
The Labors of Hercules Beal
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Narrated by:
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Fred Berman
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By:
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Gary D. Schmidt
About this listen
From award-winning author Gary D. Schmidt, a warm and witty novel in the tradition of The Wednesday Wars, in which a seventh grader has to figure out how to fulfill a seemingly impossible school assignment—and learns about friendship, community, and himself along the way.
Herc Beal knows who he's named after—a mythical hero—but he's no superhero. He's the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules's amazing feats in real life, he's skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod—and not a single Hydra in sight.
Missing his parents terribly and wishing his older brother wasn't working all the time, Herc figures out how to take his first steps along the road that the great Hercules himself once walked. Soon, new friends, human and animal, are helping him. And though his mythical role model performed his twelve labors by himself, Herc begins to see that he may not have to go it alone.
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Story
Henry Smith's father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you. But Trouble comes careening down the road one night in the form of a pickup truck that strikes Henry's older brother, Franklin. In the truck is Chay Chouan, a young Cambodian from Franklin's preparatory school. The tragedy sparks racial tensions in the school.
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THE BEST
- By A User on 03-07-13
By: Gary D. Schmidt, and others
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The Mona Lisa Vanishes
- A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
- By: Nicholas Day
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the Director of the Louvre and shouted, La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone! No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting?
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Fascinating true thriller!
- By Katrina on 11-26-23
By: Nicholas Day
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The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry
- By: Chad Morris, Shelly Brown
- Narrated by: Stephanie Willing
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Eleven-year-old Juniper Berry lives in a cabin with her family deep in the wild woods. Living off the grid is usually exciting, like the time she chased off three growling raccoons with a tree branch and some acorns, or when she thought she glimpsed the legendary Bigfoot. But her happy life in the wild ends abruptly when her younger brother gets sick, and the family moves to the city to be closer to the hospital. Juniper and her older sister are sent to live with cousins they hardly know and attend a public school for the first time, which is harder to navigate than the wild woods ever were.
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Fascinating, thoughtful perspective.
- By W. Swore on 03-25-24
By: Chad Morris, and others
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Alison Larkin Presents: The Secret Adversary, Murder on the Links, and The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, James Warwick
- Length: 24 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Three critically acclaimed recordings are joined together in this dazzling Agatha Christie Triple Bill, read by award-winning narrators Alison Larkin and James Warwick, star of the Partners in Crime TV series on Masterpiece Theater.
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Pitch perfect narration of Agatha Christie!
- By Mary Katherine Worth on 10-18-19
By: Agatha Christie
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Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
- By: Gary D. Schmidt
- Narrated by: Sam Freed
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Not only is Turner Buckminster the son of the new minister in a small Maine town, he is shunned for playing baseball differently than the local boys. Then he befriends smart and lively Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from Malaga Island, a poor community founded by former slaves. Lizzie shows Turner a new world along the Maine coast from digging clams to rowing a boat next to a whale. When the powerful town elders, including Turner’s father, decide to drive the people off the island to set up a tourist business, Turner stands alone against them.
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Boring
- By Bob on 08-27-16
By: Gary D. Schmidt
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The Firefly Summer
- By: Morgan Matson
- Narrated by: Mia Jenness
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured, planned, and quiet. But this summer is different. This summer, she’s received a letter from her grandparents—grandparents neither she nor her dad have spoken to since her mom’s death—inviting her to stay with them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.
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Great Characters
- By Nicole Gilliam Lesher on 04-18-25
By: Morgan Matson
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The Lost Year
- A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine
- By: Katherine Marsh
- Narrated by: Anna Fikhman, Christopher Gebauer, Jesse Vilinsky, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Thirteen-year-old Matthew is miserable. His journalist dad is stuck overseas indefinitely, and his mom has moved in his one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother to ride out the pandemic, adding to his stress and isolation. But when Matthew finds a tattered black-and-white photo in his great-grandmother’s belongings, he discovers a clue to a hidden chapter of her past, one that will lead to a life-shattering family secret.
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Excellent work
- By Megan Smith on 03-16-25
By: Katherine Marsh
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The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor
- By: Aubrey Hartman
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Poppy Woodlock believes in magic, but so far, she hasn’t found any. It’s been two weeks since her parents moved their family to Oregon to undertake their biggest project yet: revitalizing the once-grand Lark-Hayes Manor. Her older brother instantly found his place, but after being thrown into middle school midyear, Poppy is feeling…invisible. So she retreats to where she’s always felt most at home: books and magic. And if the fantastic and supernatural exist, certainly they can be found in this mysterious old estate. A late-night prowl leads Poppy to a desperate water nymph.
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Magical escape
- By Anonymous User on 05-14-23
By: Aubrey Hartman
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Four Eyes
- Four Eyes, Book 1
- By: Rex Ogle
- Narrated by: Benjamin Valic
- Length: 2 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Sixth grade isn't as great as Rex thought it would be. He's the only kid who hasn't had a growth spurt, and the bullies won't let him forget it. His closest friend is unreliable, at best. And there's a cute girl in his class who he can't stop thinking about. With so much going on, everything is a blur—including Rex's vision! So when he discovers that he needs glasses, and his family can only afford the ugliest pair in the store, any hope Rex had of fitting in goes completely out of focus.
