My clan will be heading out on a TEN hour road trip very soon, and with summer on its way, my guess is you might be also. Just this morning, a friend asked for audio book suggestions for her family road trip, and I realized, I need to stock up myself!
So here are some Word Nerd recommendations for audio books that will help you pass those long hours on the highway.
Audio book tips:
- Before you buy, LISTEN TO THE SAMPLE. A narrator can make or break an audio book, and if the storyteller has a whiny voice that grates your ears, you’ll hate the book no matter how good the story is.
- I use Audible and either download the books to my iPod nano (which plugs into my van’s USB port) or blue-tooth them to my van stereo system via the Audible iPhone app. For general Audible info, see my post Why Audible is Worth It.
- Check with Common Sense Media to make sure there isn’t any controversial content in the book you choose- or you might have to explain terms like “French kiss” before you want to. 😉
Family Friendly Audio Book Recommendations:
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Artemis is a 12-year-old evil genius who steals gold from fairies to keep his family’s fortune strong. Over the course of ten books, he battles pixies and demons and grows a conscience. Nathaniel Parker does an excellent job narrating this series and incorporating different accents to distinguish characters. The writing is funny and smart and should appeal to all family members.- The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan. Will wants to be a knight, but he’s too small, so when it’s time for the children of the castle to pursue a vocation, he’s invited to join the Rangers, an elite class of men who gather information and operate behind the scenes to protect the kingdom. These books have a medieval setting and lots of action. My boys love them, but so did my daughter and I. There are strong female characters, but most of the focus is on boys. Excellent narration from John Keating.
- Wonder by R. J. Palacio. August Pullman, a ten-year old boy with a severe facial deformity, attends his first year of school, and it changes him and everyone around him. A thoughtful story about kindness and acceptance.
- The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. Do I really need to explain? Get the books narrated by Jim Dale.
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
I haven’t listened to these yet, but I think they would be good options:
- The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. A wonderful story of transformation from self-importance to selfless love.
All Four Stars by Tara Dairman. The first book in a series about Gladys Gatsby, a top-notch food critic who is only in the sixth grade. Shh! Don’t tell!- Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson. Tabitha Crum loves a good mystery, and when she receives a curious invitation to a country estate, she learns a secret that will put her detective skills to the test!
- Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke. Igraine dreams of being a famous knight, but life in the castle is boring, until her parents turn themselves into pigs and her castle is threatened by capture.
Can you share any audio book recommendations?
And, if the kids get too rowdy, just slide up the soundproof glass behind the driver’s seat. Wait… your van/SUV doesn’t have that yet? Mine either! We need to give the car companies a tip…
Also, since I’ll be prepping for and enjoying vacation, the Word Nerd will take a blogging break for the next few weeks. I’ll be back in June with more nerdy tips!
Have a great trip!
Earlier this month, the Audiobook Publishers Association held their annual Audie Awards to honor the best audiobooks of the year. The award for best middle grade audiobook went to Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan. I haven’t listened to it, but it’s available on Audible, and it’s just over 10 hours long so it would be the perfect length for your trip!
*Echo audiobook on Amazon/Audible: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VU3CZ3Q/?tag=thevocabblog-20
Families with teens might enjoy listening to Brilliance Audio’s 25th anniversary edition of Jurassic Park, which is read by one of my favorite narrators, Scott Brick, and won the 2016 Audie in the science fiction category. My husband and I really enjoyed it. We also liked the audiobook of the sequel, The Lost World. It was particularly fun to listen to them before watching the new Jurrasic World film!
*Jurassic Park audiobook on Amazon/Audible: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U7TZZRM/?tag=thevocabblog-20
My favorite recent listen was The Martian (a 2015 Audie winner). It’s got a lot of adult language, so it’s not for families with young kids, but it’s a really fun listen for the grownups!
*The Martian audiobook on Amazon/Audible: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B5HO5XA/?tag=thevocabblog-20
And if anyone is interested, here’s a link to the full list of 2016 Audie winners: https://www.audiopub.org/winners/2016-winners-circle
Wow! This is an extremely helpful list of suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to share all of this and include links!
Great list, Julia! We’ve never listened to an audiobook as a family, but I love that idea for a long road trip. Safe travels, and have a wonderful trip! (This is the Disney cruise, right?)
Perfect timing as we start planning our big trip west! My kids love Harry Potter and Narnia on long trips. I LOVE Edward Tulane. Love, love, love. Also, Despereaux. Oh, that brave little mouse! Thanks for all of the recommendations!
Great recommendations (and thank you so much for including Nooks & Crannies~ I’m biased, but think the narrator did a terrific job!)! I’m so glad the Gladys Gatsby books are going to be available on audiobook! And I’m thinking I would LOVE the Artemis Fowl books on audio~ I adore the voice of those novels 🙂
Thank you Julia for the great recommendations! I have added them to my wish list in Audible! We have also listened to and recommend:
“Matilda” by Ronald Dahl narrated by Kate Winslet – fantastic
“Jacky HaHa” by James Patterson-my 10 year old literally laughed out loud hysterically to this book!
“I will always write back: how one letter changed two lives” by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda. A sweet book based on a true story about student pen pals from the US and Zimbabwe.
Excellent! I’ve not heard of most of these and will be happy to add them to my Audible wish list. Great ideas – thanks for sharing! 😉