In this post: Here are more than 20 of the best audio books for teens and tweens.
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Something that is troubling is that many kids–and yes, adults–don’t read much anymore. In fact, the number of Americans who read for pleasure is at an all-time low, somewhere around fifteen percent right now.
There’s a lot of reasons why people aren’t reading: Economic uncertainty and stress. Political turmoil. Mental health challenges. But it’s most likely that technology has hurt our attention span. Studies have shown that our attention spans are at all-time lows, with some reports stating that we can only focus on something for at most 45 seconds before needing to do or look at something else.
But we all want to connect with our big kids on a deeper and more meaningful level, and books can give us things to talk about and be a great launchpad for discussion. Plus, teenagers are far more keen to follow our lead than our words.
If you feel like there is no way you can get your teenager to pick up a book, I get it. That’s where audio books come in. You can listen to them in the car, while making dinner, or even just while hanging out on a couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The most important part: find something that you and your teen find interesting and make a goal of just listening to one chapter per day. That’s usually anywhere between 5 to thirty minutes. And don’t worry about if the book is “challenging” or a classic or what everyone else is reading. I don’t care if it is a comic book, magazine, young adult novel or even your childhood favorite. Find a sports biography, trashy romance novel or fan-fiction. Make yourself sit with your teens for just a few minutes a day and watch what happens next.
It is the act of reading–whether in print or audio-that helps fight off cognitive decline, builds focus, and can even improve sleep quality.
We started this trend several years back and listened to several of the Harry Potter series in the car on the way to my son’s soccer practice which was 30-minutes away. With a great narrator and fun voices, we all experienced a ilttle bit of fantasy on a boring drive.
Now that my kids are older, we still enjoy a good audiobook, funny podcast, or inspirational ted talk to play in the car. It’s made some very long road trips be just a little bit more enjoyable, and avoided the endless fights about getting our teens off their devices for a little bit.
Agreeing on a genre or topic is important and often the hardest part. Stay open minded and let your teen lead the discussion. You may be surprised that you find something new you love!
Not sure where to start? First, make sure you have access to some audio book collections. We are huge fans of Audible for access to the most books, and we have gifted our kids subscriptions. You can get Audible for just $0.99/month for the first three months right now, and that’s a heck of a deal! You may find that you can actually loan these out from local public libraries using the one-tap app Libby (but prepared for popular titles to be on waiting lists) or online streaming services such as Spotify.
Here Are the Best Audio Books for Teens that You Both Will Love
We Were Liars
Your teens may only know this as a show, but before it was on the screen it was a New York Times best seller. It is an exciting, modern, sophisticated suspense novel by National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner E. Lockhart.
Matched
Matched is another top choice for our suggested high school reading list. This series follows a young girl named Cassia and her difficult decision to choose the path her society has matched her for or a way that no one has dared to follow.
The Martian
Such a great listen! Read by Wil Wheaton, this book follows astronaut Mark Watney, where after a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, he finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive – and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles
This was one of our team member’s daughters favorite in the tween years, and they read the whole series. In a world of humans and androids, The Lunar Chronicles isn’t exactly your typical Cinderella Story. We love this book from the fantasy genre that revisits a classic tale. As a deadly plague starts to devastate the population, Cinder must uncover the world’s secrets so she can save New Beijing.
Ready Player One
Said one of our team members: “This was a Hail Mary to try and get my teen son to read, and we both ended up loving it!” As one reviewer said, “It’s Willy Wonka meets the Matrix.” In this binge-worthy story, it’s the year 2045 and the real world is in a bad place. Wade Watts escapes reality by spending his waking hours immersed in the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be and explore any of 10,000 planets and looking for the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality… a prize which, for years, it’s seemed like no one would ever attain, until Wade stumbles upon the key to the first puzzle.
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
A GoodReads Choice award winner, The Inexplicable Logic of My Life follows the story of Sal and what happens to him as he starts questioning who he is and what his purpose in life is. Sal’s story teaches about belonging and finding ourselves.
Firekeeper’s Daughter
This is a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community. Probably best for older teens.
Eleanor and Park
Eleanor and Park is a charming love story that takes place over a regular school year. Written by New York Times best-selling author Rainbow Rowell, this unlikely pair of misfits end up finding love under the most unique set of circumstances. This is also a personal favorite and one of the best audio books for teens that our family loved.
