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Audiobooks: Great sounding middle-grade books

Jun 25, 2010
Audiobooks, Book Lists

Heard any great middle-grade books lately?

If not, you’re in for a treat. With long road trips to vacation destinations looming ahead, or just endless days filled with proclamations of “I’m BORED!”, summer is the perfect time to get hooked on great middle-grade audiobooks.

High angle view of a boy listening to music on headphones

Content © 2010 Newscom All rights reserved.

Listening on the road: Audiobooks are a great alternative for kids who feel carsick while reading. They also make a nice change from DVD’s and endless games of “Bumper Stumpers”.  You can listen to audiobooks on your car CD player or they can be uploaded as playlists on your middle grader’s MP3 player.

image from http://www.playaway.com/

Listening at home: Audiobooks can help augment your middle grader’s everyday book-reading too. Listening to the first book in a series, for instance, can encourage kids to check out later volumes in print form too. Audiobooks can also encourage kids to try books at a higher reading level. Once they’ve heard a book read out loud, it may encourage them to seek out other books by the same author.

Listening at the library: Check out your local library’s audiobook selection. Often, popular titles are more readily available in audio than in print form. Some libraries allow users to download the sound file directly from the Internet. It really doesn’t get any easier than that!

Oh, wait a sec. Yes, it does…

Listening on the go: Ask your school or local librarian whether they have PLAYAWAYS. These self-contained MP3 players are pre-loaded with an audiobook. Great to grab-and-go.

Everything old is new again: Even old favorites seem new-to-you when read by a great narrator.  The HARRY POTTER series by JK Rowling, read by Jim Dale, A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L’Engle, read by the author and A SINGLE SHARD by Linda Sue Park, read by Graeme Malcolm, are all oldies but goodies. (Click on the image to hyperlink to a sound sample.)

       

Newer titles like WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead, read by Cynthia Holloway, OPERATION YES by Sara Lewis Holmes, read by Jessica Almasy and GOOD MASTERS!  SWEET LADIES!: VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE by Laura Amy Schlitz, read by Christina Moore and a full cast, are also great bets.

       

A few more top picks from our Mixed-Up authors:

THE BOXCAR CHILDREN by Gertrude Chandler Warner, read by Phyllis Newman

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA by Katherine Paterson, read by Robert Sean Leonard

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY by Roald Dahl, read by Eric Idle

THE GET RICH QUICK CLUB by Dan Gutman, read by Angela Goethals

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX by Kate DiCamillo, read by Graeme Malcolm

THE RED BLAZER GIRLS series by by Michael D. Beil, read by Tai Alexandra Ricci

NORY RYAN’S SONG by Patricia Reilly Giff, read by Susan Lynch, and the sequel, MAGGIE’S DOOR read by Fionnula Flanagan

BUD, NOT BUDDY by Christopher Paul Curtis, read by James Avery

And there’s more!: Here are a few more lists to get you started…

The Booksource

Renaissance Reading

Audible

WHAT ABOUT YOU?  Have you listened to any great middle-grade audiobooks lately? Care to share?

**Oh, and don’t forget to enter our second summer giveaway – one lucky reader will win three amazing middle-grade books!

Hélène Boudreau listened to the whole HARRY POTTER series (close to 100 hours worth!) while training for her latest half marathon walk, and appreciated Jim Dale’s company and fabulous narration through it all. You can visit her at www.heleneboudreau.com

Written by: Helene Boudreau on June 25, 2010.on July 11, 2012.
27 Comments
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27 Comments

  1. Karen B. Schwartz  •  Jun 25, 2010 @8:04 am

    I’ve never listened to an audiobook version of a MG book. That is a great idea for long car rides. Thanks for the list!

  2. Deb  •  Jun 25, 2010 @8:28 am

    Thanks for this, Helene! I love audio books. A recommend from me would be SCAT by Carl Hiaasen-read by Ed Asner. Fantastic book, great voice…I can _still_ hear him reading it. It was a perfect match, imo.

  3. Laura Pauling  •  Jun 25, 2010 @8:29 am

    I listened to Holes in a carride and was spellbound.

    My daughter read When You Reach Me and has listened to the audio twice so far!

  4. Kris  •  Jun 25, 2010 @8:52 am

    Audiobooks are also fabulous for early elementary kids who have a middle grade attention-span without the reading level yet. I’ve listened to the Sisters Grimm, Harry Potter, Spiderwick Chronicles, and the Lightning Thief and much more with my seven-year-old. Thanks Helene!

  5. Robyn Gioia  •  Jun 25, 2010 @10:08 am

    A good audio book is like going to the movies when you have a narrator as talented as Jim Dale in the Harry Potter series.

  6. Helene Boudreau  •  Jun 25, 2010 @11:05 am

    Robyn, I totally agree re: Jim Dale. He is a master!

    Kris, great point about the early elementary kids. I remember my girls following along with the Disney Princess stories and Winnie the Pooh. They had the book anthology along with the CD. Now, they REALLY love ALLIE FINKLE’S RULES FOR GIRLS. I can’t believe I didn’t mention that one! Ooops!

    Laura, I loved both HOLES and WHEN YOU REACH ME. Just perfect in every way.

    Karen, we don’t have a DVD player in the car and travel quite a bit so audiobooks have been great for long and short trips alike.

    Deb, I’m definitely going to put SCAT on my TBLT list. I’m going on a 21-hour car ride next week so thanks for the rec!

