Child Westerns

In this taut, chilling audiobook, Lester Ballard - a violent, dispossessed man falsely accused of rape - haunts the hill country of East Tennessee when he is released from jail. While telling his story, Cormac McCarthy depicts the most sordid aspects of life with dignity, humor, and characteristic lyrical brilliance.

Francis Tucket’s life has been exciting ever since his family headed to Oregon in a wagon train. First he was kidnapped by Pawnee Indians. Then Mr. Grimes, a one-armed mountain, man rescued him and taught him wilderness survival skills. Later when Francis set off alone to find his parents on the Oregon Trail, he ended up rescuing two young children stranded in the barren land.

Abandoned by their father for the gold rush, Gentry and her siblings labor to survive alone in the inhospitable West. When bizarre natural disasters begin wreaking havoc on the land, Gentry discovers a world of magic. Desperate for help, she accepts aid from a mysterious stranger. Winn not only sees the magic, but controls its hunger by feeding it gold - the very thing Gentry's father left to acquire. But the earth's unrest only grows worse, and Gentry's fear leads her to a terrible choice: marry a wealthy man she does not love or trust in Winn's unpredictable power to save her family.

On a cold January day in 1851, twelve-year-old Patrick O’Connell huddles on the deck of the Robert Peel. He is leaving his impoverished home behind in Ireland, while in America, his father is waiting with the promise of a new life. But as Patrick watches the shoreline fade from view, he feels torn with worry. His new friend Laurence Kirkle, who is running away from home, waits for food in the ship’s hold. If the captain finds the young stowaways, both boys will be arrested.

In December 1850, the dark hours before dawn make 12-year-old Patrick O’Connell shiver. He lives with his mother and older sister in a wet and drafty shack. Patrick has been the man of the family ever since Da, his father, sailed from Ireland to America. But now he has a problem he can’t solve: there isn’t enough money to pay the rent.

In the Uplands, people have magical and fearsome gifts. Orrec, a boy growing into his powers, can destroy any living thing with simply a glance. But he refuses to use his ability, and wears a blindfold to protect others from his devastating gaze.

Nathan Riggins heads out west to the Nevada desert to search for his parents after his grandmother died. He faces one danger after another: hostile Indians, a masked gunman, a blinding sandstorm, a rattlesnake. Now, he frantically hurried from one empty building to the next. Where was everyone? How could everybody in town just disappear? Then, a strange dog seems to adopt him and come to his rescue.

Nathan couldn't believe it. He, his dad, and his friend Colin were going on a cattle drive. But as they set out, the trip took unexpected turns. Nathan's dad had to leave them to hunt down an escaped crook. Then, Colin's friend Leah finagled her way along. When Pepper the cook hurt his foot and had to return to camp, the three kids were on their own. How would they round up cattle when they had never done it before? And how should they deal with the coyote family living beneath their cabin?

No self-respecting Head of Ranch Security would be caught dead sleeping on the job...so when Slim catches Hank asleep, not once but TWICE, Hank knows something sinister is afoot. And, if that's the case, then odds are that Pete the Barncat is involved. Later that day, the case takes an interesting twist when Hank learns that Pete has been missing for two days! Worried about her precious kitty, Sally May asks Slim and Hank to find and rescue Pete from whatever trouble he might’ve found himself in.

Andi Beaumont has a dilemma: She's wedded to her job when she really wants to wed her boss, Mac McCallum. The only solution: quit and save herself from heartbreak. But Mac isn't having it. The Texas Cattleman's Club stalwart has weathered many storms, including a recent attempt to destroy his ranching business. He can't let Andi get away. So he comes up with a plan to get closer to her. But his all-business approach is about to backfire when he discovers the pure pleasure of being with his alluring assistant....

Onepenny is exactly the kind of horse Nathan has dreamed of owning - smart, loyal and easy to handle. What's more, this unusual horse with the spotted rump can do tricks. So, Nathan works out a trade with Onepenny's owner, Temple Cholach, and to his delight, the spotted horse becomes his. Before he can even show his parents his new horse, Nathan encounters a posse looking for a stagecoach robber who had ridden a spotted horse. It seems that Temple Cholach isn't the drifter he claimed to be.

For only a dollar, Thunder is a terrific bargain! But, what does a boy do with a dangerous 2,500-pound buffalo that can break out of any corral ever built? Nathan Riggins has to find some way to keep Thunder from killing someone or being killed. He finally decides to donate his buffalo to the Carson City Zoo. But getting him there will be a problem. Thunder has already destroyed one rail car and damaged the train's engine. The railroad refuses to ship him again. The answer comes in a surprising way.

Crystal meth, brushfires, and a murderer on the loose threaten Du Pré’s tranquil Montana town. Drought has come to Toussaint, Montana, and appendicitis has stricken the Mtis Indian tracker and investigator Gabriel Du Pré. His appendix is bad enough, but what really hurts is being trapped in the hospital when he learns that Maddy Collins has been killed. As far as Du Pré knows, no one in town had cause to dislike the harmless old coot, much less bash her head in with a cast-iron hatchet. When the doctors release him, he goes looking for answers.

There’s nothing magical about Linda’s life; cleaning up manure and shoveling hay as an overworked and underappreciated stable girl. But when her tiny Montana town’s very own celebrity, star bull rider Blake Lockwood, comes to visit, there is a glimmer of hope for Linda to finally meet her childhood hero. When Linda’s stepsisters, who have plans of their own for Blake, leave her stranded and covered in manure on the night of the annual barn dance, her chance to meet Blake vanishes like a puff of fairy dust.

Young Gavie sometimes "remembers" the future. But as a slave living among those who feel threatened by the powers of the Marsh people, Gavie must hide his abilities. And then tragic events force the grief-stricken Gavie to flee the only world he's ever known. In his perilous quest for freedom, Gavie must learn to harness his unique gifts, or he may never find a place he can call home.

The five children have grown up, and World War I has begun in earnest. The sand fairy has become a creature of stories...until, for the first time in 10 years, he suddenly reappears. Before this last adventure ends, all will be changed; the two younger children will have seen the Great War from every possible viewpoint, and the war's impact will be felt right at the heart of their family.

Voices stars the people of Ansul, a town of scholars and traders conquered by the marauding Alds 17 years ago. When poet Orrec arrives in town, however, the people begin to garner the courage to rebel against their overlords.

The wanderer Red Kian has ruled Skai as Regent, but now it is time for him to step down. War clouds are gathering. Maedun sorcerers have taken the continent, and Saesnesi raiders are pillaging the islands. But Kian has three sons. One is a prince of Skai blood, one is a wizard touched by Tyadda fire, and one is a dreamer who longs to unite the Celi against their enemies. Who will inherit the rune blade known as Kingmaker? Who will have the power to confront the Black Riders who bring darkness like a cloak to cover the land?

The Plains Indians were the Native American Indians who once lived once the Great Plains. This educational resource discusses the culture of Plains Indians, as well as the wars they fought as the US expanded its western territory. Learning about the natives will help improve your child’s knowledge of how the US was before territories were invaded and the first inhabitants displaced. 

When a snowstorm pummels the western half of the country, three couples find once off-limits love just in time for Christmas. An unforgettable holiday anthology from best-selling authors Jennifer Ryan, Maisey Yates, and Lia Riley.