Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
I love listening to audiobooks, and I have passed that love on to my kids. Since they were younger, I have put on audiobooks for them when we got in the car. Our favorites were the full cast audiobooks for kids. These books kept us fully entertained. I wanted to give you a list of my favorites to eliminate all the guesswork.
Between Kirsten and me, we have listened to hundreds of audiobooks. At this point, we consider ourselves audiobook connoisseurs. We made a list of the best audiobooks for a family road trip, but I wanted to give a list of full cast audiobooks as well. These books really give a different experience for kids- especially kids who may have a harder time paying attention to audiobooks.
The Best Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick in any category. You’ll also be able to use a page jump to see more books in that section.
The Best Full Cast Audiobook for Younger Kids
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White- Jump to Section
The Best Full Cast Audiobook for Older Kids
Refugee by Alan Gratz – Jump to Section
Best Honorable Mention Audiobook
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling- Jump to Section
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Full Cast Audiobooks for Younger Kids
Charlotte’s Web
Author: E.B. White
Illustrator: Garth Williams
Year: 1952
Genre: Children’s Classic
Age: 5-8
More info: Newbery Winner
Plot
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 Jackie loves it
This is such a heartwarming classic book for kids. We dare you to read it without crying. The audiobook recording features Meryl Streep and a full cast.
Find this book in: Best Classic Books for Kids / Read Aloud Children’s Books / The Best Family Audiobooks / Animal Books for Kids / Newbery Award Winners / Best Books for 7-year-olds / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea
Author: Ben Clanton
Illustrator: Dav Pilkey
Year: 2016
Genre: Early Reader
Age: 5 – 8
More info: Narwhal and Jelly #1, Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Plot
This early reader graphic novel is adorable and the first in the Narwhal and Jelly book series. This book is three short stories in one featuring these ocean besties making new friends.
Why Jackie loves it
This is one of the best books for beginner readers to gain confidence. The whole series is a total delight. As a bonus, books 1-5 are combined into a single audiobook with a full cast of narrators!
Find this book in: Best Books for 6-year-olds / Early Reader Books / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Full Cast Audiobooks for Ages 8+
Refugee
Author: Alan Gratz
Year: 2017
Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Age: 10+
More info: New York Times Bestsellers
Plot
Three tales in one, this realistic fiction story is told in alternating chapters by three narrators. The stories feature Josef, a Jewish refugee fleeing WWII Germany, Isabel a Cuban girl on her way to Miami in 1994, and Mahmoud a Syrian refugee seeking asylum in Germany in 2015. The chapters rotate between the three characters and their stories do connect at the end in a meaningful and moving way.
Trigger Warnings
War, Child Death
Why Kirsten loves it
The characters are all about 13 years old but shoulder burdens that would be hard for an adult to handle. Gratz accurately portrays each child’s struggle with both grace and clarity – not shying away from difficult emotions and even death.
Find this book in: Best Books for 11-year-olds / Realistic Fiction Books for Kids / Middle Grade Books for Tweens /Best Books of 2017 / Books That Will Emotionally Wreck You / WWII Books for Kids / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Plot
Doug is ready to win the STEAMS competition at his very competitive middle school. He thinks it’s his chance to show his famous athlete dad and his principal that he deserves to be selected to compete at Gadget-Con.
But he’s teamed up with a band of misfits. Can he bring his team together and win the competition?
Why Kirsten loves it
Told from the perspective of multiple narrators, I highly recommend the audiobook version because of the full-cast narration. My sons (10 & 12) and I listened to this over the summer and enjoyed every minute of it! We loved hearing about the wacky competition and how the team comes together in the end. #gifted by Levine Querido
Find this book in: Best Books for 13-year-olds / School Books / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
New Kid
Author: Jerry Craft
Illustrator: Jerry Craft
Year: 2019
Genre: Graphic Novel
Age: 9 – 12
More info: Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature — New Kid #1
Plot
This is a thought-provoking story about Jordan Banks, a 7th-grade boy who wants to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Instead, his parents send him to a prestigious private school where he is one of the few diverse students. He can’t seem to figure out where he fits in at home or at school.
Trigger Warnings
Racism, Classism, Bullying
Why Jackie loves it
This graphic novel has won numerous awards and for good reason. This is a good one for kids who aren’t yet ready for Angie Thomas’s books.
Find this book in: Graphic Novels / Best Book for 12-year-olds / Best Books for Tweens / Middle Grade Fiction / Back to School Books / Newbery Award Winners / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Echo
Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Year: 2015
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Age: 10 – 12
More info: Newbery Honor Book, New York Times Bestseller, Children’s Literature Legacy Award Winner
Plot
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.
Trigger Warnings
Racism, Antisemitism
Why Kirsten loves it
It’s not often that I find myself contemplating a middle grade story long after I have finished it, but I have thought of this one many times in the years since I read it. My children loved it just as much as I did when we listened to it during a road trip.
Why Jackie loves it
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.
Find this book in: World War II Books for Kids / Books for 11-Year-Olds / Audiobooks for Kids / Novels About Music / Newbery Award Winners / Best Middle Grade Fiction / Family Audiobooks / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
White Bird
Author: R. J. Palacio
Year: 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction Graphic Novel
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 9+
Plot
White Bird is a story about Grandmère set in the Wonder universe. It tells the story of her young childhood as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France and how someone she once bullied saved her during WWII. Grandmère tells Julian the story over the course of Palacio’s debut graphic novel in a way that is so moving.
