
Family Ties
The Theory, Practice, and Destructive Properties of Relatives
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $10.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jesse Bernstein
-
By:
-
Gary Paulsen
About this listen
Family fun takes center stage in three-time Newbery Honor winner Gary Paulsen's hilarious novel for middle-school boys. Kevin Spencer is the glue that holds his family together. When his wacky relatives decide to have a double wedding in the backyard, Kevin takes charge. Planning two weddings is a great way to impress his girlfriend, Tina Zabinski, the Most Beautiful and Best-Smelling Girl in the World.
But as more and more relatives come to stay, things spiral out of control. Tying the knot has Kevin tied up in knots in this laugh-out-loud story.
©2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. (P)2014 Gary PaulsenListeners also enjoyed...
-
Lawn Boy
- Lawn Boy, Book 1
- By: Gary Paulsen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 1 hr and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"One day I was 12 years old and broke. I set out to mow some lawns with Grandpa's old riding mower. One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about: the beauty of capitalism. Supply and demand. Diversifying labor. Distributing the wealth. 'It's groovy, man,' Arnold said. The grass grew, and so did business. Arnold invested my money in many things. One of them was a prizefighter. All of a sudden I was the sponsor of my very own fighter, Joey Pow."
-
-
My students loved it!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-08-18
By: Gary Paulsen
-
Notes from the Dog
- By: Gary Paulsen
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen-year-old Finn is a loner, living with his dad and his amazing dog, Dylan. This summer Finn is hoping for a job where he doesn’t have to talk to anyone except his buddy, Matthew. Then he meets Johanna, who’s living next door. She’s a graduate student in her 20s, cool and funny, and she treats Finn as an equal. Dylan thinks she’s great too. Johanna’s dealing with breast cancer, and Matthew and Finn help take care of her - and come to care for her.
-
-
Heartwarming story
- By Wendy on 10-21-20
By: Gary Paulsen
-
The Fort
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Christopher Carley, Michael Crouch, Nick Walther, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction—power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends—Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ—meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray—Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn’t have any friends yet.
-
-
Stunning
- By Livie on 06-27-23
By: Gordon Korman
-
The Unteachables
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Sarah Beth Goer, Oliver Wyman, Josh Hurley, and others
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hilarious new middle grade novel from beloved and best-selling author Gordon Korman about what happens when the worst class of kids in school is paired with the worst teacher. The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction - and maybe even a shot at redemption.
-
-
Awesome story, thoroughly enjoyable!
- By Debbie on 04-22-19
By: Gordon Korman
-
Snow Treasure
- By: Marie McSwigan
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 12-year-old Peter Lundstrom, the Norwegian winter of 1940 begins like any other. When he isn’t in school, he spends the cold days outside, going sledding in the deep snow of his mountain village. But all around him, the adults are talking about the war that is raging through much of Europe. One day Uncle Victor warns that German soldiers will invade soon. He believes they will try to steal the bank’s gold bullion. But he has a daring plan to protect the treasure.
-
-
Great story 🙂
- By Angie Brock on 10-19-18
By: Marie McSwigan
-
House Trained
- By: Jackie Bouchard
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex Halstad, a childless-by-choice interior designer and dog mom, is a true perfectionist. But her orderly life turns chaotic when the teenage daughter her husband, Barry, never knew he had shows up on their doorstep...with a baby girl of her own in tow. While Alex's dog enthusiastically welcomes the new arrivals, Alex struggles with the loss of her steady routine. She desperately needs peace and quiet to get her business back on track before Barry finds out she's spent most of their savings.
-
-
The "Vocal Fry" Ruined It
- By Angie on 11-20-15
By: Jackie Bouchard
-
Lawn Boy
- Lawn Boy, Book 1
- By: Gary Paulsen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 1 hr and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"One day I was 12 years old and broke. I set out to mow some lawns with Grandpa's old riding mower. One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about: the beauty of capitalism. Supply and demand. Diversifying labor. Distributing the wealth. 'It's groovy, man,' Arnold said. The grass grew, and so did business. Arnold invested my money in many things. One of them was a prizefighter. All of a sudden I was the sponsor of my very own fighter, Joey Pow."
-
-
My students loved it!
- By Amazon Customer on 06-08-18
By: Gary Paulsen
-
Notes from the Dog
- By: Gary Paulsen
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen-year-old Finn is a loner, living with his dad and his amazing dog, Dylan. This summer Finn is hoping for a job where he doesn’t have to talk to anyone except his buddy, Matthew. Then he meets Johanna, who’s living next door. She’s a graduate student in her 20s, cool and funny, and she treats Finn as an equal. Dylan thinks she’s great too. Johanna’s dealing with breast cancer, and Matthew and Finn help take care of her - and come to care for her.
