Best New Audiobooks for Middle-Grade Readers
AudioFile for The Children’s Book Review
All five of this month’s selections are winners of the AudioFile Earphones Award, indicating they are truly outstanding listening experiences. Fans of THE HATE U GIVE will love jumping back in time to hear Starr’s father’s story in CONCRETE ROSE. Listeners who have been following Laia and Elias’s journey will be astonished by the conclusion in A SKY BEYOND THE STORM, narrated by an ensemble cast. Looking for excellent nonfiction? Check out THE BLACK FRIEND, and learn how to be an “active accomplice.” Each of these five audiobooks will be a memorable listen.
Teen listeners can also explore AudioFile’s free summer reading program, SYNC. Take a look at the full list of 28 free audiobooks for teens on the AudioFile website, and learn more about how to access the audiobooks from April to August.
Concrete Rose
Story by Angie Thomas
Read by Dion Graham
Ages 14+ | Harper Audio | Length: 8.25 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Narrator Dion Graham shines bright in this YA prequel, set 17 years before THE HATE U GIVE. Narrating in the first person as Maverick, Graham is tasked with delivering internal and external dialogue. We hear the fast-paced, sometimes frantic thoughts of a Black teenage boy in way over his head—dealing drugs in order to help his mother take care of his family. Listeners will feel as though they are living inside this emotionally fraught, well-paced audiobook. Plan on setting aside a full day because once you start listening, you won’t want to stop. Review »
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A Sky Beyond the Storm
Story by Sabaa Tahir
Read by Fiona Hardingham, Katharine Lee McEwan, Steve West, Maxwell Caulfield, and Nikki Massoud
Ages 14+ | Listening Library | Length: 17 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
A talented ensemble cast narrates the conclusion to the epic EMBER IN THE ASHES saga. Laia and her companions must stop the Nightbringer and his jinn forces before they destroy the world. Fiona Hardingham and Steve West voice Laia and Elias, the Soul Catcher, whose emotional arc reaches a deeply satisfying conclusion, while Caulfield voices the anguished Nightbringer. But of all the narrators, it is McEwan as Helene, the Blood Shrike, who delivers the most masterful performance in this fantasy. Review »
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The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
Story by Wai Chim
Read by Christina Ho
Ages 14+ | Scholastic Audiobooks | Length: 8 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Savor a deliciously enjoyable performance by Christina Ho in a scrumptious coming-of-age story. Teenager Anna struggles to see a bright future because she puts her siblings first when her depressed mother is frequently bedridden. When she decides to help at her father’s restaurant, she is completely charmed by Rory, their new delivery guy. Ho expertly narrates a large cast of quirky, authentic characters, creating a well-rounded listening experience that’s nothing short of delectable. Review »
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The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person
Story by Frederick Joseph
Read by Miebaka Yohannes
Ages 12+ | Brilliance Audio/ Candlewick | Length: 5 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Narrator Miebaka Yohannes replicates the inviting conversational tone of Frederick Joseph’s audiobook, which is aimed at a white audience. Yohannes builds a relationship with listeners as he weaves together Joseph’s stories of experiences with racism—his own and those of the activists he interviews. As Joseph introduces and reflects on antiracist practices, Yohannes amplifies his sincere and frank tone. The balance of humor and sincerity creates a powerful audio for parents and teens to share. Review »
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Apple: Skin to the Core
Story by Eric Gansworth
Read by Eric Gansworth
Ages 12+ | Dreamscape | Length: 8 hrs. | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Poetic, intense, and defiant, Native American author and artist Eric Gansworth delivers his own coming-of-age story in verse. He grew up on a reservation outside Buffalo, New York, amid abject poverty and systemic racism. Like many children of the 1960s and ’70s, he adopted pop culture icons as his own and watched his brothers go off to Vietnam. Catching up with the history and challenges of his own Onondaga culture was more problematic. Hearing Gansworth narrate in his grandparents’ Tuscarora language is heartwarming and heartbreaking at once. This is the sound of an important, often overlooked, piece of America. Review »
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The article 5 of the Best New Award-Winning Audiobooks for Teens 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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