AudioFile Magazine for The Children’s Book Review
Best New Audiobooks for Kids
AudioFile Editors have five excellent audiobook picks for your kid listeners ages 8+, with adventure stories (and aliens!), a charming Mars rover blasting off into space, and kids here on Earth learning how to speak up for themselves and for others. Read on for new audiobooks for kids looking to dip their toes into science fiction, listeners who love stories about finding your own path, and more.
A Rover’s Story
Story by Jasmine Warga
Read by Jacob McNatt and Ariana Delawari
Harper Audio | 5.5 hrs. | Ages 8+ | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Jacob McNatt tells this story from the point of view of Res, a Mars rover with heart. It is delightful to hear Res process information and resolve problems, speak to robot friends Journey and Fly, and imagine conversations with the scientists who are building him. Ariana Delawari portrays Sophie, a young girl composing letters to Res, though she doesn’t send them. Both narrators capture emotions with enough sincerity and intensity to elicit strong reactions from listeners. This sci-fi charmer blasts off and takes listeners to Mars and beyond. Review »
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Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One
Story by Maggie Horne
Read by Tara Sands
Harper Audio | 5.75 hrs. | Ages 8+ | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Tara Sands’s narration brings this middle-school examination of #BelieveWomen to life. Loner Hazel Hill is gay, but no one else knows. So when classmate Tyler Harris informs Hazel that his ex-girlfriend Ella Quinn is crushing on her, she’s confused. Hazel’s awkward investigation results in both an unexpected friendship and a cause: Tyler is harassing Ella Quinn via social media, but the principal blames Ella Quinn! Sands voices this all-too-realistic scenario with empathy and precision; listeners will ache and rage with Hazel and Ella Quinn as they take on both toxic masculinity and skeptical adults. A winner indeed. Review »
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Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston
Story by Esme Symes-Smith
Read by Dani Martineck and Esme Symes-Smith
Listening Library | 9.5 hrs. | Ages 8+ | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Dani Martineck shines in presenting a confident character who feels confined in a disapproving world. Listeners will travel to the royal capital of Helston with Callie, a nonbinary 12-year-old who is determined to become a knight in a forbidding place with strict gendered expectations. Martineck’s narration makes it easy to differentiate the large cast of characters who are expressing emotions that range from despair to hope. They also capture the comforting voices of Callie’s dads. A rollicking adventure and a moving story of being true to yourself. Review »
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They Call Her Fregona: A Border Kid’s Poems
Story by David Bowles
Read by Andres Zuno
Listening Library | 3 hrs. | Ages 10+ | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Mexican actor Andres Zuno shines as the narrator for this poetry collection, a companion to THEY CALL ME GÜERO. Middle-schooler Güero begins a romance with Joanna “Fregona” Padilla. They share their first kiss, hang out with their friends, and meet each other’s families. Their bubble bursts when Joanna’s father is deported. Zuno ably expresses the deep and complex emotions for the diverse characters and their situations. In one passage, he beautifully sings a lullaby, infusing it with a sweetness that listeners will relish. Review »
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My Teacher Glows in the Dark
Story by Bruce Coville
Read by Rueby Wood and the Full Cast Family
Full Cast Audio | 3 hrs. | Ages 8+ | Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award
Rueby Wood leads the Full Cast Audio team in this sci-fi romp. As first-person narrator Peter Thompson, Emmy nominee Wood (“Better Nate Than Ever”) brings the right amount of “gee-whiz” to bear when the sixth grader finds himself on a spaceship teeming with extraterrestrials. In grand sci-fi tradition, the story braids real-world concerns into the adventure, schooling young listeners in the genre’s conventions. Secondary characters are voiced by a smoothly integrated full cast, with some nifty audio effects. Review »
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The article Five Excellent Audiobooks for Your Kid Listeners: Best New 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, Facebook @audiofilemagazine, and Instagram @AudioFileBehindTheMicPodcast.
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