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
        4. Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic by Emily Jenkins
        5. The Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy
        6. One Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
        7. Celia Cruz Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers
        8. Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folk Tales by Nelson Mandela
        9. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
        10. Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker
        11. A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
        12. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Clearly
        13. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
        14. The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great: The Knights’ Tales, Book 1 by Gerald Morris
        15. My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O’Hara
        16. Geronimo Stilton Book 1: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton
        17. Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
        18. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
        19. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
        20. The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
        21. The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
        22. The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes
        23. The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case by Alexandra McCall Smith
        24. Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
        25. Nuts to You by Lynne Rae Perkins
        26. Make Way for Dyamond Daniel by Nikki Grimes
        27. A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
        28. Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff
        29. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
        30. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
        31. The Other Half of My Heart by Sundee Tucker Frazier
        32. Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell
        33. Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children by Kimberly Brubaker Badley
        34. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
        35. From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
        36. A Series of Unfortunate Events: A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
        37. The BFG by Roald Dahl
        38. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
        39. Matilda by Roald Dahl
        40. Turtle in Pardise by Jennifer L. Holm
        41. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
        42. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
        43. The Wind in the Willow by Kenneth Grahame
        44. Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool
        45. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
        46. Bomb: The Race to Build and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
        47. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
        48. Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
        49. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
        50. Masterminds by Gordon Korman
        51. Okay for Now by Gary Scmidt
        52. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
        53. The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
        54. Holes by Louis Sachar
        55. Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
        56. Wonder by R. J. Palacio
        57. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
        58. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
        59. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Scmidt
        60. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
        61. Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
        62. Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi
        63. Colin Fischer by Ashley Miller and  Zach Stentz
        64. Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri
        65. Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy
        66. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
        67. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
        68. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
        69. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
        70. Greenglass House by Kate Milford
        71. Diamond Willow by Helen Frost
        72. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
        73. What to Do About Alice by Barbara Kerley
        74. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
        75. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
        76. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
        77. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
        78. Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper
        79. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
        80. The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski
        81. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
        82. The School of Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
        83. Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
        84. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
        85. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
        86. Skellig by David Almond
        87. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
        88. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cat Valente
        89. Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince and Elaine DePrince
        90. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
        91. If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gainsworth
        92. Sabriel by Garth Nix
        93. A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
        94. Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus
        95. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
        96. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
        97. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
        98. Jump Back Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby
        99. The Enchanted Files: Diary of a Mad Brownie by Bruce Coville
        100. 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.