Have You Heard? Books in Translation

Explore you library and discover your world this summer by checking out these books that have been translated into English, as well as English works available in our adult and junior world language collections.

Below you’ll find audiobook recommendations from the Plano Public Library. This is just a sample of the audiobooks in our collection, and you can visit a library location for assistance in finding personalized recommendations.

Adult:

A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa, narrated by Brian Nishii. Originally published in Japan as 北朝鮮大脱出地獄からの生還, and translated from the Japanese by Risa Kobayashi and Martin Brown. In this memoir, Ishikawa candidly recounts his tumultuous upbringing and the brutal thirty-six years he spent living under a crushing totalitarian regime, as well as the challenges he faced repatriating to Japan after barely escaping North Korea with his life. Print / Book on CD.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, narrated by John Lee. Originally published in Spanish as Cien años de soledad, and translated by Gregory Rabassa. Tells the story of the Buendia family, set against the background of the evolution and eventual decadence of a small South American town. Book on CD / eAudiobook / English (1995) / English (1998) / Spanish / Russian.  

Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho, narrated by Jeremy Irons. Originally published in Portuguese as Manuscrito encantrado em Accra, and translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa. Set in Jerusalem during the time of the Crusades. Christians, Arabs, and Jews have long lived together harmoniously. They are now being warned of an imminent attack and certain destruction; contemplating their demise, the community assembles to seek the counsel of a Greek Copt. Print / Book on CD / Spanish / eBook.

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk, narrated by John Lee. Originally published in Turkish as Benim adım Kırmızı, and translated by Erdağ M. Göknar. When the Sultan commissions a great book to celebrate his royal self and his extensive dominion, he directs Enishte Effendi to assemble a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land. Print / Book on CD / Chinese.

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman, narrated by Santino Fontana. Originally published in Sweden in 2012 as Saker min son behöver veta om världen, and translated by Alice Menzies. Fredrik Backman collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood. Print / Book on CD / Large print / Chinese / eBook.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, narrated by Jonathan Davis. Originally published in Spanish as La sombra del viento, and translated by Lucia Graves. In 1945, a boy named Daniel selects a novel from a library of rare books, enjoying it so much that he searches for the rest of the author’s works, only to discover that someone is destroying every book the author has ever written. Print / Book on CD / eAudiobook / eBook / Spanish / Vietnamese.

The Accusation by Bandi, narrated by David Shih. Originally published in Korean as 고발, and translated by Deborah Smith. A collection of searing and heart-wrenching stories by an anonymous North Korean writer who is still living in the country, The Accusation was secretly brought to South Korea in order to be published there and abroad. Print / Playaway.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami, narrated by Bruce Locke. Originally published in Japanese as Shikisai o motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to kare no junrei no toshi, and translated by Philip Gabriel. The remarkable story of Tsukuru Tazaki, a young man haunted by a great loss; of dreams and nightmares that have unintended consequences for the world around us; and of a journey into the past that is necessary to mend the present. Print / Playaway / eAudiobook / eBook.

Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch, narrated by Peter Berkrot. Originally published in the Netherlands as Zomerhuis met zwembad, and translated from the Dutch by Sam Garrett. When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he’s not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high-profile doctor to the stars, Marc can’t hide from the truth forever. Print / Playaway / eBook.

The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson, narrated by Peter Kenny. Originally published in Sweden as Analfabeten som kunde räkna by Piratforlaget in 2013, and translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles. In a tiny shack in the largest township in South Africa, Nombeko Mayeki is born. She quickly learns that the world expects nothing more from her than to die young, but Nombeko’s life ends up hopelessly intertwined with the lives of twins, Holger one and Holger Two, when the twins arrange to kidnap the Swedish king and prime minister. Print / Playaway / eBook.

Teen:

The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Gläser, narrated by Erin Spencer. Originally published in German as Emma, der Faun und das vergessene Buch, and translated by Romy Fursland. When Emmy finds an old book in an abandoned library, things really start going her way: anything she writes in the book comes true. But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn’t the only one who knows about it. Print / Playaway / eBook.

Almost Autumn by Marianne Kaurin, narrated by Taylor Meskimen. Originally published in Norwegian as Nærmere høst. As autumn approaches Ilse Stern is thinking about her infatuation with Hermann Rød, and whether his determination to be a painter will interfere with their romance–but the reality of being Jewish in occupied Oslo is about to turn her whole world upside down, as the deportation of the Norwegian Jews begins. Print / Playaway.

The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, narrated by Jonathan Davis. Originally published in Spanish as Las luces de septiembre, and translated by Lucia Graves. When fourteen-year-old Irene Sauvelle moves with her family to Cape House on the coast of Normandy, she’s immediately taken by the beauty of the place, but a dark mystery is about to unfold, involving a reclusive toymaker who lives in a gigantic mansion filled with mechanical beings and shadows of the past. Print / Playaway / Book on CD / eBook.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, narrated by Marisa Calin. Originally published in German as Rubinrot, and translated into English by Anthea Bell. Sixteen-year-old Gwyneth discovers that she, rather than her well-prepared cousin, carries a time-travel gene, and soon she is journeying with Gideon, who shares the gift, through historical London trying to discover whom they can trust. Print / Book on CD / eAudiobook / eBook.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad, narrated by Casey Holloway. Originally published in Norwegian as Darlah, and translated by Tara F. Chace. In 2019, teens Mia, Antoine, and Midori are selected by lottery to join experienced astronauts on a NASA mission to the once top-secret moon base, DARLAH 2, while in a Florida nursing home, a former astronaut struggles to warn someone of the terrible danger there. Print / Playaway / eAudiobook / eBook.

