Audiobooks

100 Family Friendly Audiobooks

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Molly Wetta

Staff Writer

Molly Wetta is a feminist Gemini vegetarian librarian. She is employed by a public library in a liberal Midwestern college town selecting young adult literature, media, and graphic novels while also managing the library's Twitter and Tumblr, which is fortunate, as her aspirations of being a professor of Buffy Studies didn't pan out. When not working, she is most likely reading existential Russian novels, regency romances, comics, queer YA, or cereal boxes. Sometimes she finds time to volunteer at her local domestic violence shelter or watch CW shows on Netflix with her cats: Spike, Angel, and Furiosa. Challenge her to a game of Candyland or Risk at your own peril, as she is a very competitive player of board games. Blog: wrappedupinbooks.org Twitter: @molly_wetta

Not only is June National Audiobook Month, it’s also the beginning of summer when many families hit the road for vacations. The timing is right for a list of 100 family friendly audiobook recommendations for books that families can listen to together. These titles are fun for kids, but are also engaging enough for adults. Many have narrators whose voices you’ll recognize – like Kate Winslet (Matilda!) Tim Curry (Sabriel and A Series of Unfortunate Events!) and Stephen Fry (a bunch!).

There’s a mix of classics and new releases, and whether you’re interested in historical fiction or fantasy, realistic or sci-fi, there’s something on here for everyone. If you’re traveling with five-year-olds or teenagers, there’s a librarian-approved title that will make your trip fly by.

Looking for even MORE audiobook recs? The best resource for lists is the Association of Library Services to Children’s annual list of Notable Children’s Recordings.  You may also want to check out the Young Adult Library Association’s Amazing Audiobooks lists.

family friendly audiobooks for summer roadtrips

Audiobooks are (loosely) arranged in ascending age range; the majority fall in the 7-11 year old age range.

        1. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
        2. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
        3. Secret Agent Jack Stalwart Book 1: The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur by Elizabeth Singer Hunt
  • Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins
  • The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy
  • One Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
  • Celia Cruz Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers
  • Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folk Tales by Nelson Mandela
  • Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
  • Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
  • A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
  • Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Clearly
  • Coraline by Neil Gaiman
  • The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great: The Knights’ Tales, Book 1 by Gerald Morris
  • My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O’Hara
  • Geronimo Stilton Book 1: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton
  • Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
  • Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
  • Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
  • The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
  • The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
  • The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
  • The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case by Alexandra McCall Smith
  • Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
  • Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins
  • Make Way for Dyamond Daniel by Nikki Grimes
  • A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
  • Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff
  • We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
  • The Call of the Wild by Jack London
  • The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Tucker Frazier
  • Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell
  • Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children by Kimberly Brubaker Badley
  • The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
  • From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events: A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
  • The BFG by Roald Dahl
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
  • Matilda by Roald Dahl
  • Turtle in Pardise by Jennifer L. Holm
  • The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
  • Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
  • The Wind in the Willow by Kenneth Grahame
  • Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
  • Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
  • Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
  • Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
  • Masterminds by Gordon Korman
  • Okay for Now by Gary Scmidt
  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
  • The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
  • Holes by Louis Sachar
  • Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
  • Wonder by R. J. Palacio
  • One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
  • The Wednesday Wars by Gary Scmidt
  • Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
  • Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
  • Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi
  • Colin Fischer by Ashley Miller and  Zach Stentz
  • Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri
  • Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy
  • Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
  • In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
  • Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
  • The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
  • Greenglass House by Kate Milford
  • Diamond Willow by Helen Frost
  • The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
  • What to Do About Alice by Barbara Kerley
  • The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
  • Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
  • Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
  • The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
  • Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper
  • The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
  • The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
  • The School of Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
  • Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
  • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
  • When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
  • Skellig by David Almond
  • Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
  • The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cat Valente
  • Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince and Elaine DePrince
  • Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
  • If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gainsworth
  • Sabriel by Garth Nix
  • A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
  • Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
  • Cinder by Marissa Meyer
  • Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
  • Jump Back Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby
  • The Enchanted Files: Diary of a Mad Brownie by Bruce Coville
  • Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire

    That’s thousands of hours of listening pleasure coming your way! Of course, it’s by no means comprehensive. Thanks to children’s librarian extraordinaire Jenny for offering a few suggestions. Did I leave off your family’s favorite audiobook? Please share in the comments.