Are you trying to find the best audiobooks for tweens? You’ve come to the right place. The following titles will keep them entertained for hours on end…
The Running Dream
Wendelin Van Draanen
Jessica is distraught over the fact that she lost a leg in a car accident and now has to walk with a prosthetic leg. After all, she’s a runner and wishes to stay that way. Her friends now have no clue what to say and feel a little awkward around her, and this is exactly how she reacts to her math tutor, a girl named Rosa who has CP. After doctors and coaches tell her she may be able to run again some day, she gets the resolve she needs to move forward, only this time her goal is to cross the finish line with Rosa by her side.
Shadow Jumper: A Mystery Adventure Book for Children and Teens Aged 10-14
JM Forster
Jack is a teenager whose rare condition prevents him from being in direct sun without the risk of developing painful burns and irritated skin. His only enjoyment is shadow jumping on the roof when it’s dark outside, which makes him feel alive. When the condition suddenly becomes worse, he realizes that only his scientist dad can save him. But where is his dad? Jack teams up with a friend named Beth to search for clues that may lead them to his father, but in the meantime he runs into secrets and rumors he isn’t prepared for. This book is about family, loss, friendship, and most importantly, overcoming adversity. A perfect book for young teens everywhere.
The One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate
Ivan is a gorilla who spends most of his time within the glass walls of his home, where people come to watch him and learn how he lives. Along with his friends Bob, a stray dog, and an elderly elephant named Stella, Ivan thinks mostly about art, which is really his number-one interest. One day, a baby elephant named Ruby comes to live with them and Ivan starts to see both his home and his art through her eyes. A whole new world opens up to him, and he realizes that things are now going to change. The only question is, will it be a change for the better?
Dustin Brady
Jesse and his friend Eric are trapped inside of a video game named Full Blast, where someone is trying to kill them. At first, Jesse thinks the game is fun, but soon it becomes much worse. When a mysterious figure starts following the two boys around, it becomes obvious to both of them that if they don’t think up a way to get out of there soon, they may be stuck there forever. This story is unique and a lot of fun to listen to, meaning you’ll likely listen to it more than once or twice.
Just as Long as We’re Together
Judy Blume
Stephanie and Rachel have been best friends since second grade, and they’ve shared everything with one another, both good and bad. As they prepare to enter seventh grade, Stephanie meets a new girl in the neighborhood named Alison, and she has hopes that all three girls will soon become best friends. But it may not work out because the bond between Stephanie and Rachel has now changed. Is it even possible to have two best friends? And if not, is the adage “two’s company, three’s a crowd” the new reality?
Summer of the Woods
Steven K. Smith
Derek and Sam are brothers who just moved with their family to Virginia, where they immediately find themselves living in an old creepy house and a lot of woods whose stories include the case of a coin collection that was stolen from one of the local museums. Determined to solve the mystery, the boys discover secret hideaways and even hidden passageways they didn’t know existed. But they aren’t in search of just any set of coins – they are after the 1877 Indian Head cent coin, and they’ll stop at nothing to find out where it is.
Five Feet Apart
Rachael Lippincott
Stella and Will are in love, but there’s a problem. Because of the condition of Stella’s lungs, she has to be six feet away from a person or she risks becoming infected. This will lead to her losing her space on the waiting list for a lung transplant. Will is sick, too, and is in and out of hospitals, which he hates. Both Stella and Will wonder how long they can stay in love with someone they aren’t even allowed to touch. A poignant story that you’ll be anxious to follow until the very end.
The Hate You Give
Angie Thomas
Starr is a teen who lives in a poor neighborhood, but goes to school in one that is quite fancy. When Khalil, her best friend, is killed by a cop even though he was unarmed, and she is the only witness, things start to fall apart quickly. People are rioting in the streets and soon the story makes national headlines, but she is also being threatened by drug dealers and others. She soon realizes that telling the truth about what happened to Khalil just might be putting herself and her family in danger.
The Secret Lake
Karen Inglis
Stella and Tom are siblings enjoying exploring their new home in London. Over the summer, they decide to work on the mystery of why their neighbor’s dog keeps disappearing and reappearing time after time. Between experiencing a boy rowing towards them who always looks scared and children’s voices in the woods, the duo is starting to get confused about everything that is happening. Soon, they discover that they have been transported back in time, and this is where things get really exciting. They make both friends and enemies and they discover just how the past and present are truly connected.
Hatchet
Gary Paulsen
Brian is 13 years old and on his way to visit his father in the Canadian mountains when the plane he is traveling on crashes and he is the only survivor. All he has with him is a trusty hatchet and a desire to live, but he fears it might take more than that to survive. When despair and self-pity don’t work, Brian has to rely on other things to get him out of his predicament, and it is then that he discovers just what he is made of. This is a truly gripping book that almost anyone can relate to because of the emotions and anguish it provides access to.
The Girl with the Silver Eyes
Willo Davis Roberts
Katie is a unique young girl with silver eyes who would rather spend her time reading than associating with other people. She feels alone, not just because of her eyes, but also because she has special powers, including the power to make things happen just by thinking about them. Still, she wouldn’t hurt a fly, so why is it that everyone is so afraid of her? Katie hopes to change that and make some friends; after all, there have to be other silver-eyed people out there, right?
A Long Walk to Water
Linda Sue Park
In the mid-1980s, southern Sudan is ravaged by war and chaos, and young Salva becomes involved in what’s going on far more than he wanted to. Years later in the same location, a young woman named Nya has to walk eight hours a day to fetch water, and it isn’t an easy task. This audiobook is about both of these young people and how their lives become intertwined. Between horror and heartbreak, treks across a stifling desert, and being brought into a brand-new life you didn’t expect, their stories will thrill you and scare you, but most of all they will touch you in a way that few other stories will.
Calling My Name
Liara Tamani
If you’ve ever had to find where you belong and discover why you’re here, this book is for you. It tells the story of a young African-American girl named Taja, who is growing up in Houston, and it follows her from middle school to high school. It is a touching coming-of-age story that you will never forget, and it is filled with the pleasures and stressors that everyone experiences as they grow up. It is also a touching story that will bring back memories of your own growing up and make you realize that you weren’t as alone as you likely thought you were.
Howl’s Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
This is a fantasy novel that tells the story of young Sophie, who one day ventures out of her step-mother’s hat shop and is met by a witch. The witch then attempts to change her from a young girl into an old crone so that she can look at things from a different perspective. The book has won numerous awards and was even made into an animated movie that millions have enjoyed. Travel along with Sophie as she experiences things that most of us can only dream about, and follow her as she learns what she needs to learn in these adventures.
