Readers > Adult & teen lists > Audio Books for Family Listening
Audio Books for Family Listening
Many titles are available in both cassette and CD formats. Some titles are also available in Spanish. All dates are from the publication year of the book. Thanks to AudioFile Magazine for permission to use their annotations.
Listeners of audio books especially like the following readers:
Scott Brick , Jim Dale , George Guidall, Frank Muller , Barbara Rosenblat , Jeff Woodman
For families with younger children, please visit Family Road Trip Fun on the Kids booklist page for additional suggestions.
For families with older children
- Alcott, Louisa May
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Little women (Read by Barbara Caruso)(1868)Love, kindness and faith are threaded through this classic novel of four sisters and their effort to move from childhood to the adult world during the Civil War. (AudioFile)
- Creech, Sharon
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Walk two moons (Read by Kate Harper)(1994)Harper's voice plumbs Salamanca Tree Hiddle's family mysteries in this story of love, loss, family ties and friendship. (AudioFile)
- Dahl, Roald
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James and the giant peach (Read by the author)(1977)When young, miserable James Henry Trotter accidentally drops the magic crystals he receives from an old man, strange things start to happen. Atop the old peach tree where a blossom has never even sprouted, a peach begins to grow, and grow and grow. James crawls inside...(AudioFile)
- Davis, Donald
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Listening for the crack of dawn (Read by the author)(1977)A master storyteller recalls the Appalachia of the 1950s and 1960s.
- Ellis, Deborah
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(2001)Rita Wolf creates a lively, engaging young Parvana, through whose eyes we witness Taliban oppression in Afghanistan. This timely story of courage in extreme circumstances is sobering and chilling and is best-suited for older children — ideally those listening with an adult. (AudioFile)
- Funke, Cornelia
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(2003)Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her bookbinder father can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service. (AudioFile)
- Gilbreth, Frank B. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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Cheaper by the dozen (Read by George Guidall)(1948)Hilarity ensues when Father, an efficiency expert, tries to employ his business tactics as a means of keeping his large family under control. Guidall's partially voiced reading conveys the love, drama and humor of this sparkling family memoir. (AudioFile)
- Grogan, John
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Marley & me [life and love with the world's worst dog] (Read by the author)(2005)Dog lovers will delight in the antics of Marley, a yellow lab, as he happily terrorizes the Grogan household. John Grogan, columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer reads this account of life with, arguably, one of the world's worst dogs. You can hear the affection in Grogan's voice, even as he relates his frustrating, humbling and humiliating experiences with such a lovable menace. (AudioFile)
- Hoeye, Michael
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Time stops for no mouse (Read by Campbell Scott)(2000)Watchmaker mouse Hermux Tantamoq embarks on far-flung adventures. Campbell Scott captures the mood of quiet absurdity throughout. A superb choice for family listening. (AudioFile)
- Ibbotson, Eva
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(2002)Maia is a wealthy orphan taken in by distant relatives in Brazil. The lush rainforest is a long way from the boarding schools of 1910 London. Patricia Conolly reinforces each loveable (and detestable) character with wit and gentle irony. (AudioFile)
- London, Jack
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The call of the wild (Read by Frank Muller)(1903)Frank Muller's rich voice brings out the harsh reality of life in the Klondike for Buck the dog, stolen from his family to work the gold rush, and his eventual return to his wild roots. (AudioFile)
- Nesbit, Edith
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The railway children (Read by Virginia Leishman)(1906)When their father is suddenly taken away, three children move from their stately London home to a poor cottage in the country. Virginia Leishman's reading of this wonderful novel about the innocence and adventure of childhood is in top form. This classic is an absolute listening pleasure. (AudioFile)
- Park, Linda Sue
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(2002)In a fascinating look at Korea under Japaneses occupation at the outbreak of WWII, brother and sister Sun-hee and Tal-yule are forced to learn Japanese and give up all things Korean, including their names. (AudioFile)
- Peck, Richard
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The teacher's funeral (Read by Dylan Baker)(2004)Peck packs this book with history, quirky characters, humor, and poignancy. In early-twentieth century Indiana, 15-year-old Russell dreams of escaping the dreary boredom of the one-room schoolhouse by jumping a train to the Dakotas. Baker convincingly brings each character to life, turning a great story into an even greater listening experience. (AudioFile)
- Philbrick, Nathaniel
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Revenge of the whale (Read by Taylor Mali)(2002)After their whaleship, the Essex, was stove by a sperm whale in the pacific in 1820, the shipt's crew, including 14-year-old Thomas Nickerson, found themselves adrift in three lifeboats. Sea chanteys lend an authentic sound. (AudioFile)
- Pullman, Philip
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The golden compass (Performed by the author and a full cast)(1996)The three books in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series feature stunning performances by Pullman and the actors, whose voices perfectly suit young Lyra and her friends and enemies. (AudioFile)
- Rowling, J.K.
