18 Brilliant Audiobooks for Kids

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K Rowling

I was in university when this book was published and the first four were sitting on my younger brother’s bookshelf before I picked it up to see what the fuss was about. I read all four books in as many days and was married with a child before the final book was published. 

This story introduces us to Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger; our fearless trio.  We also meet the other favorite beloved and detested characters that make the Harry Potter book series so special. After all, what would Hogwarts be without Hagrid, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Draco Malfoy?

Why We Love This Book: In our opinion, this is the best children’s fantasy series ever written. It features strong lessons on morality, inventive plotlines, and hidden threads woven throughout the entire series. Jim Dale’s audiobook narration of this book is award-winning. He voices over 200 characters, each with distinct accents.
Appropriate for ages 9-13
Find this book in Books like Harry Potter / Books Like Percy Jackson / 21 Adult Books Similar to Harry Potter / Harry Potter Books in Order / Best Audiobooks for Kids

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This first Percy Jackson book is about our beloved Percy, who discovers he is a demi-god and must recover Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt. He travels into the underworld to locate the lightning bolt and, at the same time, try to save his mother.

His amazing adventures with Annabeth and Grover along the way create the foundation for all the books that follow in this amazing and epic series. This show has been adapted to TV on Disney and is fantastic!

Why We Love This Book: I don’t think anyone has read this middle grade fantasy series and not loved it. It’s a contemporary greek mythology retelling for the ages.
Appropriate for ages 9-13
Find this book in Books like Percy Jackson / Epic Guide to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson Books / Audiobooks for Kids

Perfect for fans of Harry Potter / Keeper of the Lost Cities / Tween & Teen Fantasy Books

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Sophie thinks her history makes her a good fit for the School of Good like Cinderella and Snow White before her. Agatha thinks the School of Evil is a better fit for her. But when the opposite schools are assigned to each girl, they need to figure out who they are and where they belong.

Why We Love This Book: Utterly addicting, this series has 6 stories and was recently made into a movie starring Kerry Washington.
Appropriate for ages 9-13
Find this book in books similar to Percy Jackson / Netflix Adaptations / Middle Grade Fantasy / Kids Audiobooks

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Move over Harry Potter, there is a new middle grade fantasy series poised to take your throne! Meet Sophie Foster, a newly found elf living in the human world.

In book one of this ever-growing series, she’s taken back to the Lost Cities and sent to Foxfire Academy to learn to harness her powers as a Telepath. In the process, she is welcomed into a new family, makes loads of friends, and uncovers a secret organization trying to destroy the human world.

Why We Love This Book: All 5 of our children loved this series, and frankly, Jackie and I did too! It’s also a great family-friendly audiobook for long car trips. We’ve got a list of books like KOTLC if you have already read this series.
Appropriate for ages 9-12
Find this book in Secret Society Books / Fantasy Books for Tweens / Books for 11-year-olds / Books Like Percy Jackson / Kids Audiobooks

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

This classic sci-fi book for tweens tells the story of Meg, a high school student, who must travel through space and time to rescue her father.

Along with her younger brother and her friend, Meg learns about the tesseract- a wrinkle in time and space that she must travel through to save her father from Evil.

Why We Love This Book: I remember loving this science fiction book as a kid. As far as classic sci-fi books go, this is a must-read.
Appropriate for ages 8-11
Find this book in Classic Books for Kids / Kids Audiobooks / Best Sci-fi Books / Middle Grade Books

Ramona Quimby Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

Ramona is another adorable character who is perfectly imperfect.  She is sweet and lovable and gets into her share of trouble.  Whether reading to boys or girls, every child can relate to Ramona.

Why We Love This Book: When it comes to first chapter books Ramona can’t be beaten! Cleary’s classic has stood the test of time.
Appropriate for ages 4-9
Find this book in Realistic Fiction / Books for 6-year-olds / Kids Audiobooks /

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Christopher Robin have lived in the hearts of children for generations. This edition features the complete works of A. A. Milne’s stories and is essential for any home library.

Why We Love This Book: This is such a heartwarming classic book for kids. We dare you to read it without crying.
Appropriate for ages 0-6
Find this book in Rabbit Books / Best Audiobooks for Kids

Charlotte’s Web by E.B White

This is such a wonderful story of unconditional love and friendship.  When Fern saves the life of Wilbur, the runt of the pig litter, she promises to take care of him. As Wilbur grows, he befriends Charlotte, a spider, who ultimately saves his life a second time.

Why We Love This Book: This is such a heartwarming classic book for kids. We dare you to read it without crying.
Appropriate for ages 5-8
Find this book in Best Classic Books for Kids / Read Aloud Children’s Books / The Best Family Audiobooks

The Misfits by Lisa Yee

Olive is usually a misfit at every school she attends, but at her latest school, RASCH, her differences are why she’s chosen for an elite crime-fighting squad.

As she and the other Misfits go undercover to nab a prolific jewel thief, they must learn to work together and lean on one another.

