Whether it’s driving to see family for the holidays or, given the current climate of the pandemic, it’s staying home and hunkering down for the holidays audiobooks are a great way to “read” together as a family and create a book club culture in the home. Sometimes it feels impossible with all of the challenges our families and communities are facing, to find time to spend together, fostering a love of reading but I’m here to tell you, it’s not impossible! Using audiobooks have been a game changer for my family, as well as others and it also allows me to enjoy and relax with my family instead of being the one who’s always “on” during the day. Most of the time, I don’t actually WANT to read aloud at the end of the day. So I rely on audiobooks to bring us together, to entertain us during the witching hour before dinner, while driving in the car on errands or on road trips, and to settle down at the end of the day before bedtime.
So here are a couple of our favorite audiobooks. I hope you find one that speaks to you!
One of the greatest literary joys I’ve had in my life is sharing my love of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine with my kids and no one brings the narration alive like Jim Dale. Also, there’s SEVEN of these books and they’re not short so if you have a lot of time ahead of you that you need help feeling, this is the series that can help you.
2. Peter and the Star Catchers by Dave Perry and Ridley Pearson – Narrated by Jim Dale
Speaking of Jim Dale, once you’re done with Harry Potter, this book is a fantastic twist on the Peter Pan story. Plus, again, it’s a series! So you can spend a good amount of time with these books without having to worry about, “What will we read next?”
3. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson – Narrated by Brian Morris
Classics are always so fun to listen. This tale of pirates, treasure, battles, and a boy who gets into misadventures is a great one for the whole family. If you have kids who are sensitive to perilous situations, maybe skip this one for something a little bit less bloody but otherwise, this book was enjoyed by both my girls and my son alike.
4. The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White – Narrated by the author
When you get the chance to listen to a book that’s being read by the author. Go for it! Especially when it’s a story as fun as this one. We listened to this book several years ago when we flew out to Boston and drove along the Cape and it was a big hit!
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – Narrated by Jim Dale
The holiday season is coming and this classic is a wonderful one to listen to as the days grow shorter and everyone is feeling the draw of coziness and hot chocolate. Also, Jim Dale.
7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett – Narrated by Alison Larkin
The story of Mary and her secret garden was one I loved growing up but had only ever known through the movie adaptation. It wasn’t until this last year that I finally listened to the audiobook with my kids and it was one they continued to ask for over and over again. There are a lot of hard topics to discuss together so be ready to talk and answer questions.
8. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg – Narrated by Jill Clayburgh
Claudia and her brother Jamie decide to runaway – to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While there, they come face to face with a mystery making headlines and are determined to solve the riddle. This one is a quick, fun adventure and is a great introduction to discussing art and lends itself really well to a field trip. If you’re stuck at home, this would be a great addition to any distance learning or homeschooling you may be doing.
This funny tween novel is also a series and so will offer hours of fun for you and your kids. It’s perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events and Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society.
10. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Van Glaser – narrated by Robin Miles
Another series (I love series because we can often times listen to the first one, and then my kids are so anxious to hear what happens next they read the next book in the series all on their own. Win!) about a family living in a brownstone in New York City. Unfortunately the owner of their home is no longer willing to renew their lease and so the kids must come to terms with the fact that they will soon be moving from the only home they’ve ever known. The Vanderbeekers set a goal to convince their landlord to let them stay, just in time for Christmas. Will they succeed?
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