Newbery Meets Grammy As Lyle Lovett Makes His Audiobook Debut Narrating Kathi Appelt's THE TRUE BLUE SCOUTS OF SUGAR MAN SWAMP

NEW YORK, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon & Schuster Audio is thrilled to announce that Lyle Lovett has been cast as the reader of Kathi Appelt's highly-anticipated audiobook THE TRUE BLUE SCOUTS OF SUGAR MAN SWAMP, due out July 23, 2013. The unabridged recording will be available in both CD and download formats, simultaneous with the release of the book in hardcover and electronic editions.

Over the course of an impressive career Lovett has earned four Grammy Awards, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance for Lyle Lovett and His Large Band and Best Country Album for The Road to Ensenada. He has made several forays into acting, appearing on film in Robert Altman's The Player and Short Cuts and on the small screen on popular television shows including Dharma & Greg and Mad About You.

"I'm thrilled Kathi asked me to narrate THE TRUE BLUE SCOUTS OF SUGAR MAN SWAMP," says Lovett.  "She and I have been friends since college and I've always been a huge fan of her work. Recording her book was great fun.  Giving voice to her wonderful characters of the swamp is an honor."

Kathi Appelt is the highly acclaimed author of The Underneath, which received the Newbery Honor, a PEN USA Literary Award, and was selected as a National Book Award finalist on its way to becoming a beloved bestseller in print and audio.  She is also known for her many picture books as well as the popular novel Keeper, which Appelt herself narrated on audio.

"I know listeners will love Lyle's narration as much as I do," says Appelt. "His portrayal of the story is captivating and entertaining, and I'm so deeply grateful to him for lending his incredible talent to this production."

In THE TRUE BLUE SCOUTS OF SUGAR MAN SWAMP, Lovett gives voice to the story of Bingo and J'miah--raccoon brothers and the newest recruits of the Official Sugar Man Swamp Scouts--and twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn who must join forces as a gang of wild feral hogs and a group of developers head straight towards their beloved Sugar Man swamp. This colorful tale of care and conservation is hilariously funny and a perfect fit for family listening.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Audio is a leading publisher of general interest audiobooks including bestselling fiction, nonfiction, business/finance, self-improvement, inspiration, language learning programs, original audiobook productions, and children's titles. In addition to a list that includes such unparalleled authors as Mary Higgins Clark, Vince Flynn, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, Michael Lewis, and David McCullough. Simon & Schuster Audio has produced audiobooks that have won seven Grammy Awards and earned thirty-five Grammy nominations since 1989. For more information about Simon & Schuster Audio, visit our website at www.audio.simonandschuster.com.

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

SOURCE Simon & Schuster