Skip to main content

Five Faves: Audio Books for Older Elementary School Kids

Recently I have posted some of my favorite audio books for Younger Elementary School Kids and Elementary School Kids. But don’t you all worry—I also have some new favorite audio books for Older Elementary School Kids. These are the audio books that sometimes deal with a bit more complexity in the plot or characters. Or perhaps there are some themes that need an older kid to completely understand. But nonetheless, they are all great books that will leave readers thinking long after the audio goes quiet. Enjoy! 

Written by Adrianna Cuevas 
Narrated By Anthony Rey Perez 
Dreamscape Media, LLC, 2021. Duration: 05:43:41 

Cumba is a 12-year-old who lives in Cuba in 1961. Cumba’s parents decide it isn’t safe to continue to live in Cuba since Castro might start requiring kids or teenagers to join the military, so they send him to live in Miami. However, living away from all his family in a new country and trying to learn a new language leaves Cumba feeling homesick and lonely. 

Written by Donna Barba Higuera 
Narrated by Frankie Corzo 
Recorded Books, LLC, 2021. Duration: 08:38:24 

In this sci-fi adventure, Petra and her family board a space ship that is leaving Earth due to the impending doom of a comet about to hit our planet. Petra’s family and others are put into a sleep state where she won’t age or grow with the intent on waking up decades later to populate a new planet. Only, when Petra wakes hundreds of years later, she finds that The Collective has taken over the ship and now Petra is the only one who remembers Earth and what was supposed to happen. 

Written by Phil Stamper 
Narrated by Vikas Adam 
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2022. Duration: 05:29:48 

Jake is the only openly gay kid in his school. And Jake’s parents want to support him. When Jake’s dad decides to fly a pride flag on their flagpole at their house, it causes the town to start making rules as to what can or can’t happen—such as no Pride Parades. Only Jake doesn’t think a Pride Parade is a bad idea—since that type of parade is just about bringing people together. Now Jake must decide what he wants to do in his small town that seems to not want to accept him. 

Written by Varsha Bajaj 
Narrated By Reena Dutt 
Books on Tape | Listening Library, 2022. Duration: 04:13:07 

Minni lives in Mumbai—in the poorest part, where water is hard to come by and life is full of unfair circumstances. When Minni starts to look closer at why the rich parts of the city always have enough clean water (enough for swimming pools and water coming out of every faucet) and why her area of town only has water available at certain times (with less and less water available every day), Minni discovers that some people will do anything to steal from the poor to make the rich richer. 

Written by Anne Ursu 
Narrated By Elise Arsenault 
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2021. Duration: 09:47:41 

Marya grew up in a world where everyone thought that her brother Luka would one day become a sorcerer and would make her family money. When Luka doesn’t become a sorcerer’s apprentice and Marya may be the reason he lost his chance, she is sent to Dragomir Academy—a place where other girls who have made trouble (of one sort or another) have been sent. Only, Marya realizes that things aren’t always as they seem and she and her friends aren’t just wayward girls who ruin everything.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Display: Out of this World Books Found Here

Hello By Aiko Ikegami Berkeley, CA: Creston Books, 2019. Picture book. In this wordless picture book, an alien visits Earth, makes friends with a little girl, and returns to his home planet to share his experiences. - Publisher We Are Definitely Human By X. Fang Toronto: Tundra Books, 2024. Picture book. When three mysterious visitors from "Europe" crash-land in Mr. Li's field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their "car". No, there's nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they "make business", "play sportsball" and "wear hat". As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time high. - Publisher Greetings Floof! Written by C.J. Hong Illustrated by A.J. Smith Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2024. Picture book. Floof from planet Ploof has landed! And it...

If You Like...Dungeons and Dragons

Great news for adventurous, imaginative tweens: we are starting a Dungeons & Dragons program! Nine- to twelve-year-olds are invited to join a tabletop role playing quest in the Story Room on Monday September 14 from 6:30-8:00PM. All experience levels are welcome. Registration opens on September 1 at 9:00AM. In the meantime, here are some books to inspire your upcoming campaign!  The Lionharts Written and Illustrated by Mike Lawrence New York : Abrams Fanfare, 2026. J Comic. 233 pages. The Lionhart family is in the business of adventuring. Alder and Flynt are desperate to be included in the dragon-fighting and monster-slaying quests. When their parents Lenna and Gerard go missing after accepting a mysterious job, the boys set out to save them, soon followed by their famous questing Grammy and Baba to help keep Alder and Flynt out of trouble. The journey brings challenges and opportunities, magic and mystery, but it also reveals a troubling family secret that threatens to tear th...

Five Fives: Friendship

Friendship is such an important part of life! I love to have my friends to celebrate life's victories with. When I am having a rough time, I also rely on the strength of my friends. Picture books are a great way to talk to kids about friendships. With a new school year just around the corner, I think talking with kids about friendship and how to be a good friend is so important. These five books have friendships in them that might help facilitate discussions with your people! Love Grows Here By Amy Adele New York : Magic Cat Publishing, 2025. Picture Book. In this sweet story, there is a lovely garden that an elderly couple tends to with joy in their heart. When the woman is sent to the hospital for an extended stay, the animals that love the garden worry it won't be the same. But through grit and determination and teamwork, they work together and do what friends do best: take care of each other! The illustrations are absolutely amazing and will have kids enthralled with all of...