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Five Favorite Family-friendly Audiobooks

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With upcoming road trips, what better time than now to check out an audiobook? Audiobooks are a great way to break up the monotony on a long car ride, and they can be extremely entertaining for both kids and adults. But let’s be honest. Not all audiobooks are created equal, and not all audiobooks are family-friendly. So what are some great audiobooks you can listen to this summer that everyone can enjoy?

Here are my top five family-friendly audiobooks.

Peter and the Starcatchers
By: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Narrated by Jim Dale
Grand Haven, MI: Brilliance Audio. 2004.

Are you in the mood for a high seas adventure? Then this is your audiobook! Peter and the Starcatchers is the first book in a five-part series that tells the story of how Peter Pan and Captain Hook began. It is fabulously narrated by Jim Dale—the incredible voice talent that also brings the Harry Potter series to life on audio!
By: Cressida Cowell
Narrated by David Tennant
New York: Hachette Book Group. 2017. 

If you are looking for a book brimming with humor, magic, and adventure, this should definitely be your next checkout. In this first installment of the Wizards of Once series, David Tennant’s memorable Scottish accent brings the story of a wizard boy named Xar and a warrior girl named Wish to life. But Wish and Xar will need to use all their wits and magic if they are ever to survive the evil witches that lurk in the forest.


The Thief Lord
By: Cornelia Funke
Narrated by Simon Jones
New York: Random House Audio Pub. Group: Listening Library. 2000. 

This book is a hidden gem! Fantastically narrated by Simon Jones and overflowing with humor and fabulous characters, The Thief Lord tells the story of a band of children out on the streets of Venice who rely upon a boy who calls himself The Thief Lord. But The Thief Lord has secrets, and his greatest one could be the undoing of them all.
By: John R. Erickson
Narrated by the author
Perryton, TX: Maverick Books. 1983. 

If you are in the mood for a laugh, listen to any of the Hank the Cowdog books (the order you listen to them in does not matter). The author himself narrates the hilarious tales of a dog named Hank and his escapades as he tries to protect his ranch, all while getting himself into ridiculous messes that will have you laughing all the way through the story.
By: Roald Dahl
Narrated by Kate Winslet
New York: Penguin Audio. 2013.

Matilda is one of my favorite books by the beloved author Roald Dahl. When Matilda goes to school, she discovers she has very unique gifts. Matilda will have to use those gifts to help her teacher, Miss Honey, and to rid the school of the awful, child-hating Miss Trunchbull. Kate Winslet uses all of her incredible voice talents to bring Matilda, The Trunchbull, Miss Honey, and all of your other favorite characters to life in this wonderful audiobook.

There you have it! Five of my favorite family-friendly audiobooks. You can grab one at the library on CD, or download the audio using your Libby or Overdrive app. (It’s a free app available to all patrons. All you need is your library card and PIN number!) To find out more about Overdrive and Libby, visit https://beehive.overdrive.com/.


Happy listening!
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