Trigger Warnings
Antisemitism
Why Jackie loves it
This graphic novel came my way through my local bookstore and it was a beautiful surprise for me. I loved Wonder. The story was told beautifully and with compassion. I wondered if I would be disappointed with how a story about the holocaust would translate into a graphic novel and whether the story could be told with an equal amount of compassion. Happily, I was not disappointed at all. It is so poignant and powerful with a message of kindness that is so relevant today.
Find this book in: WWII Books for Kids / Books with Color in the Title / Best Books for 13-year-olds / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
To Night Owl From Dogfish
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer
Year: 2019
Genre: Middle-Grade Fiction
More info: Two amazing authors with a story told via letters and emails.
Age Range: 9+
Plot
This tween book came so highly recommended that I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype. But I loved it. Is it about two girls who could not be more different, whose fathers fall in love and send them to camp together so they can meet before they all become a family.
It is told through emails sent back and forth between the girls, family, and friends as well. It is so well written and is ultimately a story about friendship and unconditional love. This middle grade book deals with really complicated issues like what makes a family in a completely approachable way.
Why Jackie loves it
This is a book written by two fantastic writers in such a unique way- it is told through letters and emails. It is relatable for children and adults alike, even though it is appropriate for ages 9 and up.
Find this book in: Ultimate List of Middle Grade Books for Tweens / Books About Sisters / Epistolary Novels/ Best Books for a 12-Year-Old / Books about Camp / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
Year: 1995
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Age: 10 – 12
More info: His Dark Materials #1
Plot
Lyra lives in a world where all humans have animal familiars and parallel universes are all within reach. When Lyra’s best friend Roger is taken North by gobblers, she sets off to find him and bring him home. With the help of an armored bear, Lyra is determined on her quest but what she doesn’t know could kill her.
Trigger Warnings
Child Death, Kidnapping
Why Jackie loves it
I read this fantasy book for tweens years ago and it stayed with me. As the name suggests, it is dark and probably not for kids who get scared easily.
Find this book in: Fantasy Books for Tweens / Children’s Books About Winter / Best Books for 12-year-olds / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks
Author: Jason Reynolds
Year: 2019
Genre: Middle-Grade Short Story
More info: A National Book Award Finalist
Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
Age Range: 10+
Plot
I thought this middle-grade novel was a wonderful look at the problems facing young people. Each chapter is a different narrator telling a different story about their walk home from school addressing issues like crushes, bullying, sick parents, and more.
Each tale gives you a glimpse into the minds of the children in the neighborhood – the funny, the sad, and everything in between.
Why Kirsten loves it
I finished this story in one sitting and immediately told Jackie to give it to her son. I can’t wait to give this to my boys one day.
Find this book in: Best School Books / Realistic Fiction Books / Short Stories / Best Books for 10-year-olds / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Honorable mention
Why do I call this an honorable mention for the best full cast audiobook for kids when there is only one narrator? Jim Dale created more than 30 voices for the first Harry Potter book. By the time he recorded the final book in the Harry Potter Series (The Deathly Hallows), Jim Dale had recorded 146 voices, beating his own Guinness World Record for 134 voices in The Order of the Phoenix. It is for this reason, I felt Jim Dale needed to be mentioned.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Author: J. K Rowling
Year: 1998
Genre: Middle-Grade fantasy
More info: Harry Potter #1 of 7
Age Range: 8+ (note that some of the later books in the series may not be appropriate until a bit older)
Plot
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?
Trigger Warnings
Parental death
Why Jackie loves it
I firmly believe that JK Rowling changed children’s literature more profoundly than any other author. I realize that this is a very strong statement. But, until her, there have never been books that have had such an impact on the world of reading. The books are so brilliantly laid out with easter eggs in book one that are essential for the entire plot. I believe this is one of the best fantasy series ever written.
Why Kirsten loves it
In my 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 and my kids have listened to the entire series multiple times.
Adaptations
While this beloved series has already been made into an 8 movie series starring Daniel Ratcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, Warner Brothers is currently turning into a TV series as well.
Find this book in: Halloween Chapter Books / Audiobooks for Kids / Harry Potter Books in Order / Books like Percy Jackson / Fantasy Books for Tweens / Magic School Books / Jackie’s Favorite Books / Kirsten’s Favorite Books / Books to Read Aloud / Books with Magic Schools for Kids / Full Cast Audiobooks for Kids
Expert Tip
Does listening to an audiobook count as reading?
- Absolutely! Everybody processes language in a different way. For some people, especially active kids, they learn by moving or learn by listening. Audiobooks give an opportunity to read a book in a way that works for them. Full cast audiobooks for kids give that extra bit of information about who is speaking to help even the squiggliest of readers enjoy and understand a story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best full cast audiobooks for kids?
There are some fantastic full cast audiobooks for kids. Charlotte’s Web is narrated by Meryl Streep and a full cast. Books like Refugee, New Kid, Echo, and Look Both Ways are all amazing full cast audiobooks for kids.
Are full cast audiobooks good for toddlers?
I could not find full cast audiobooks for toddlers.
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Epilogue
What are your favorite full cast audiobooks for kids?
