Best New Audiobooks for Middle-Grade Listeners
AudioFile for The Children’s Book Review
AudioFile Editors have chosen five excellent audiobooks for middle grade listeners, including exciting new titles by favorite authors. Fans of Varian Johnson’s TWINS and THE PARKER INHERITANCE will be thrilled by Dion Graham’s lively narration of PLAYING THE CARDS YOU’RE DEALT. And those looking for a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure will adore Donna Barba Higuera’s THE LAST CUENTISTA, where 13-year-old Petra is in a fight to save humanity. Read on to learn more about all five adventurous and engaging audiobooks, and start listening!
Playing the Cards You’re Dealt
Story by Varian Johnson
Read by Dion Graham
Ages 8+ | Scholastic Audiobooks | 6 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Dion Graham makes every audiobook he narrates into a special event, and his charisma just overflows in this one about Ant, a 10-year-old boy from South Carolina. Ant is obsessed with winning his community’s annual spades tournament—and living up to the expectations of his father, whom he is slowly realizing has started gambling and drinking again. Graham helps listeners find the humor and sweetness at the heart of the story and imbues each character with personality. But the standout is Graham’s vivid and lively portrayal of the omniscient narrator observing Ant’s struggles and contextualizing them within his Black community. Review »
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Frankie and Bug
Story by Gayle Forman
Read by Stockard Channing
Ages 8+ | Simon & Schuster Audio | 5.5 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Stockard Channing adopts a questioning tone that establishes the pure innocence of Bug Contreras, the 10-year-old heroine of Gayle Forman’s first middle-grade fiction. Everything’s changing in Bug’s world in Venice Beach, California, in 1987. Her brother doesn’t want to spend time with her anymore, and new arrival Frankie doesn’t want to go to the beach. Channing adopts a guileless tone as Bug struggles to understand the complexities that surround her—gayness, transgenderism, and racism. The characters are beautifully woven into an emotive plot that doesn’t flag or preach, and could aid the young listener in becoming an ally like Bug. Review »
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The Last Cuentista
Story by Donna Barba Higuera
Read by Frankie Corzo
Ages 10+ | Recorded Books | 8.5 hrs.
Frankie Corzo narrates this sci-fi thriller with the perfect combination of gusto and tenderness. Petra’s family is among the lucky few escaping the destruction of Earth and heading toward a new life on the planet Sagan. But when she awakens alone after 380 years in stasis, she finds that a frightening group of fanatics has taken over the ship and destroyed all memories of Earth—except hers. Corzo creates a compelling tone as Petra transforms her abuelita’s cuentos, or stories, into new tales for the other children on the ship, and listeners will understand how their power is enough to break through total brainwashing. Corzo keeps the story humming as Petra fights to save humanity and delights in the wonders of Sagan. Review »
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Paradise on Fire
Story by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Read by Tyla Collier
Ages 8+ | Hachette Audio | 4 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Narrator Tyla Collier’s youthful timbre and reflective tone are an ideal fit for Addy, a young teen embarking on a life-changing summer in the California wilderness. Addy is one of several city kids in the outdoor program, and Collier makes use of various tones and pitches to devise unique age-appropriate voices for the teens, who band together when a forest fire rages. Listeners will be haunted by the way Collier captures the teens’ fear as they rely on their wits to escape. Collier’s gripping performance heightens the harrowing survival story in this short but impactful listen. Review »
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The Beatryce Prophecy
Story by Kate DiCamillo
Read by Finty Williams
Ages 8+ | Listening Library | 4.25 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Finty Williams’s gentle narration invites listeners into this wonderous historical audiobook about the power of words. Beatryce has no memory of her past yet possesses the ability to read and write, a talent forbidden to women. A prophecy about such a girl threatens the current king’s crown, and with the help of a monk, a boy, an ex-king, and a cantankerous goat, Beatryce searches for answers. Williams’s English accent and distinct character voices immerse listeners in the story, and the audiobook is so enlivening that listeners won’t miss the illustrations in the print edition. Review »
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5 of the Best New Adventurous and Engaging Audiobooks for Kids was curated by AudioFile. AudioFile is an independent source of audiobook reviews and recommendations with a clear focus on the performance and listening experience. AudioFile Earphones Awards are given to exceptional audiobooks. To learn more, visit audiofilemagazine.com, Twitter @AudioFileMag, and Facebook @audiofilemagazine.
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