  7. Sherrie Petersen  •  Jun 25, 2010 @12:44 pm

    Our entire family loved listening to The Indian in the Cupboard, read by the author, Lynn Reid Banks. By far my favorite book to listen to EVER.

  8. Tracy Abell  •  Jun 25, 2010 @2:01 pm

    We did this a lot when the kids were younger. Thank goodness for audiobooks and libraries! This is a great list, one I’m sure lots of families will appreciate since I don’t know any parent who doesn’t dread those looong car rides.

  9. Parker P  •  Jun 25, 2010 @4:05 pm

    Many libraries subscribe to services that allow you to download audiobooks. Great if you’ve got an MP3 player or something like a Nook.

  10. Melina  •  Jun 25, 2010 @4:10 pm

    Audio books are great. I download them from the library. I listen with my ipod and headphones in the car and when I use the treadmill.

    I see The Red Blazer Girls on the list. I just did a review a few days ago. What a great book!

  11. Kimberley Griffiths Little  •  Jun 25, 2010 @5:15 pm

    I recently listened to “When the Swallows Came Early” on CD and I really enjoyed the voice of the girl narrator. She seemed so perfect for the main character.

    Great article!

  12. Cathe Olson  •  Jun 25, 2010 @7:04 pm

    I am not much for audiobooks . . . my mind drifts off and suddenly I’ve missed 3 paragraphs! But my daughters love them and it’s a great way to get them to clean their rooms. They are absolutely crazy over Sharon Creech’s audio books-especially the ones with Italian accents like The Unfinished Angel, Granny Torrelli’s Soup, and Bloomability. Other audiobooks that have been hits are Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Penderwicks, Anne of Green Gables, and Harry Potter.

  13. Natalie Aguirre  •  Jun 25, 2010 @7:14 pm

    I love audiobooks. I listen when I walk and garden. So a lot when the weather is nice. Last year I listened to the whole Charlie Bone series. Loved them. Lately I’ve been listening to more YA. But your choices are really good. I listened to a Wrinkle in Time and some of the Harry Potter books. I really enjoyed them.

  14. Laurie Beth Schneider  •  Jun 25, 2010 @9:21 pm

    MG audiobooks are great because you can finish them on a relatively short trip. I recently listened to Sahara Special and just started Esperanza Rising. James Howe’s The Misfits is fun, too, because of the full-cast audio.

  15. Carina  •  Jun 25, 2010 @10:44 pm

    I haven’t listened to any middle-grade audiobooks yet, but I think I’m going to try sometime soon! I definitely want to find some good ones to use in my classroom.

  16. Jennifer Duddy Gill  •  Jun 26, 2010 @6:43 pm

    My kids and I have been listening to Neil Gaiman read his stories from his Audio Collection. The stories sound completely different when he reads them. Another favorite is E.B. White reading The Trumpet of the Swan. Hearing it in his voice helped me catch some of the humor I missed when I read it to myself.

  17. Madelyn  •  Jun 26, 2010 @9:16 pm

    We recently listened to Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater (read by Daniel Pinkwater), downloaded free from his site. And now my son wants to own a copy of the book (just in case you think giving it away doesn’t result in sales.) We also like the Henry Huggins book, read by Neil Patrick Harris.

  18. Sheela Chari  •  Jun 26, 2010 @9:45 pm

    For anyone who has to spend a lot of time in the car driving their kids around, audio books is a great way to “read.” There is also the pleasure of hearing a story out loud. Audio books are a delight. Thanks for the list, Helene. I want to try some of these out.

  19. Mindy Alyse Weiss  •  Jun 27, 2010 @10:29 am

    Thank you for this great article, Helene. I actually haven’t listened to an audiobook yet, but think it’s a fantastic idea. I often read to my girls during long car rides, but it would be nice to sit back and enjoy the story along with them (my throat usually hurts after a few chapters from talking loud enough for them to hear me).

  20. Paula McLaughlin  •  Jun 27, 2010 @4:34 pm

    Not sure it’s considered MG or YA or somewhere in between, but THE GRAVEYARD BOOK was a great one to listen to. My kids and I also loved CLEMENTINE.

  21. Eileen  •  Jun 27, 2010 @5:38 pm

    This is a great idea, plus it gives me new books to add to my to-be-read list!

  22. Aimee Bartis  •  Jun 28, 2010 @9:18 am

    I also love THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis is ready by Levar Burton (from Reading Rainbow and ROOTS). It’s a great historical fiction. Wonderful for the family to listen to in the car. The history aspect kept my husband interested.

  23. Helene Boudreau  •  Jun 28, 2010 @9:34 am

    So many great additional recs! Thanks for contributing, everyone. :-)

  24. Vivian Mahoney  •  Jun 28, 2010 @12:49 pm

    We’re huge fans of audiobooks in the car! Here are some of our family favorites:

    The PERCY JACKSON series by Rick Riordan
    GREGOR THE OVERLANDER series by Suzanne Collins
    ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine
    ALLIE FINKEL series by Meg Cabot

    Thanks for the recommendations!

  25. Natalie Hyde  •  Jun 29, 2010 @8:16 am

    Audiobooks are a great way for me to keep up with my MG reading list. Following Helene’s great suggestion, I download them to my iPod and listen while I take my daily walk.

    It’s a two fer!

  26. Nora MacFarlane  •  Jun 29, 2010 @7:41 pm

    Great idea! My 12-year-old daughter will love this.

  27. Heart Bracelet  •  Nov 22, 2010 @3:12 am

    i love to listen on audiobooks while travelling on a bus, i could learn a lot from it while travelling .’*