
The Lucky Ones
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Narrated by:
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Reginald James
About this listen
Award-winning author Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell the story of Ellis Earl, who dreams of a real house, food enough for the whole family - and to be someone.
It’s 1967, and 11-year-old Ellis Earl Brown has big dreams. He’s going to grow up to be a teacher or a lawyer - or maybe both - and live in a big brick house in town. There’ll always be enough food in the icebox, and his mama won’t have to run herself ragged looking for work as a maid in order to support Ellis Earl and his eight siblings and niece, Vera. So Ellis Earl applies himself at school, soaking up the lessons that Mr. Foster teaches his class - particularly those about famous colored people like Mr. Thurgood Marshall and Miss Marian Wright - and borrowing books from his teacher’s bookshelf.
When Mr. Foster presents him with a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ellis Earl is amazed to encounter a family that’s even worse off than his own - and is delighted by the Buckets’ very happy ending. But when Mama tells Ellis Earl that he might need to quit school to help support the family, he wonders if happy endings are only possible in storybooks.
Around the historical touchstone of Robert Kennedy’s southern “poverty tour”, Linda Williams Jackson pulls from her own childhood in the Mississippi Delta to tell a detail-rich and poignant story with memorable characters, sure to resonate with listeners who have ever felt constricted by their circumstances.
©2022 Linda Williams Jackson (P)2022 Listening LibraryListeners also enjoyed...
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI5 agency. Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world.
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The Homeplace
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Slow to start. But hang in there. It’s worth it
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Eleven-year-old Aurora Petrequin’s best friend has never spoken a word to her. In fact, Frenchie Livernois doesn’t talk. Aurora is bouncy, loud and impulsive—“a big old blurter.” Making friends has never come easily. When Frenchie, who is autistic, silently chose Aurora as his person back in third grade, she chose him back. They make a good team, sharing their love of the natural world in coastal Maine.
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Amazing!!!!!
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
And so it is that a girl with a head full of stories - powerful tales-within-the-tale of queens and kings, mermaids and wolves - ventures into a dark wood in search of the castle of one who wishes her dead. With its timeless themes, unforgettable cast, and magical medieval setting, Kate DiCamillo’s lyrical tale is one for all ages.
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Masterful storytelling
- By tgcatmr on 10-01-21
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