Why We Love This Book: The diverse cast of characters comes alive in this story – each bringing their own quirks, skills, and differences to create a cohesive team. #Gifted by Penguin Kids
Appropriate for ages 8-12
Find this book in Best Audiobooks for Kids / Books for 12-year-olds / Mystery Books for Kids

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

Mr. Lemoncello’s library is one of a kind. It’s full of holograms, logic puzzles, and hidden games. To officially open the new library, a few lucky kids get to spend the night inside as they try to win Mr. Lemoncello’s game and be the first team to escape.

Why We Love This Book: If you are looking for great bedtime stories for kids, this series will hit the mark. It will get your kids engaged with one-of-a-kid puzzles and delightful twists and turns.
Appropriate for ages 9-11
Find this book in Audiobooks for Kids / Netflix Book Adaptations / Middle Grade Mysteries / Books for 11-year-olds / Read Aloud Books / Best Puzzle Books

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

This recently banned book tells the story of Mia and her family who are immigrants from China. Mia’s struggles to be successful in America are met with the divide between classes in her school, the racism she faces, and her family’s quest to make ends meet.

Why We Love This Book: I loved learning from Mia and watching her problem-solve to help her family as they took over caring for the Calivista Motel. If you are looking for realistic fiction middle grade books that skew a little younger, check out this realistic fiction book.
Appropriate for ages 9-11
Find this book in Coming-of-Age Books / Books for 10-year-olds / Audiobooks for Kids / Hotel Novels / Books about Poverty and It’s Impact

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Coyote Sunrise lives with her Dad, Rodeo on an old school bus, riding around the country but never returning to where her mother and sisters died.

Until Coyote gets a call from her grandma that the park where she hid a memory box is scheduled to be torn down. Soon Coyote needs to figure out a plan to get her dad back to Washington before she loses that box.

Why We Love This Book: Filled with life lessons and charming strangers they meet and transport along the way, I adored Coyote and her unique life. My kids listened along to this coming-of-age novel with me too and they felt the same way.
Appropriate for ages 9-12
Find this book in Realistic Fiction / Audiobooks for Kids / Audiobooks for a Road Trip

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

The story is three tales woven together in one with a magical harmonica at the center. The story follows a harmonica as it lands in the hands of Freidrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California.

Part fairy tale and part historical fiction, this is one story that is amazing for middle grade and adults alike. Each child has their own adventure but the end brings the three stories together in a beautiful way.

Why We Love This Book: I listened to this feel-good book and it blew me away. The full-cast audiobook plays music so it is a full sensory experience. In our opinion, this story is best in audiobook format. 
Appropriate for ages 10-12
Find this book in World War II Books for Kids / Magical Realism Books / Books for 13-Year-Olds / Audiobooks for Kids / Novels About Music

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

This charming story is about a bi-racial family in Harlem with 5 kids who are about to lose their home because their reclusive landlord won’t renew their lease.⁣
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My entire family enjoyed this delightful tale of the siblings trying to win their landlord over so they don’t have to leave home. It was full of all the antics you would expect of a big family. ⁣

Why We Love This Book: We love that the Vanderbeekers’ story normalizes city living and a bi-racial family – something that’s hard to find in many children’s book series. You will fall in love with this cast of characters and as the series progresses you’ll come to regard them as family.
Appropriate for ages 7-11
Find this book in Best Books for a 10-Year-Old / Best Family Audiobooks For Road Trips / Read Aloud Books / Realistic Fiction Books / Feel-Good Books

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Based on the true story of Ivan, a gorilla trapped in a shopping mall, this feel-good story is one of the best family audiobooks for any road trip.

Stella, a young girl gets Ivan to start painting again and she realizes how lonely he is. Bob, a stray dog, works to help Ivan and Ruby, a baby elephant, garner the attention they need to be sent to a better home.

Why We Love This Book: This book will touch your heart. Even though it is partially a sad book, the ending will make it worthwhile. This is one of the best animal fiction books for middle grade and adults.
Appropriate for ages 8-10
Find this book in Books for 9-year-olds, Zoo Books, Family Audiobooks, Animal Novels / Audiobooks for Kids

Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

This coming-of-age story is about a deaf girl who is struggling to connect with her community and a whale named Blue 52 who can’t find his ocean community either. She sets out to connect with Blue 52 and along the way she finds her inner strength beautifully.

Why We Love This Book: This was one of the realistic fiction audiobooks for tweens I listened to with my kids and we all just adored it. I had tears streaming down my face at the end.
Appropriate for ages 9-12
Find this book in Books for 10-year-olds / Audiobooks for Kids / Realistic Fiction / Coming-of-Age Novels

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

Rosanne does a marvelous job of telling the true story of a wolf trying to survive when separated from his family. Without the protection of his pack, Swift must learn how to thrive on his own.

Swift’s journey takes him across 1,000 miles of forests, highways, and rivers with danger facing him at every turn.

Why We Love This Book: My family was riveted by this story when we listened on a recent family road trip. Even though this is a middle-grade book, we love this for adults as well.
Appropriate for ages 8-11
Find this book in Animal Novels / Middle-Grade Fiction / Audiobooks for Kids