Publisher Description
In a collection of personal stories and essays, award-winning and bestselling artists from Matt de la Peña and Veera Hiranandani to Max Brallier and R.L. Stine write about how hope always wins, even in the darkest of times. Where does hope live? In your family? In your community? In your school? In your heart? From a family restaurant to a hot-dog shaped car, from an empty road on a moonlight night to a classroom holiday celebration, this anthology of personal stories from award-winning and bestselling authors, shows that hope can live everywhere, even—or especially—during the darkest of times. No matter what happens: Hope wins. Contributors include: Tom Angleberger, James Bird, Max Brallier, Julie Buxbaum, Pablo Cartaya, J.C. Cervantes, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Stuart Gibbs, Adam Gidwitz, Karina Yan Glaser, Veera Hiranandani, Hena Khan, Gordon Korman, Janae Marks, Sarah Mlynowski, Rex Ogle, James Ponti, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Ronald L.Smith, Christina Soontornvat, and R.L. Stine. Audiobook Table of Contents: Editor's Note, by Rose Brock, read by the author Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in a Thai Restaurant, by Christina Soontornvat, read by Sura Siu The Coolness Equation by Adam Gidwitz, read by the author This Can't Be Happening to Gordon Korman by Gordan Korman, read by Robbie Daymond I Am the Greatest, by James Bird, read by Darrell Dennis Bones, by J.C. Cervantes, read by Jorjeana Marie The Day the Hot Dog Truck Came to Town, by Max Brallier, read by Robbie Daymond Sweet Surprise, by Hena Khan, read by Zehra Fazal Letter to My Daughter on her Eighth-Grade Graduation, by Pablo Cartaya, read by the author Hope in the Halls of Catholic School, by Karina Yan Glaser, read by Sura Siu Helpful Tips for the Worst Week of Your Life, by Stuart Gibbs, read by Gibson Frazier The Adventures of Me and Supersquirt, by Sarah Mlynowski, read by Rebecca Soler Panic! At the Movies, by Julie Buxbaum, read by Jorjeana Marie What's in a Name, by James Ponti, read by Jonathan Todd Ross Colors of June, by Rex Ogle, read by Ramon De Ocampo On Hopes and Dreams, by Janae Marks, read by Shayna Small Major Malfunction, by Tom Angleberger, read by Jonathan Todd Ross Hope I Don't See a Ghost, by R.L. Stine, read by Gibson Frazier Victory After Defeat, by Soman Chainani, read by Darrell Dennis My Favorite Photograph, by Veera Hiranandani, read by Zehra Fazal The Boy in the Back of the Class, by Ronald L. Smith, read by Ronald Butler The Friend Who Changed My Life, by Pam Munoz Ryan, read by Rebecca Soler There's More to Playin' Ball Than Just Playin' Ball, by Matt de la Pena, read by Ramon De Ocampo
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About the Authors
Gordon Korman is the bestselling author of more than eighty books for children and teens, including his popular 39 Clues series. In 1999 the Disney Channel created The Jersey, a television series based on his Monday Night Football Club books. Visit him online at www.gordonkorman.com.
R. L. Stine is the author of many series of mystery, horror, and fantasy books for children and young adults and the creator of the Goosebumps series, one of the bestselling children’s series ever and inspiration for a television show and a feature film. In 2024 he was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, one of the mystery world’s highest honors. He has more than 400 million English-language books in print, plus international editions in thirty-two languages, making him one of the most popular children’s authors of all time.
Adam Gidwitz is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling Grimm trilogy. He spent six years researching and writing his Newbery Honor winner The Inquisitor’s Tale, including a year living in Europe, which became a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. . Adam lives with his family in Brooklyn, NY. Listen to The Inquisitor’s Tale (an Audie Award finalist narrated by Adam Gidwitz and a full cast, with music by Benjamin Bagby), Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back So You Want to be a Jedi?,and The Basque Dragon by Adam on audio from Listening Library. Find Adam online at adamgidwitz.com or @AdamGidwitz.
Karissa Vacker is a multiple AudioFile Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator and actress. After graduating with a BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, she performed in regional theaters across the country before moving to Los Angeles. She has guest starred in network television shows and films and continues to work on screen and stage. Her audiobook credits include romance, young adult fiction, and mystery thrillers.
Sarah Mlynowski is the New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series, the Magic in Manhattan series, Gimme a Call, and a bunch of other books for tweens and teens, including the Upside-Down Magic series, which she is cowriting with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins. Originally from Montreal, she now lives in the kingdom of Manhattan with her very own Prince Charming and their fairy-tale-loving daughters.
Andrew Eiden, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an actor and voice artist. He has been acting since the age of four, working at regional theaters including La Mirada Theatre, the Glendale Center Theatre, and the Pasadena Playhouse. He has starred in dozens of national commercials, guest-spotted on numerous television shows, and has been a series regular on three programs: Discovery Channel’s Outward Bound, Disney Channel’s Movie Surfers, and most notably ABC’s Complete Savages
Stuart Gibbs is the bestselling author of novels in six series of children’s fiction. He has written screenplays, worked on animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras, the world’s largest rodents. Learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.
Matt de la Peña is the author of several acclaimed young-adult novels and one picture book, A Nation’s Hope. His debut novel, Ball Don’t Lie, was an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick and was made into a major motion picture. His second novel, Mexican WhiteBoy, was an ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults, a 2009 Notable Book for a Global Society, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a selction for the 2008 Blue Ribbon List of the Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Literature. He received his MFA degree in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific. He teaches creative writing.
Max Brallier is the author of more than twenty books for children and adults, including tie-in books for the popular show Adventure Time and the acclaimed Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? He lives in New York City with his wife, Alyse, where he spends his time chasing fortune, glory, and the perfect hot dog.
Pablo Cartaya graduated with an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He serves as lead faculty at Sierra Nevada College’s low residency MFA program for Writing for Children and Young Adults. He writes stories that reflect his family, culture, and love of words.
Veera Hiranandani earned her MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the author of The Whole Story of Half a Girl, which was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book and a South Asian Book Award Finalist. A former book editor at Simon & Schuster, she now teaches creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College’s Writing Institute and Writopia Lab.
Hena Khan is a Pakistani American writer. She is the author of the novel Amina’s Voice and the first three books in the Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream series: Power Forward, On Point, and Bounce Back. She has also written a number of picture books, including Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and It’s Ramadan, Curious George. Hena lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband and two sons.
Julie Buxbaum is the author of the critically acclaimed The Opposite of Love and After You, and her work has been translated into twenty-five languages. Tell Me Three Things is her first novel for young adults. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two young children, and an immortal goldfish.
J. C. Cervantes (jennifercervantes.com) is the award winning author of
Tortilla Sun, which was called "a beautiful and engaging debut" by
Kirkus, an "imaginative, yet grounded novel" by
Publishers Weekly, and "lean and lightly spiced with evocative metaphor" by
School Library Journal.
Tortilla Sun was a 2010 New Voices pick by the American Booksellers Association and it was named to Bank Street's 2011 Best Book List. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter: @jencerv, and Instagram: #authorjcervantes. J.C is an avid reader of all books, a champion for the underdog, and a believer in magic.
Rex Ogle is a full-time writer and the author behind Free Lunch, winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. He has written three books in the Supernatural Society series for middle graders.
Pablo Cartaya graduated with an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He serves as lead faculty at Sierra Nevada College’s low residency MFA program for Writing for Children and Young Adults. He writes stories that reflect his family, culture, and love of words.