Coming of age audio books, CDs, tapes, cassettes used and new, audio download

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From the book: "I don't know who was most excited that morning when the three of us hoisted packs on our backs and started off down the trail. Just before we disappeared from view of our yard, I turned for one more wave. You woulda thought we were marching off to war or something. I even saw Aunt Lou blow her nose on her white hankie. They all looked glad and sad at the same time, happy we were doing something we really wanted to do, anxious that everything would go all right, and a bit sad we were growing up."On the brink of manhood, Josh was facing important questions about life, about love, about himself. "I sure was having a time of it trying to sort out all these different ideas and feelings?maybe I should just go fishing!"…

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Run run run. That's what twelve-year-old Annie loves to do. When she's barefoot and running, she can hear her heart beating...Thump-THUMP, thump-THUMP. It's a rhythm that makes sense in a year when everything's shifting: Her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is forgetful, and her best friend, Max, is always moody. Everything is changing, just like the apple Annie's been assigned to draw a hundred times. Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech masterfully weaves this story about a young girl beginning to understand the many rhythms of life and how she fits within them.

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As a youth, Henry had been rescued from terrible circumstances by the Delaneys, whose loving care helped to heal his painful memories. Now, as a young man of character and deep faith working as a representative of the law, his duties include some that leave him with haunting memories, particularly of the young widow and baby boy whom he longs to help. Some years after Henry was adopted, Christine also joined the Delaney family. She, too, learns to know her parents' God. When she moves to the city to find employment, it is with full determination to follow in the faithful footsteps of her parents and beloved older brother. But what would brother and sister find, beyond the gathering storm?

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Yes, there really is a Normal, Illinois. Charles Harrisong should know; he was born there. But life is difficult for Charles because his family isn't normal at all. They're poor, for one thing. They stand out, which is the worst thing. After an ugly incident at school, Charles and family leave Normal and begin an adventure that takes them to a houseboat that just might be their new home. And Charles begins a personal journey within his own heart; one that will ultimately deliver him both from and to himself.

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At 12, Peyton McKenzie isn't ready to share her widowed father with anyone, let alone Nora, her redheaded, cigarette-smoking cousin who just rolled into town behind the wheel of a pink Thunderbird. But her father seems to like Nora, and she does make for good conversation with her friends at the Losers Club, and prim Aunt Augusta hates her, which means she can't be all bad. In fact, maybe Nora is just what quiet Lytton, Georgia, needs this summer. And when Nora takes a job teaching the first integrated honors class at the local high school, it looks like she might stay forever. But it becomes clear that something is troubling her. Peyton knows it's more than the local gossips who don't like Nora's "unsouthern" ways. When the shocking truth comes to light, it will stun this small segregated town and, more importantly, teach Peyton a lesson she will never forget about love and its enormous cost.

Audio book description
Mafatu's name means "Stout Heart, " but his people call him a coward. Ever since the sea took his mother's life and spared his own, he has lived with deep fear. And even though his father is the Great Chief of Hikueru, an island whose seafaring people worship courage, he is terrified, and consequently, he is severely scorned. By the time he is twelve years old, Mafatu can bear it no longer. He must conquer his fear alone...even if it means certain death. This classic tale of a young boy's hidden strength has been a favorite of readers of all ages since its 1940 publication. Now this exclusive audio preserves its original poignancy and splendor, and brings Mafatu to life for future generations of listeners.

Audio book description
A spellbinding first novel about a young boy's fascination with the wonders of the seashore during a summer that will change his life. One moonlit night, 13-year-old Miles O'Malley slips out of his house, packs up his kayak, and goes exploring on the fl…

Audio book description
Miles Vorkosigan makes his debut in this frenetic coming-of-age tale. At age 17, Miles is allowed to take the entrance exams to the elite military academy; he passes the written but manages, through miscalculation in a moment of anger, to break both his legs on the obstacle course, washing out before he begins. His aged grandfather dies in his sleep shortly after, for which Miles blames himself. Miles is sent to visit his grandmother Naismith on distant Beta Colony, accompanied by his bodyguard, Sergeant Bothari and Bothari's daughter, Elena. Miles passes himself off as a mercenary leader as he picks up a ragtag crew, and soon Miles' father Aral is under political attack back home as garbled rumors of Miles' mercenary operations trickle back. Miles must abandon his new fleet and dash back to Barrayar to stop the plot.