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Best Audio Books for a Family Road Trip

A family road trip is one of those vacations people either love or dread. Those hours from point A to point B and sometimes places in between can be magical or downright exhausting. If your family is looking for something fun to pass the time, consider these best audiobooks for family car trips.

Pair these along with some healthy snacks and road trip games, and you’ll have no complaints from the kids. After logging thousands of miles in road trips reading (and listening to) hundreds of books along the way, we’ve come up with our list of best audio books for a family road trip. Enjoy!

best audible books for family road trips-Kids Are A Trip

*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. I may receive commission on any purchases made. You can often find free audible books at your local library. Opinions are 100% my own.

Top Audiobooks for a Family Road Trip

Best Family Friendly Audiobooks (Grade School)

1. The Mercy Watson Collection, Volume 1: By Kate DiCamillo

When looking for audio books for kids, it can be helpful to find books that are part of a series. This laugh out loud series includes many books, but this audiobook features Mercy Watson to the Rescue and Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. Mercy is not just a pig, she’s a porcine wonder according to her owners Mr. and Mrs. Watson. Mercy’s antics will keep your kids laughing and distract them on long drives.

Best Audiobooks for a Family Road Trip Mercy Watson-Kids Are A Trip

2. The Roald Dahl Audio Collection: as told by Roald Dahl

What’s not to love about James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Enormous Crocodile, and The Magic Finger all in one place? Told by the author himself, children and adults alike will enjoy his dynamic storytelling and fantastic short stories.

Best Road Trip Books for Kids Dahl-Kids Are A Trip

3. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This was one of my son’s favorite books in second grade and he still talks about it. This is the second book in the series where Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house, and the family sets out for Indian country! They travel from Wisconsin to Kansas where Pa builds their little house on the prairie. Sometimes farm life is difficult, even dangerous, but Laura and her family are kept busy and happy with the promise of their new life on the prairie. One of our favorite audio books for a road trip.

Best Audio Books for a Family Road Trip-Kids Are A Trip

4. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Charlotte’s Web is the classic children’s story by E. B. White. The tale of how a little girl named Fern, with the help of a friendly spider, saved her pig Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs.

Best Audiobooks for a Road Trip Charlotte's Web-Kids Are A Trip

5. Frindle by Andrew Clements

When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he’s got the inspiration for his best plan ever: the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle?

Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn’t belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there’s nothing Nick can do to stop it.

Favorite Audio Books for a Family Road Trip Frindle-Kids Are A Trip

6. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

This story (and the other in the series) follow the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.

Favorite Audio Books for a Family Road Trip Dragon-Kids Are A Trip

7. The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo

This is the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat named Roscuro, who lives in darkness but desires a world filled with light. It is also the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl with a simple, impossible wish. These characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them into a horrible dungeon, a glittering castle, and ultimately, into each other’s lives. And what happens then?

Tale of Despereaux Audiobook for Kids

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Best Audiobooks for Family Road Trips (Middle School Students)

8. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. One day, he’s tracked down by an uncle he barely knows—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. Uncle Randolph tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants, and evil monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Magnus Chase Road Trip Audiobook-Kids Are A Trip

9. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school – until now. He’s about to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be.

Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances? R. J. Palacio has crafted an uplifting novel full of wonderfully realistic family interactions, lively school scenes, and writing that shines with true emotional power.

Wonder Best Audiobook for a Road Trip-Kids Are A Trip

10. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family . . .

Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

The Graveyard Book Best Audiobooks for a Road Trip-Kids Are A Trip

11. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy, where hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets…Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious thirteen-year-old boy who calls himself the “Thief Lord.”

Brilliant and charismatic, the Thief Lord leads a ring of street children who dabble in petty crimes. Prosper and Bo delight in being part of this colorful new family. But the Thief Lord has secrets of his own. And soon the boys are thrust into circumstances that will lead them to a fantastic, spellbinding conclusion.

Best Audio Books for a Family Road Trip-Kids Are A Trip

12. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis’ acclaimed and universally loved novels spring to life in these spellbinding full-cast BBC dramatizations. Anyone who’s visited Narnia wants to go back again, and these radio dramas make for a hugely entertaining first-time or return journey.

Best Audio Books for a Family Road Trip Narnia-Kids Are A Trip

13. The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairytales.

The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought. This is the first book of a series.

Best Audio Books for a Family Road Trip-Land of Stories

14. Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley

Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle.

With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather. The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn’t want to keep his promise. And now it’s up to Micah to get the miracle he came for. Probably better for older kids, but younger children will enjoy the fantasy elements.

Best Audio Books for a Family Road Trip Circus -Kids Are A Trip
Top Audiobooks for Family Travel

15. Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Lost and alone in the forbidden Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each becomes interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives, binding them by an invisible thread of destiny.

