Kwame Alexander has narrated 7 audiobooks on Listento.it by 4 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.8★ across 11 ratings. The most-rated is Booked.
Booked
Summary
In this middle grade novel-in-verse by the Newbery Medal-winning and Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winning author of The Crossover, soccer, family, love, and friendship take center stage as 12-year-old Nick learns the power of words when he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate, Coby; and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read. This electric and heartfelt novel-in-verse by poet Kwame Alexander bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match!
©2016 Kwame Alexander (P)2016 Recorded Books
Swing
Summary
In this YA novel in verse from best-selling authors Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess (Solo), which Kirkus called “lively, moving, and heartfelt” in a starred review, Noah and Walt just want to leave their geek days behind and find “cool” but in the process discover a lot about first loves, friendship, and embracing life...as well as why Black Lives Matter is so important for all. Best friends Noah and Walt are far from popular, but Walt is convinced junior year is their year, and he has a plan that includes wooing the girls of their dreams and becoming amazing athletes. Never mind he and Noah failed to make their baseball team yet again, and Noah’s crush since third grade, Sam, has him firmly in the friend zone. While Walt focuses on his program of jazz, podcasts, batting cages, and a “Hug Life” mentality, Noah feels stuck in status quo...until he stumbles on a stash of old love letters. Each one contains words Noah’s always wanted to say to Sam, and he begins secretly creating artwork using the lines that speak his heart. But when his art becomes public, Noah has a decision to make: continue his life in the dugout and possibly lose the girl forever or take a swing and finally speak out. At the same time, American flags are being left around town. While some think it’s a harmless prank and others see it as a form of protest, Noah can’t shake the feeling something bigger is happening to his community. Especially after he witnesses events that hint divides and prejudices run deeper than he realized. As the personal and social tensions increase around them, Noah and Walt must decide what is really important when it comes to love, friendship, sacrifice, and fate. Swing: Is written and narrated by New York Times best-selling author and Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winner Kwame Alexander Features a diverse array of characters and perspectives Tackles the biggest social issues of today, including racial prejudice and Black Lives Matter Is perfect for the classroom or community-wide discussions Is a 2020 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Contains original music If you enjoy Swing, check out Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess.
©2018 Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess (P)2018 Blink
Becoming Muhammad Ali
Summary
From two heavy-hitters in children's literature comes a critically acclaimed biographical novel of cultural icon Muhammad Ali. "This utterly delightful story about Ali's childhood is a smash hit." (School Library Journal, starred review) Five starred reviews! Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict his life up to age 17 in both prose and verse, including his childhood friends, struggles in school, the racism he faced, and his discovery of boxing. Listeners will learn about Cassius's family and neighbors in Louisville, Kentucky, and how, after a thief stole his bike, Cassius began training as an amateur boxer at age 12. Before long, he won his first Golden Gloves bout and began his transformation into the unrivaled Muhammad Ali. Fully authorized by and written in cooperation with the Muhammad Ali estate, Becoming Muhammad Ali captures the budding charisma and youthful personality of one of the greatest sports heroes of all time.
©2020 Kwame Alexander, James Patterson (P)2020 Hachette Audio
Flying Lessons & Other Stories
Summary
Whether it is basketball dreams, family fiascos, first crushes, or new neighborhoods, this bold anthology - written by the best children's authors - celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us. In a partnership with We Need Diverse Books, industry giants Kwame Alexander, Soman Chainani, Matt de la Peña, Tim Federle, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, Walter Dean Myers, Tim Tingle, and Jacqueline Woodson join newcomer Kelly J. Baptist in a story collection that is as humorous as it is heartfelt. This impressive group of authors has earned among them every major award in children's publishing and popularity as New York Times best sellers. From these distinguished authors comes 10 distinct and vibrant stories. Table of contents and cast of narrators: "Foreword", written and read by Ellen Oh "How to Transform an Everyday Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium" by Matt de la Peña, read by Dion Graham "The Difficult Path" by Grace Lin, read by Samantha Quan "Sol Painting, Inc.", written and read by Meg Medina "Secret Samantha" by Tim Federle, read by Julia Whelan "The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn" by Kelly J. Baptist, read by Adam Lazarre-White "Choctaw Bigfoot, Midnight in the Mountains", written and read by Tim Tingle "Main Street" by Jacqueline Woodson, read by Abigail Revasch "Flying Lessons" by Soman Chainani, read by Sunil Malhotra "Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents", written and read by Kwame Alexander "Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push" by Walter Dean Myers, read by Dominic Hoffman "About We Need Diverse Books", read by Ellen Oh
©2016 Ellen Oh (P)2016 Listening Library
Light for the World to See
Summary
A collection of three powerful poems that take on racism and Black resistance in America by New York Times best-selling author Kwame Alexander. Includes an introduction by the author.
©2020 Kwame Alexander (P)2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Solo
Summary
Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess is a New York Times best seller! Kirkus Reviews said Solo is, “A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told.” Through the story of a young Black man searching for answers about his life, Solo empowers, engages, and encourages teenagers to move from heartache to healing, burden to blessings, depression to deliverance, and trials to triumphs. And the audio is narrated by Kwame Alexander himself, featuring original music that ties to the book. Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy, including the loss of his mother. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming Blade will become just like his father. In reality, the only thing Blade and Rutherford have in common is the music that lives inside them. And songwriting is all Blade has left after Rutherford, while drunk, crashes his high school graduation speech and effectively rips Chapel away forever. But when a long-held family secret comes to light, the music disappears. In its place is a letter, one that could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift. Solo: Is written by New York Times best-selling author and Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award-winner Kwame Alexander Showcases Kwame’s signature intricacy, intimacy, and poetic style, by exploring what it means to finally go home An #OwnVoices novel that features a BIPOC protagonist on a search for his roots and identity Received great reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus If you enjoy Solo, check out Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess.
©2017 Kwame Alexander (P)2017 Zondervan
How to Read a Book
Summary
A 2020 Audie Awards finalist - young reader Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander narrates the audiobook version of his How to Read a Book, a poetic journey about the experience of reading. Find a tree - a black tupelo or dawn redwood will do - and plant yourself. (It’s okay if you prefer a stoop, like Langston Hughes.) With these words, an adventure begins. Kwame Alexander’s evocative poetry takes listeners on a sensory journey between the pages of a book.
©2019 Kwame Alexander (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers