journey backward, or forward, depending on who they are.

Do you like alphabet cookies? Recipe included. Let's make some cookies and learn the alphabet. Great activity for the whole family. Enjoy! 

Lexi loves to hug trees. Can you guess what kind of trees? A cute short story about a penguin that goes from tree to tree and gives them all hugs.

In 2009, I lived and wrote this while completing an internship in Highlands, North Carolina. A must-listen for those interested in nature writing, empowerment of the disabled, and literary memoirs by modern women. Poetry included.