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(1997)The first of the popular series. British actor Jim Dale gives voice to the hundreds of characters and creatures in the series making this a whole new experience.
- Snicket, Lemony
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The Bad Beginning (Read by Tim Curry)(1997)The Series of Unfortunate Events takes on new meaning of sinister when read by Curry.
For families with teens
- Bragg, Rick
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All over but the shoutin' (Read by Frank Muller )(1997)Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg never forgot his Southern roots and his mother's sacrifices to provide for her three sons in a severly impoverished household with a drunken abusive father who came and went from their lives. His story is told with humor and honesty.
- Cisneros, Sandra
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The house on Mango Street (Read by the author)(1991)Cisneros perfectly re-creates the voice of Esperanza Cordero, a young girl growing up in a Chicago barrio. (AudioFile)
- Evanovich, Janet
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One for the money (Read by C.J. Critt)(1994)Bounty hunter Stephanie Plumb can't seem to keep out of trouble whether it's chasing down a criminal, juggling the two men in her life, or keeping her car from exploding. Throw in a cast of zany characters, C.J. Critt's narration, and you have the makings of a laugh-out-loud funny reading series.
- Faulkner, William
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Light in August (Read by Mark Hammer)(1932)Hammer's interpretation quickly and accurately opens up Faulkner's Southern world with its many complex characters. (AudioFile)
- Lee, Harper
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To kill a mockingbird (Read by Sally Darling)(1960)Sally Darling is the defining voice for young Scout as she is drawn into the violence of racial prejudice.
- Nix, Garth
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Sabriel (Read by Tim Curry)(1995)Nix's Old Kingdom is a deeply detailed world, intricately interwoven. Entering this world involves learning about Abhorsens, necromancers who wield free magic. Tim Curry brings authority to the trilogy, grounding the fantastic elements with nuance of character and depth of emotion. Nix's allegory of war and peace will draw fans of fantasy and strong heroines. (AudioFile)
- Smith, Betty
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A tree grows in Brooklyn (Read by Barbara Rosenblat)(1943)Francie Nolan learns about love and poverty as she grows up in the difficult times of the early 1900s. Rosenblat is the perfect narrator for this sometimes nostalgic, often stark coming-of-age classic. (AudioFile)
- Steinbeck, John
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Travels with Charley (Read by Ron McLarty)(1962)In the 1960s John Steinbeck and his venerable standard poodle, Charley, set out on a three-month journey to explore America in a camper. (AudioFile)
- Tolkien, J.R.R.
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(1937)Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return.
- Tolkien, J.R.R.
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(1955)Tolkien fashioned landscape and language for one of the most compelling fantasy creations of all times. Inglis skillfully traverses this magical world, bringing hobbits, dwarves, elves, and other enchanted creatures to life and plunging the listener into the great battle of good against evil. (AudioFile)
- Verne, Jules
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Around the world in 80 days (Read by Jim Dale)(1872)Phileas Fogg, the focused English gentleman, and his resilient servant, Passepartout, circumnavigate the globe in Verne's 1873 classic. Jim Dale's interplay with the characters shines. (AudioFile)