-
-
Heartwarming story
- By Wendy on 10-21-20
By: Gary Paulsen
-
The Fort
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Christopher Carley, Michael Crouch, Nick Walther, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The morning after Hurricane Leo rips through the town of Canaan, residents awaken to widespread destruction—power outages, downed branches, uprooted trees, broken windows and damaged roofs. Four eighth-grade friends—Evan, Jason, Mitchell, and CJ—meet to explore the devastation. The tight-knit group is dismayed to find that Evan has brought along a stray—Ricky, who is new to their town and school, and doesn’t have any friends yet.
-
-
Stunning
- By Livie on 06-27-23
By: Gordon Korman
-
The Unteachables
- By: Gordon Korman
- Narrated by: Sarah Beth Goer, Oliver Wyman, Josh Hurley, and others
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hilarious new middle grade novel from beloved and best-selling author Gordon Korman about what happens when the worst class of kids in school is paired with the worst teacher. The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction - and maybe even a shot at redemption.
-
-
Awesome story, thoroughly enjoyable!
- By Debbie on 04-22-19
By: Gordon Korman
-
Snow Treasure
- By: Marie McSwigan
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 12-year-old Peter Lundstrom, the Norwegian winter of 1940 begins like any other. When he isn’t in school, he spends the cold days outside, going sledding in the deep snow of his mountain village. But all around him, the adults are talking about the war that is raging through much of Europe. One day Uncle Victor warns that German soldiers will invade soon. He believes they will try to steal the bank’s gold bullion. But he has a daring plan to protect the treasure.
-
-
Great story 🙂
- By Angie Brock on 10-19-18
By: Marie McSwigan
-
House Trained
- By: Jackie Bouchard
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex Halstad, a childless-by-choice interior designer and dog mom, is a true perfectionist. But her orderly life turns chaotic when the teenage daughter her husband, Barry, never knew he had shows up on their doorstep...with a baby girl of her own in tow. While Alex's dog enthusiastically welcomes the new arrivals, Alex struggles with the loss of her steady routine. She desperately needs peace and quiet to get her business back on track before Barry finds out she's spent most of their savings.
-
-
The "Vocal Fry" Ruined It
- By Angie on 11-20-15
By: Jackie Bouchard
-
In Between
- A Katie Parker Production, Volume 1
- By: Jenny B. Jones
- Narrated by: Reba Buhr
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Katie Parker is about to get a new life - whether she wants one or not. With her mom in prison, and her father AWOL, Katie is sent to live with a squeaky-clean family who could have their own sitcom. She launches a full-scale plan to get sent back to the girls home, when she finds herself in over her head...and heart.
-
-
loved it
- By Crystal Lasiter on 04-02-19
By: Jenny B. Jones
-
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons & Dragons
- One Woman's Quest to Trade Self-Help for Elf-Help
- By: Shelly Mazzanoble
- Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With tongue-in-cheek humor, the creator of the award-winning Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress takes on the self-help section, proving that the benefits of the Dungeons & Dragons game goes far beyond simple entertainment.
-
-
A Different Take On Things
- By Ronn McCarrick on 07-13-18
-
Rescue Me, Maybe
- By: Jackie Bouchard
- Narrated by: Teri Clark Linden
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you lost both your spouse and your dog to cancer within weeks of each other, but you were sadder about the dog, would you tell anyone? Maybe your closest friends. Unfortunately, Jane Bailey's closest friends are on the other side of the country. That's where Jane plans to go now that she's free to leave Philadelphia, the too cold, beachless, street taco-deficient city her husband dragged her to six years ago.
-
-
Dogs are the best medicine!
- By Mystical Lady on 01-03-18
By: Jackie Bouchard
-
Everyone Is Beautiful
- A Novel
- By: Katherine Center
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lanie Coates' life is spinning out of control.
She's piled everything she owns into a U-Haul and driven with her husband, Peter, and their three little boys from their cozy Texas home to a multiflight walkup in the Northeast. She's left behind family, friends, and a comfortable life, all so her husband can realize his dream of becoming a professional musician. But somewhere in the eye of her personal hurricane, it hits Lanie that she once had dreams too.