Hatchet
More than a survival story, Hatchet is a tale of tough decisions. When all is stripped down to the barest essentials, Brian discovers some stark and simple truths. Self-pity doesn’t work. Despair doesn’t work. And if Brian is to survive physically as well as mentally, he must discover courage.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Find out what all the hype is about while listening to the audio book with the same name as the insanely popular series. Then watch the series with your teen!
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Keeper of the Lost Cities might be a little more tween than teen, although I read the books, all eight of them, right after my 11 year old daughter and loved them as much as she did. The stories follow the adventures of Sophie Foster, a girl who discovers she isn’t exactly what she seems and who might be the key to not only saving her world, but many others. A tale with filled with magic, mystery, friendships, a little romance and the classic battle between good and evil.
The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
The Alchemyst is sure to appeal to Harry Potter fans who will recognize the name of Nicholas Flamel. While there is some magic, the series really falls more into the realm of Rick Riordan favorites like Percy Jackson, with its tales of ancient Gods and there interactions with the human race.
Poet X
Written by Elizabeth Acevedo, The Poet X discusses how a young daughter wants to speak out about racial injustice and other issues, but also feels the need to align with the laws of her church. When invited to join a slam poetry club, she has to make the tough choice to follow her heart or follow her family’s rules. Great for starting conversations on tough issues with your older kids.
The Sun Is Also a Star
A “Teacher’s Pick” on Amazon, this YA novel written by the author of Everything, Everything and highlights the pull between destiny/fate and science when it comes to love–and everything else in your life. It is also a thoughtful reminder that every person you encounter is battling something you can’t see.
Talking to GOATs
This book is so good, even if you don’t love sports. A riveting, insightful memoir of never-before-told stories from Jim Gray, Hall of Fame sports broadcaster, and renowned interviewer – that explores the author’s career and the inside stories and memorable moments of the famous legends he has covered including, Muhammad Ali, Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson. It talks about their moments of glory and their feuds and scandals.
Sadie
Winner of the 2019 Odyssey Award, Sadie is an innovative audiobook production featuring more than 30 voices, Sadie explores the depth of a sister’s love – poised to be the next story listeners won’t be able to pause. A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she’s left behind.
Scythe
When we asked parents of adolescent boys what book their sons loved, and this book always comes up! Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman,
Fablehaven
I liked this book so much more than I thought I would, and it’s great on Audio! This is a great series about two kids who go to spend a few weeks with their grandparents on their very remote property. It doesn’t take them long to figure out not everything is as it appears. The butterflies and dragonflies in the garden are actually fairies! That is only the beginning of the magical creatures that inhabit Fablehaven. Great read for young tweens.
Throne of Glass series
This series is still crazy popular for it’s great writing and strong characters–and beloved by young and old alike.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
This prequel to the Hunger Games is both a teen and adult favorite. It’s the story of 18-year-old Cornelius Snow tries to bring the family name back to glory as a mentor in the games, but the odds are against him.
Red Rising
One of the most popular series of all time amongst teens and tweens, Red Rising takes place on Mars with a caste society, color-coded by the level of your caste. Darrow, a low-caste Red, infiltrates the ruling Gold caste’s special training school. His training? Kill or be killed. Lead an army or be enslaved. It’s better than Hunger Games – especially for teens who don’t want to read about romance and really get enthralled with battle strategy.
Parenting teens and tweens is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone. These posts can help:
The Best TV Series Families With Teens and Tweens Can Enjoy Together
The Best Documentaries To Watch With Your Teens and Tweens
The Best 80’s Teen Movies Every Parent Should Watch With Their Teens
Very informative. Thank you.
Very interesting but the description of The Martian is off. Something like this is more accurate
The Martian is considered one of the best science fiction books that ever turned into an audiobook and one of the best audio books for teens. It is a story of an astronaut who was stranded on Mars by accident. There is no one to help as everyone who came with him evacuated believing he died in an accident. There is no choice other than to stay and survive to get help from the earth. He has only his wits and experience of his life to endure. The author has beautifully written this man’s story and his emotions and isolation that he faced in the space
I’m so excited to read this one. It’s wonderful!!
It’s so great that there are audiobooks for kids and teens and not just adults. Great article. I also like full cast audiobooks like ‘Friends Fight Foes’. Neil Gaiman has a few as well that are great for teens.