9 Family-Friendly Audiobooks For Your Summer Road Trip

As you are preparing for your 4th of July road trip, keep in mind – audiobooks are the unsung heroes of the road. You may find 10 hours of a beautifully-read stories, sometimes narrated by the greats such as Emma Thompson or Jim Dale (of “Harry Potter” fame). Audiobooks not only pass the time on road trips, but they also help kids hear and process stories in a way that visual reading alone does not. Audiobooks encourage better reading skills and may captivate kids who aren’t otherwise keen on books.

As a family, you can discuss the books at chapter breaks: What kind of person do you think the main character is? What do you think will happen next? Why? What surprised you? If you need help knowing what to ask, almost all widely-read books have study guides that can lead you toward an interesting discussion.

Give kids about 15 minutes to get into the audiobook you select. If they don’t like it, try another one. There are plenty of great ones out there.

Here are some audiobooks you can start with:

Ages 2+

Dr. Seuss’s books

With a good reader like Jason Alexander (George Costanza from “Seinfeld”), parents and kids can happily listen to Green Eggs and Ham for the 500th time. The wonderful rhymes and made-up words make favorites such as The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat, and Horton Hatched the Egg a joy to listen to.

Ages 5+

Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne

This collection is popular with early independent readers. Jack and his little sister Annie discover a magic treehouse that travels through time, and they embark on wonderful adventures. Join the siblings as they explore the Roman Empire, the Wild Wild West, and the African plains.

Hank the Cow Dog series by John R. Erickson

This collection is perfect for kids drawn to humor, dogs, and whodunits. Hank, the folksy narrator of this autobiographical series, is a ranch dog. In his view, though, he’s the overworked and underappreciated head of ranch security tasked with solving mysteries, such as why the chickens in the hen house are dead.

Ages 6+

Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales series by Rabbit Ears

This popular series is the perfect addition to your family’s next road trip. The Rabbit Ears Treasury books consist of several volumes of classic fables and stories. They include many classic characters like Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, and Rip Van Winkle, as well as tales from around the world, holiday stories, fables, and fairy tales.

Well-known titles in the series include Puss in Boots, Aladdin, The Ugly Duckling, The Velveteen Rabbit, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. All stories are read by great narrators, including Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson, Jonathan Winters, Cher, and Meryl Streep.

Ages 9+

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Read by Jim Dale, the extraordinarily popular Harry Potter fantasy book series is about an orphaned boy who learns he is actually a wizard. The series needs no introduction at this point, but briefly: Gifted young wizard Harry Potter goes off to Hogwarts, a special school for witchcraft and wizardry, where magical mischief ensues. Each of the seven books chronicles a year in the life of Harry, with the novels becoming more mature and dark as the series progresses.

Chronicles of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo

A librarian described this as “Harry Potter Lite,” since it touches on the same themes, but is shorter. A magically gifted boy named Timoken and his sister find a new kingdom with the help of a talking camel. Timoken becomes the Red King and battles evil during his reign. This is the prequel to the Charlie Bone series, whose protagonist is Timoken’s ancestor.

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

This collection, read by Mark Hamill, a.k.a. Luke Skywalker, is a fantasy series about three children: Mallory and her younger identical-twin brothers Jared and Simon. The three move to the magical and mysterious Spiderwick estate in Maine, where they find that they are living among fairies and goblins.

Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood

This is the story of Penelope Lumley, a young, bright governess who is sent to mind three wild and feral children on the vast estate of Lord Frederick and his young wife. Fighting against the kids’ penchant for barking, biting, and chasing squirrels, Penelope must wrangle them and in order to teach them how to behave.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This wonderful book is about Auggie Pullman, a boy with facial deformities who goes to school for the first time in the fifth grade. As different as he looks, he is just like any other new kid, struggling to find his place. The story is told from many perspectives, such as Auggie’s sister, her boyfriend, Auggie, and his friends.

If none of the above recommendations strikes your fancy, feel free to check out more choices at the sites listed below. Happy road tripping!

Association for Library Service to Children: Find out which audio books are librarians’ favorites.

Goodreads: This book review site lists popular audio books for kids

Travel and Leisure: A list of audiobooks recommended by a children’s librarian in Dover, New Hampshire.

Related Reading:

8 Great Books to Get Your Teen Interested In Reading This Summer

How To Find Great Summer Activities For Your Gifted Child

5 Books That Will Inspire Your High Schooler Before College

How To Prevent The Summer Slide

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