-
-
Slower story, big payout
- By william e. setty on 10-03-19
By: Katherine Center
-
Glitter and Glue
- A Memoir
- By: Kelly Corrigan
- Narrated by: Kelly Corrigan
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Kelly Corrigan was in high school, her mother neatly summarized the family dynamic as "Your father’s the glitter but I’m the glue." This meant nothing to Kelly, who left childhood sure that her mom - with her inviolable commandments and proud stoicism - would be nothing more than background chatter for the rest of Kelly’s life, which she was carefully orienting toward adventure. After college, armed with a backpack, her personal mission statement, and a wad of traveler’s checks, she took off for Australia to see things and do things and Become Interesting.
-
-
grєαt вσσk!
- By Karen K. King on 11-30-19
By: Kelly Corrigan
-
What the Dog Ate
- By: Jackie Bouchard
- Narrated by: Aisling Gray
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Maggie Baxter, a practical, rule-following accountant, discovers that her husband of 17 years is cheating on her. All her meticulous life plans are crushed. When he leaves her for the other woman, Maggie and her the-world-is-my-smorgasbord chocolate lab, Kona, are left to put their lives back together. As Maggie begins to develop a Plan B for her life, she decides to be more like Kona. No, she's not going to sniff crotches and eat everything that isn't nailed down; rather she'll try to approach life with more ball-chasing abandon.
-
-
Live life like your dog!!!
- By Krystyn - AudiobookObsession on 02-04-19
By: Jackie Bouchard
-
Saints and Misfits
- By: S. K. Ali
- Narrated by: Ariana Delawari
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Saints and Misfits is an unforgettable debut novel that feels like a modern-day My So-Called Life...starring a Muslim teen.
-
-
The worst narration
- By steppingonlegos on 06-06-24
By: S. K. Ali
-
Deep Down True
- By: Juliette Fay
- Narrated by: Robynn Rodriguez
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Newly divorced Dana Stellgarten has always been unfailingly nice—even to telemarketers—but now her patience is wearing thin. Money is tight, her kids are reeling from their dad’s departure, and her goth teenage niece has just landed on her doorstep. As she enters the slipstream of postdivorce romance and is befriended by the town queen bee, Dana finds that the tension between being true to yourself and being liked doesn’t end in middle school—and that sometimes it takes a real friend to help you embrace adulthood in all its flawed complexity.
-
-
This book surprised me
- By Donna VK on 10-09-16
By: Juliette Fay
-
No Fixed Address
- By: Susin Nielsen
- Narrated by: Nissae Isen
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Felix Knuttson, 12, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is.
-
-
For an older teen and up
- By eastnashmom on 08-24-20
By: Susin Nielsen
-
Walking in Circles Before Lying Down
- A Novel
- By: Merrill Markoe
- Narrated by: Renée Raudman
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twice-divorced Dawn's only source of security and comfort, it seems, is Chuck, a pit-bull mix from the pound. So, when her boyfriend announces that he's leaving her for another woman, a despairing Dawn turns to Chuck for solace. "I should have said something sooner," Chuck confides, as he tries to console her. "Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" Dawn is stunned. It's one thing to talk to your pets, but what do you do when they start talking back?
-
-
I loved this book!
- By L. Tenukas on 04-27-13
By: Merrill Markoe
-
The Best of Enemies
- By: Jen Lancaster
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Emily Rankin
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bridesmaids meets Big Little Lies in a novel told from the alternating perspectives of two women who define the term frenemies - from New York Times best-selling author Jen Lancaster. Jacqueline Jordan knows conflict. A fearless journalist, she’s spent the past decade embedded in the world’s hot spots, writing about the fall of nations and the rise of despots. But if you were to inquire about who topped Jack’s enemy list, she’d not hesitate to answer: Kitty Carricoe.
-
-
Unexpected pleasure with engaging dialgoue
- By Anne A. Kennedy on 09-14-15
By: Jen Lancaster
-
A Window Opens
- A Novel
- By: Elisabeth Egan
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alice Pearse is a mostly happily married mother of three, an attentive daughter, an ambivalent dog owner, a part-time editor, a loyal neighbor, and a Zen commuter. She is not: a cook, a craftswoman, a decorator, an active PTA member, a natural caretaker, or the breadwinner. But when her husband makes a radical career change, Alice is ready to lean in - and she knows exactly how lucky she is to land a job at Scroll, a hip, young startup that promises to be the future of reading.
-
-
Male voices sounded ridiculous
- By maureen lynch on 09-05-15
By: Elisabeth Egan
Editorial reviews
"[Paulsen is] one of the best-loved writers alive." (The New York Times)