Audiobooks for Family Road Trips (Kids & Parents Love)
Audiobooks for family road trips make the miles zip by. Before leaving home, load up on audio stories for everyone’s listening pleasure. This list of the best audiobooks for road trips includes picks for young children, grade school aged kids, and teens. Plus, these audiobooks for kids of all ages are sure to be a hit with parents, too!
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Audiobooks for Road Trips with Young Children
The Cricket in Times Square
Younger children love the sweet tale of Chester, The Cricket in Times Square. He’s accompanied by his friends Tucker and Harry, a mouse and cat living in the Times Square subway station. They help our hero discover the Big Apple, just like any adventurous traveler should.
Geronimo Stilton
Originally released in Italy, the Geronimo Stilton series of books have become a favorite of children around the world. Follow the escapades of Geronimo, his sister Thea, cousin Trap, and Benjamin, the favorite nephew. The stories take place in every corner of the globe, with Geronimo solving mysteries and eating cheese wherever he goes. Fabumouse!
Matilda
Any story by Roald Dahl makes a fantastic audiobook choice, and that certainly holds true for Matilda. Our plucky heroine takes on school bullies big and small. In the process she discovers her own surprising powers. This inspirational story teaches children that they can be mighty, no matter their size or age.
Dr. Dolittle
Animal lovers will adore listening to The Story of Dr. Dolittle. This delightful classic focuses on a physician who learns a secret language to communicate and work with animals, including a rare creature that is part unicorn.
Audiobooks for Car Trips with Kids in Grade School
39 Clues
The 11 primary books in the 39 Clues series follow the central characters, the Cahill kids. These siblings are in charge of guarding family secrets. The series’ plentiful plot twists will keep listeners in suspense mile after mile.
The Roman Mysteries
The Roman Mysteries audiobooks will inspire wanderlust to visit Rome and its ruins. Led by the noble Flavia and her band of child detectives, this series details real and fictional accounts of Roman history, including the eruption of Vesuvius and destruction of Pompeii.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang audiobook differs a bit from the Disney classic, but in the best way. Listening to this story during a road trip will make your kids wish the family car could fly too.
Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia bring the fictional kingdom of Narnia to life. This fantasy realm is inhabited by magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals. The Pevensie children accidentally discover Narnia, and then become entwined in the history of that fantastical world. The Chronicles of Narnia teaches good versus evil with engaging tales. The story spans across seven books, making it a fabulous choice for a multi-leg road trip with kids. Start with the first book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Percy Jackson
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan weaves Greek mythology into tales about the ultimate outsider hero. Like Harry Potter, Percy discovers he is no ordinary boy. He’s actually the demigod son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. That lineage comes with lots of power, baggage, and mythical responsibilities. Start your Percy Jackson audiobooks adventures from the beginning, with The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Audiobooks for Family Road Trips with Teens and Tweens
Harry Potter Series
Listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows made my family’s 16-hour drive down the California coast a quiet, engaging breeze. When great writing is accompanied by great storytelling, everyone gets into the story. Any of the Harry Potter books would make fantastic car listening. (Even without kids in tow!) New to the series? Start your Harry Potter road trip adventures with Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone. The early books in the series are great for younger kids, but the stories become darker and better for tweens or teens as they progress.
The Uglies Series
This trilogy focuses on artificial beauty, its cost, and the value of critical thinking. The Uglies series’ heroine, Tally Youngblood, uncovers the truth behind the distinction between “pretty” and “ugly” in a post-apocalyptic future. Tweens and teens just may discover a new way of looking at others, and at themselves, after listening to this one.
Artemis Fowl
The young criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is in a battle against a high-tech fairy underworld. There are eight spellbinding fantasy stories in the series. My boys loved listening to these fabulous audiobooks, even on short trips to school and the soccer field.
Where to Find Audiobooks for Family Road Trips
The audiobooks market has grown and changed over the years. Audible has become an audiobook subscription juggernaut. Get two free audiobook downloads when you sign up for an Audible Membership
Learn More Tips for Traveling with Kids
Want to inspire wanderlust and learning before hitting the road? Check out the best travel books for children according to travel experts and their kids.
Take a look at these unplugged road trip tips for tech-free ways to keep kids content while on the road.
Travel toys and games are great for road trips! Here are our favorite toys for car trips and our picks for the best travel games for kids, from toddlers to teens.
Save these Audiobooks for Family Road Trips
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Are there any other audiobooks for family road trips that you recommend? Share your recommendations in the comments below!
Top photo by AndreyKr, Depositphotos.com.
I haven’t done audiobooks in such a long time. Road trips would be a great way to get them in. I think they’d be fun for the whole family!
They really are. We love them!
That’s really lovely. It’s nice to have audiobooks on your road trip. I think these are great choices. I would definitely go for the Harry Potter since that’s what my family likes.
Our family too. They are so good.
Love these recommendations! Perfect for our next trip!
Yay! Glad to hear it, thanks Toni!
Audio books are a great idea for car rides! We are always fighting over music but this is something we would all enjoy.
I think they’d keep spats to a minimum!
Audiobooks are an awesome road trip entertainment idea! It sure beats having to listen to the same animated movie for the thousandth time.
YES! So true. Thanks Marcie!
I am yet to own an audio book. But I can see how fun it would be to have for road trips
They really are. I hope you try one out on your next adventure.
This is a pretty comprehensive list. I like it. Looks like you have covered just about every age group.
Thanks Dawn!
I love audiobooks in any car ride. I sometimes will play them even if I’m only going 10 mins. These are all great choices
Me too! I used to drive by school drop-offs after getting too engrossed. 😉
Ah these are some really good choices! Audiobooks keep everyone entertained on long car rides. I would definitely enjoy listening to these.
Good to hear! Thanks.
We used to love listening to audiobooks on our frequent road trips. We did the Harry Potter novels and lots of other ones too.
They’re great, aren’t they?
I love the idea of listening to family friendly audio books on a road trip. I get so sick of listening the the radio, which seems to play the same songs on repeat. When you’re in the car for several hours, it gets tedious!
Totally agree. Audiobook really do help to make the miles fly by on long trips. Great for air travel too.
Great idea to listen to audiobooks on road trips! My sister in law is always looking for ways to keep her kids entertained – I will give her your recommendations!
Thanks for sharing with your sister-in-law, Jess! 🙂
Great, thanks for sharing!
My son listens to music all the time, but I bet I could challenge him to try an audio book, what a great idea! I could appeal to his laziness, say it is instead of reading to see how it goes! Thanks for this!
It may spark a desire to read more! You never know, but with so many choices, he will not be bored by the great stories.
Normally, we listen to music on the way traveling, sometimes we talk about our passion for cat and dogs. I think my nieces will love listening to The Story of Dr. Dolittle. The content seems perfect for them. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the article!
This is such an awesome idea! What could possibly be a better story time situation like this than a road trip?!
Right?! Thanks Jen!
These are great! I love audio books on road trips. It’s a great way to get in some “reading” while nothing else is going on.
It really is! Thanks Stacie.