A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos, narrated by Emma Fenney. Originally published in French as La Passe-Miroir. Livre 1. Les fiancés de l’hiver, and translated into English by Hildegarde Serle. Plain-spoken, headstrong Ophelia possesses the ability to travel through mirrors, a skill passed down to her from previous generations. When she is promised in marriage to a taciturn and influential member of a distant clan, Ophelia slowly realizes that she is a pawn in a political game that will have far-reaching ramifications not only for her but for her entire world. Print / Playaway / eBook.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke, narrated by Elliot Hill. Originally published in German, and translated into English by Oliver Latsch. Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences. Print / Book on CD / eBook.

Yo no soy tu perfecta hija Mexicana by Erika L. Sánchez, narrated in Spanish by Scarlett Bernal Hernández and in English by Kyla Garcia. Originally published in English as I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, and translated into Spanish by Graciela Romero Saldaña. When her sister, considered the perfect Mexican daughter by her parents, dies, Julia tries to reassemble her shattered family despite her own grief and her mother’s penchant for pointing out every possible way Julia has failed. Print (Spanish) / eAudiobook (Spanish) / Print (English) / eAudiobook (English) / eBook (English).

El Llamado De La Selva by Jack London, narrated in Spanish by Carlos J. Vega. Originally published in English as The call of the Wild, and translated into Spanish by Paz borroso. The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch shepherd that is forcibly taken to the Klondike gold fields where he eventually becomes the leader of a wolf pack. Print (Spanish) / Print (English) / Book on CD (Spanish) / Book on CD (English) / eAudiobook (Spanish) / eBook (Chinese) / Graphic novel (English).

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier, narrated by Marisa Calin. Originally published in German as Das erste Buch der Traüme, and translated by Anthea Bell. Liv Silver, fifteen, has lived in six countries in eight years and she and her sister yearn for a real home and normalcy, but soon after moving in with her mother’s boyfriend in London, Liv’s dreams turn bizarre, filled with talking stone statues, mysterious corridors, and strange rituals conducted by four boys who happen to be her new classmates. Print / Book on CD.

Children’s:

The Cat Who Liked Rain by Henning Mankell, narrated by Stanley McGeagh. Originally published in Swedish as Katten som alskade rgn, and translated by Laurie Thompson. This is the story of young Lucas who gets a most precious present for his birthday, a black kitten which he calls Night. Lucas becomes very attached to Night but one day Lucas comes home from school and discovers that his beloved cat has disappeared. Playaway / Book on CD.

Clic, Clac, Muu: Vacas Escritoras by Doreen Cronin, narrated by Randy Travis in English and Jorge Pupo in Spanish. Originally published in English as Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type, and translated into the Spanish by Alberto Jiménez Rioja. When Farmer Brown’s cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want. Print / Book + CD Set (English) / Book + CD Set (Spanish) / Early Reader edition / DVD / eBook.

The Little Prince by Antione de Saint-Exupery, narrated by Richard Gere with Haley Joel Osment. Originally published in French as Le Petit Prince, and translated into English by Richard Howard. An aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara Desert encounters a little prince from a small planet who relates his adventures in seeking the secret of what is important in life. 1943 edition / 2001 edition / Book on CD / Spanish / Japanese / Chinese / Large print / DVD / eAudiobook / eBook.

Astrid the Unstoppable by Maria Parr, narrated by Devon Sorvari. Originally published in Norwegian as Tonje Glimmerdal, and translated by Guy Puzey. Speed and self-confidence, that’s Astrid’s motto. But her world is about to be turned upside down, first by the arrival of a family with children to her village, and then by a mysterious woman whom everyone but Astrid seems to know. Print / Playaway / eBook.

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, narrated by Gerard Doyle. Originally published in German as Die unendliche Geschichte, and translated by Ralph Manheim. Shy, awkward Bastian is amazed to discover that he has become a character in the mysterious book he is reading and that he has an important mission to fulfill. Print / Playaway / Book on CD / DVD / eAudiobook.

Ghoulia: Making New Friends can be Scary by Barbara Cantini, narrated by Jordan Killam. Originally published in Italian as Mortina, and translated into English by Anna Golding. A lonely, young zombie hopes to find a friend at the Halloween party. Print / Wonderbook.

Malala: Activist for Girl’ Education by Raphaële Frier, narrated by Caroline McLaughlin. Originally published in France as Malala: pour le droit des filles a l’education, and translated into English by Julie Cormier. Malala Yousafzai stood up to the Taliban and fought for the right for all girls to receive an education. When she was just fifteen-years old, the Taliban attempted to kill Malala, but even this did not stop her activism. At age eighteen Malala became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to ensure the education of all children around the world. Print / Wonderbook.

Jose el Chevere: Helado y Dinosaurios by Eric Litwin, narrated in Spanish by Michael Levine and in English by the author. Originally published in English as Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs. Groovy Joe is a fun-loving dog with a tub full of ice cream–which he shares with his unexpected dinosaur guests. Print (Spanish) / Print (English) / Wonderbook (Spanish) / Wonderbook (English).

Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton, narrated by Edward Herrmann. Originally published in Italian as Il mistero dell’occhio di smeraldo. When Geronimo’s sister, Thea, discovers an old, mysterious map showing a secret treasure hidden on a faraway island, the gang of the Rodent’s Gazette is dragged into a treasure hunt. Print / Book on CD / eBook.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, narrated by Jarman Day and Luo Jiarui in Chinese, and Ramon De Ocampo in English. Originally published in English, and translated into multiple languages. It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. Print / eAudiobook (Chinese) / Chinese / Spanish / Japanese / eBook / eAudiobook (English) / Book on CD / Large print / Korean / Vietnamese.