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The story was really interesting
- By Jennifer Kilpela on 02-25-25
By: Rex Ogle
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Something Like Home
- By: Andrea Beatriz Arango
- Narrated by: Almarie Guerra
- Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Laura Rodríguez Colón has a plan: no matter what the grown-ups say, she will live with her parents again. Can you blame her? It’s tough to make friends as the new kid at school. And while staying at her aunt’s house is okay, it just isn’t the same as being in her own space. So when Laura finds a puppy, it seems like fate. If she can train the puppy to become a therapy dog, then maybe she’ll be allowed to visit her parents. Maybe the dog will help them get better and things will finally go back to the way they should be.
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Hope, Acceptance, Love
- By Anonymous User on 11-16-24
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Iveliz Explains It All
- By: Andrea Beatriz Arango
- Narrated by: Raquel Merediz
- Length: 3 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Seventh grade is going to be Iveliz’s year. She’s going to make a new friend, help her abuela Mimi get settled after moving from Puerto Rico, and she is not going to get into any more trouble at school....
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I enjoy the story about a puertorican girl and a family and their culture and food.
- By Robert C. Horne on 06-04-24
What listeners say about The Labors of Hercules Beal
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- Susan
- 10-09-24
Best of the Best!
Brilliant writing and brilliant audio performance
I did not want this book to end! “The Labors of Hercules Beal” is my first book by the author, Gary Schmidt! I am a new huge fan!!!
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- Aaron Klug
- 04-15-25
The labors and how bad Hercules had hardships.
I liked how it gave the book expressions and how it changed the sound for every character.
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- Debra
- 01-17-24
Loved the consistency of the narrative.
Was a coming of age story that focused on positive relationships and dependencies. We all need a reminder that struggles pass and growth is constant.
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- Matthew C.
- 04-19-24
Gary D Schmidt is a brilliant writer!
I (and my teenagers) are big fans of Wednesday Wars and Ok For Now. We also love Pay Attention Carter Jones. We loved Hercules Beal. Brilliant writing. Gary D Schmidt has become one of my all-time favorite authors. The narrator is superb as well.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-06-23
Laughed and cried
Those who have read Gary Schmidt know that he is an exceptional storyteller who weaves in solid and true life lessons without ever sounded “preachy.” It’s amazing that he was able to do that even with having a ex-military man turned teacher who is tough as nails but who became tender at just the right moments (and it was usually those moments that choked me up.) The story, the setting, the characters were all expertly rendered and unforgettable. Woven throughout the story is the strong thread of Greek mythology whereby Hercules (the myth) becomes accessible and relevant. I loved the strong, sensible female characters in this story - Viola, Ellie, Mrs. Savage. I questioned whether it’s plausible that poor Hercules could have experienced that many car accidents in his young life, but will concede artistic license on that plot choice. I loved the reading of Fred Berman right from the start. His voice had expression and softness at just the right moments and different voices for the major characters, complete with a hint of a New England accent. He was absolutely amazing. If you want to be reminded of what it is like to be human together in this wild and precious life, don’t hesitate - read this book!
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- UnreliableHeart
- 06-16-24
Clever, Easy Read
The narration is top notch and the story is uplifting and meaningful. The protagonist and his cast of supporting characters try to find the best in themselves as they face what life brings and what life takes away. Easy listen.
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- Christine M.
- 10-17-24
Great Book
I loved this book, pure and simple. I loved the narrator -- who first seemed too adult for the reader of the main character, and then became just perfect. I loved the Labors that Hercules Beal was assigned and how they helped him to grow as a human being through the book, even when life dealt him more difficulties. I cried several times, both with sadness and joy through the book, and I'm not a crier. This is a wonderful book, and I'm recommending it to people of all ages.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-06-24
This book is so eventful and full of surprises
I like the plot, lesson, and feelings this book delivers. This book just leaves you feeling good and you can feel the emotion through the book
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- JSPAR
- 08-03-23
Schmidt does it again...
I am a long-time Gary D. Schmidt fan. but I go years between reading his novels, and every time I read a new one, I am always reminded once again why he is probably the most underrated young adult novelist whoever lived. Indeed, he is one of the best. This novel carries so many of his trademarks that it's impossible not to fall in love with him all over again. The eccentricity, depth and loveliness of the characters, the lovingly nuanced New England setting, the frenetic intensity of the polarities of laugh-out-loud hilarity and gut-wrenching pain and sorrow: it's all here, and honestly, it's right up there with the Wednesday Wars, an accomplishment I never thought he could achieve. And the narrator, just wow. I've never heard of this guy, but holy cow, I would have hand-picked him to lovingly portray any of Schmidt's novels. His voice has a gentleness and love behind it that gives the story even more layering. His soft and gentle tone when describing something hard, mixed with his jovial, mischievous tone when a prank is being pulled really pull you in and force you to drop whatever you are doing and just listen. All in all, this is my favorite audible production, and I've listened to over 300 titles. This is truly, gently art.
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- James Karman
- 11-05-24
I loved it
Perfect read for this adult. I fell short in the word count for this review. My first sentence was all needed.
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