9 Audiobooks for the Whole Family to Listen to Together
This post is sponsored by Audible
Earlier this month, our family went to Costa Rica and we spent a LOT of time driving on that trip.
Naturally, one of my biggest priorities before we left for that trip was picking an audiobook our whole family (ages 7-44) could listen to all together.
It is a special book that can capture the attention and be appropriate for everyone from adults to children and I’m always on the lookout for books that meet that criteria!
Here are 9 audiobooks to consider for your next road trip, including the one we picked (and loved!) for that Costa Rica trip!
(Bonus, one of these audiobooks is included in Audible Plus, so if you have an Audible membership, it won’t cost you a dime! If you don’t have an Audible membership, you can try it out for a month for free right here!).
9 Audiobooks for the Whole Family to Listen to Together
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
10 hrs 19 minutes
This was our audiobook pick for our Costa Rica trip and it was a huge hit! I picked the full cast version, which was a great call – there are so many different voices and original music and sound effects and it just made for a stunning listen that we were all very into from the first few minutes. Tress has lived a quiet life until her beloved friend (and . .. .maybe more than friend?) is taken away on a voyage by his father and disaster strikes. Now Tress is ready to leave everything she’s ever known behind to stow away on a ship and sail across the mysterious seas where even a single drop of water can spell death for everyone aboard.
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
8 hrs 5 minutes
This historical fiction title absolutely charmed me and it’s been one of my favorite read-alouds in the past couple of years. Three young children lose their grandmother, leaving them orphans and no place to go. Her lawyer suggests that, since so many children are being shipped out to the English countryside during the bombings, they might join the exodus and conveniently not mention that they don’t actually have a family. And just maybe the family that temporarily takes them in will want to keep them forever. This book has all the feelings of a classic and I definitely shed some tears at the end. This one is included in the Audible Plus catalog!
The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day
4 hours 53 minutes
We listened to this audiobook as a family before our trip to Paris a few years ago and we were all completely engrossed (and then it was really fun to visit the Mona Lisa herself a few weeks later!). I had no idea about the theft of the Mona Lisa and how it is what really catapulted this painting to fame. This audiobook isn’t super long, so it is a great listen for shorter trips.
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
58 minutes
We listened to this as a family and it was so fun and quick. A father is abducted by aliens while picking up milk for his children’s cereal. He finds himself on a wild adventure through time and space. It’s read by the author and it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Perfect if you have younger listeners!
Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye
9 hrs 32 minutes
If you have fans of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, this one is bound to be a hit! Ozzy’s parents go missing after they discovered a formula that enables mind control. Their top secret work makes it difficult for Ozzy to go to the police, but he needs help from someone to find his parents. He finds an ad in the classifieds section for a “Wizard for Hire” and decides to take a chance. Ella LOVED this whole series!
Savvy by Ingrid Law
6 hrs 16 minutes
I just LOVE this book about a family where everyone gets a magical talent (a savvy) when they turn 13. But just before Mibs’ 13th birthday, a tragedy occurs and now Mibs is desperately hoping her savvy will turn out to be something that can save her family. This is one that I mentioned in my list of the MOST listened to audiobooks in our Audible library. (Full review here)
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood
5 hrs 27 minutes
I LOVE Katherine Kellgren so much – she might be my favorite narrator of all time (I’m still devastated by her death in 2018) and this series was one we heard about from my sister-in-law’s family – their whole family listened to it on a road trip and couldn’t stop raving about it!
All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat
4 hours 4 minutes
I’ve been talking abut this book for years because it’s just SO GOOD, so if you haven’t read it yet, this is your signal that now is the time to go pick it up. The audiobook makes this incredible true story come vividly to life and even though I knew the ending, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And seeing the efforts made to get them out makes it even more incredible that they actually succeeded.
Nanny Piggins by R.A. Spratt
4 hours 7 minutes
My oldest discovered Nanny Piggins when she was 8 and our family has been huge fans ever since. We did a LONG drive from Utah to California for spring break a few years ago and we listened to nearly ten hours of Nanny Piggins, with all of us cracking up the whole time. These books, about three children with a chocolate-loving pig for a nanny, are just hilarious and off-the-wall.
If you don’t have an Audible membership, this is a perfect time to try it out – use this link to get a free month and choose any Audible audiobook you’d like to use your credit on. Even if you don’t keep your membership after the free month is up, you’ll still keep that audiobook forever!
Our favorite family audiobook series is the Penderwicks! Hilarious and and relatable with a classic feel.
Surprisingly, PG Wodehouse was one of our favorite listens. We drove from Chicago to Brooklyn twice a year for family visits. Audiobooks saved us from madness. Back then they were on tape or CD, so we would have an individual player, as well as the one built into the car. It was always a hoot when someone who had dozed off during the group listen would be catching up (where the rest of us couldn’t hear) and they’d start giggling, which made everyone else want to know what part they were at, so we could reexperience to hilarity together. My kids are in their 40s now and still remember Jeeves and Bertie and Mr Mulliner fondly. Don’t be fooled into thinking these stories are outdated or too sophisticated. Even the 3 year old figured out the plots and commiserated with the poor fool just trying to fix a problem and getting in ever deeper only to get it right in the end.