The Best New Audiobooks to Listen to as a Family This Month
by Janssen Bradshaw
As a book lover, there’s nothing I love more than audiobooks.
For all the years I spent commuting to school and work, I lived for those books on CD that made the miles fly by.
Now audiobooks keep me entertained while I fold laundry or make dinner at home.
And best of all, my children LOVE listening to audiobooks, so you can almost always find one playing in our car as we drive to gymnastics, the grocery store, or school pick up.
If you’re looking for great new audiobooks for your kids to listen to this month, I’ve picked some in several age categories, plus a bonus one for grown-ups to make your driving/laundry-folding/hiding-in-the-bathroom-to-listen-to-one-more-chapter a little more fun.
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Young Readers
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She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History
Written and read by Chelsea Clinton, this book about 13 incredible women who have changed the world in their own ways is one you’ll want to listen to again and again (and have your children enjoy too).
(On sale: 3/6/18)Listen to a clip:
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Nate the Great Collected Stories: Volume 5
One of my favorite things to listen to in the car with my children are short story collections. They're just the right length for an errand and it's easy to hop in and out of. My girls are obsessed with mysteries and Nate the Great is one of the best detectives out there. This collection has three mysteries for Nate the Great to solve, plus it's volume 5, so if your children love it, you have plenty of back volumes to work through.
Available from:
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Middle Grade
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A Wrinkle in Time
With the movie coming out, this is the perfect time to experience this beloved book for the first or tenth time. Meg Murry and her younger brother find themselves on an impossible quest through time and space to find their missing father and bring him home.
Listen to a clip:
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Hello, Universe
Fresh off a Newbery win, Hello, Universe is getting all sorts of love. Don’t miss this neighborhood adventure about four children whose lives intersect in surprising ways after a prank lands one of the boys, plus his guinea pig, at the bottom of a well, and all four of them must come together to set things right again.
(On sale: 3/14/18) -
Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans
The only thing better than a good audiobook is a SERIES of good audiobooks, and this one kicks off a brand-new series perfect for puzzle-loving listeners who will love following along as Samantha Spinner works to solve the mystery of her vanished Uncle Paul who has left behind nothing but a cryptic note. Well, that and a rusty umbrella.
Listen to a clip:
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Young Adult
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Tempests and Slaughter
No one does fantasy quite like Tamora Pierce and her latest novel is no exception. Prepare to be sucked into this tale of Arram Draper — who is on track to become one of the most powerful mages in the realm, with his two sidekicks — that kicks off the new series. But Arram isn’t just talented — he also has a gift for attracting the worst kinds of danger.
Listen to a clip:
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The Beauty That Remains
Three teenagers are all coping with loss — Autumn has lost her best friend in a car accident, Shay’s twin died of leukemia, and Logan’s ex-boyfriend committed suicide. Together, they might be able to figure out how to keep living their lives.
(On sale: 3/6/18) -
Undefeated
I basically think Steve Sheinkin is a genius, and this new book isn’t changing my mind. More than just a book about football, Undefeated tells the story of Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner who start a football team at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School that goes on to beat schools much better funded and staffed than theirs, and flawlessly weaves in the persecution of the Native Americans.
Listen to a clip:
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Grown-Ups
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The Great Alone
When the woman who wrote The Nightingale comes out with a new book, you don’t wait to pick it up. This one is about a Vietnam War POW who comes home and can’t seem to manage regular life anymore. After another job loss, the whole family moves to Alaska to live off the grid, but of course, things do not go as planned. As the winter darkness approaches, the family begins to fall apart and it becomes clear that they are completely on their own to save themselves.
What great audiobooks has your family listened to recently? Share with us in the comments below.