All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. How their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck.

Echo Road Trip Audiobooks for Teens-Kids Are A Trip
16. The Search for Wondla by Tony DiTerlizzi

When a marauder destroys the underground sanctuary that Eva Nine was raised in by the robot Muthr, the 12-year-year-old girl is forced to flee aboveground. Eva Nine is searching for anyone else like her, for she knows that other humans exist, because of an item she treasures: a scrap of cardboard on which is depicted a young girl, an adult, and a robot, with the strange word, WondLa.

The Search for Wondla Audio Book Kids

17. Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Bobby Phillips is an average 15-year-old boy, until the morning he wakes up and can’t see himself in the mirror. Not blind, not dreaming, Bobby is just plain invisible. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to Bobby’s new condition; even his dad the physicist can’t figure it out. For Bobby that means no school, no friends, no life. He’s a missing person.

Then he meets Alicia. She’s blind, and Bobby can’t resist talking to her, trusting her. But people are starting to wonder where Bobby is. Bobby knows that his invisibility could have dangerous consequences for his family and time is running out. He has to find out how to be seen again…before it’s too late.

Things Not Seen Audiobook for Kids

Family Audiobooks High Schoolers will Enjoy

18. Grimm’s Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm

Read by a cast of award-winning narrators, this collection contains some of the most timeless and enchanting folk and fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm. Lyrically translated and beautifully narrated by this all-star cast, these 21 tales are selected from The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales and presented just as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm originally set them down: bold, primal, just frightening enough, and endlessly engaging.

Grimms Fairy Tales Best AudioBook-Kids Are A Trip

19. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really happened that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does-or does not-say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

The Hate U Give AudioBook for Teens-Kids Are A Trip

20. Refugee by Alan Gratz

This timely and powerful novel tells the story of three different children seeking refuge. Josef is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world….Isabel is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America….Mahmoud is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe….

All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers – from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end. If you are looking for suspenseful audiobooks for road trips, this one doesn’t disappoint.

Best Audibooks for Teens Refugee-Kids Are A Trip

21. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless.

Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all – a treasure-troving dragon named Smaug.

In this fantasy classic, master storyteller J.R.R. Tolkein creates a bewitching world filled with delightful creatures and thrilling dangers. Narrator Rob Inglis will hold listeners of all ages spellbound with his skillful portrayal of hobbits, dwarves, and enchanted beasts.

The Hobbit Best Audiobook for Teens - Kids Are A Trip

22. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Cyra Noavek and Akos Kereseth have grown up in enemy countries locked in a long-standing fight for dominance over their shared planet. When Akos and his brother are kidnapped by the ruling Noavek family, Akos is forced to serve Cyra, the sister of a dictator who governs with violence and fear.

Cyra is known for her deadly power of transferring extraordinary pain unto others with simple touch, and her tyrant brother uses her as a weapon against those who challenge him. But as Akos fights for his own survival, he recognizes that Cyra is also fighting for hers, and that her true gift—resilience—might be what saves them both.

When Akos and Cyra are caught in the middle of a raging rebellion, everything they’ve been led to believe about their world and themselves must be called into question. But fighting for what’s right might mean betraying their countries, their families, and each other. When the time comes, will they choose loyalty or love?

Carve the Mark Great Audiobooks for Summer-Kids Are A Trip

23. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Best Audio Books for a Road Trip The Sun is Also a Star-Kids Are A Trip

24. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This science fiction novel is set in the year 2044 and the world is an ugly place. Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending time at the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of 10,000 planets.

Like everyone else in the world, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual reality. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of puzzles that will yield massive fortune – and remarkable power – to whoever can unlock them.

All seems hopeless until Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life – and love – in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

Ready Player One Audiobook for Teens

25. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a 17-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

Then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside – she is the daughter of the warden of Incarceron and is doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don’t realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

Incarceron Book for Teens

Looking for other road trip advice? Check out our 35 Essentials for Your Family Road Trip and 25 Easy to Pack Travel Snacks

7 Comments

  1. Oh these are great choices for audiobooks! My sons love Rick Riordan, the Star Wars series and How to Train Your Dragon. Tweeted and pinned your post. Stopping by from SITS Sharefest and I hope you’ll linkup with our Pretty Pintastic and Small Victories Sunday Linkup parties both going on now!

    1. Thank you for sharing. I think I’m already on PP linkup but will check the other one!

  2. Roald Dahl = love!! We’re going to see Matilda on Broadway this fall. Yippeee!

  3. We always used to listen to audio books on car trips when I was a kid! These are great suggestions. I’d also recommend stories by David Walliams, which my kids love.

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