Fall’s Best New Audiobooks for Kids and Teens
Partnered with:
AudioFile Magazine
Listening to audiobooks is not only a fun way to experience picture and chapter books, it’s also a great way to enhance skills like vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Here are some of 2016’s best listens for everyone from the earliest pre-readers to tweens and teens.
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Pre-K (Ages 3 - 5)
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My Pen
This celebration of imagination also fosters social-emotional development, as the boy’s pen helps him overcome feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. Christopher Myers’s pen and ink drawings flow across the pages and hearing his voice will encourage children to pick up drawing implements to create their own world.
(Available September 2016) -
The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots
This newly discovered manuscript features a sly black cat sneaking off on nocturnal hunting expeditions without her owner’s knowledge. With cameo appearances by the likes of Peter Rabbit and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, the recording — available as a digital download with wry narration by Helen Mirren — stands on its own. Or, get the CD with the book, illustrated by Quentin Blake, to be published for the 150th anniversary of Potter’s birth.
(Available September 2016) -
Otis and the Kittens
Available from:When fire strikes the barn, Otis the tractor rushes to help evacuate the kittens stranded in the hayloft. When Otis himself becomes trapped, his friends must help him escape. Fans of these heartwarming stories will be glad to listen and read the newest in the series.
(Available October 2016)Also available from:
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Growing Reader (Ages 6 - 8)
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Ballpark Mysteries Super Special #1: The World Series Curse
Cashman’s narration grounds listeners to young sleuths Mike and Kate, who are preparing to watch game five between the Red Sox and Cubs at Fenway Park. Just when they think the Cubs will take it all, strange things start happening, giving the Red Sox a chance at a World Series comeback!
(Available September 2016) -
Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster Belt
The fourth book of this wacky science series won’t disappoint kids (or grown-ups) looking for real facts, silly characters, and weird contraptions. The author and illustrator of the print series are entertaining as narrators and will surely draw the most reluctant readers/listeners into these clandestine STEM studies.
(Available September 2016) -
Eww! What's on My Shoe? (George Brown, Class Clown, #11)
Available from:Kids say they want funny books, and this series definitely hits the mark. In this latest installment, George tries to be a supportive friend when Alex goes for the world record for an already-been-chewed gumball. Ross’s exuberant narration heightens the fun and increases the giggle factor.
(Available October 2016)Also available from:
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Tweens (Ages 9 - 12)
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A Most Magical Girl
Magic and witches in Victorian London? When her mother disappears, Annabelle’s eccentric aunts plunge her into a wild existence of flying broomsticks and wizards and a dangerous quest for a sacred wand. Foxlee and Entwistle team up again (Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy) for another spellbinding adventure.
(Available August 2016) -
The Best Man
Archer Magill is moving into middle school (not to mention puberty) and discovers it brings lots of changes, especially when his beloved Uncle Paul marries his favorite teacher, Mr. McLeod. Laughter and a few tears are promised, just what we expect from Peck, assisted by narrator Michael Crouch.
(Available September 2016) -
I Survived #10: I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
The popular I Survived series is now available on audio! Heart-pounding events from the past help get kids interested in history, like this fast-paced, wrenching story of Marcus, an 11-year-old slave caught up in the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, that will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.
(Available September 2016)
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Teens (Ages 13+)
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Riverkeep
On Wulliam’s 16th birthday, when the responsibilities of Riverkeep — clearing the Danék of corpses — pass to him from his father, a fearful event draws Wull more deeply into his dreadful magical world. Stewart’s darkly comic fantasy becomes increasingly macabre with Cosmo’s deep-voiced, atmospheric narration.
(Available July 2016) -
A Torch Against the Night
Often compared to Game of Thrones, this sequel to An Ember in the Ashes picks up from the first book with tension, death, and steamy romance at the forefront. The Scholar rebellion is in full swing, plunging listeners right into the fray, with the three stellar narrators reprising their roles from book one.
(Available August 2016) -
The Duel: The Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
Anticipating the current passion for Revolutionary history, Judith St. George’s lively biography of Hamilton and Burr was originally published in 2009. Thankfully, it’s now been recorded so that young people who have listened over and over to “Hamilton: The Musical” can learn more of the background of the two central characters.
(Available October 2016)
