12 outstanding audiobooks for tweens

The beloved author of children's classics Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo expertly captures the young teen experience in Raymie Nightingale. An impossibly hopeful girl, Raymie Clarke enters the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition with a goal beyond winning: to convince her father (who recently left town with a dental hygienist) to come home. As she throws everything she has into the competition, she forms unlikely friendships with her two fiercest competitors—ultimately finding just what she needs to heal. Narrator Jenna Lamia's fully developed portrayals of not just the three main competitors but every single character make this listen come alive and stand out as a work of art.

Neil Gaiman—author of mega hits like American Gods and The Sandman—spins outstanding fantasy tales for all ages. The Graveyard Book is a perfect choice for fans of his middle grade classic Coraline, as both stories offer a distinctly chilling otherworldly aura. In fact, the story is more otherworldly than even its protagonist, Nobody “Bod” Owens, may realize—which is saying something, since he lives his life entirely within the confines of a graveyard, unable to leave without inciting an attack from a man he knows only as Jack. Oh, and it's performed by a full cast of truly elite actors, including Miriam Margolyes, who plays Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, accompanied by a unique and appropriately sinister soundtrack.

Opening in Mexico during the Great Depression, Esperanza Rising explores class differences and struggles from a tween's perspective. Esperanza Ortega has everything any girl could want—fancy dresses, servants to wait on her, and the promise of one day presiding over the beautiful El Rancho de las Rosas. But suddenly, everything Esperanza takes for granted is swept away, forcing her and her Mama to flee to California and work alongside migrant farmers to survive. Pam Muñoz Ryan portrays Esperanza's gradual adjustment to life as what she disdainfully calls a “peasant,” using her character's abrupt class shift to illuminate poignant messages about culture, family, and community. Trini Alvarado’s performance electrifies Ryan's vivid sketches of life both above and below the border.

Think Blade Runner for tweens. That's how some listeners describe Interview with the Robot, while others simply call it "a great story!" This sci-fi adventure stars Eve, a young humanlike robot who, after discovering the truth about herself, flees the laboratory she’s always called home, running from what she now understands is something dangerous. Written exclusively for audio by Lee Bacon, author of the Joshua Dread series, and performed by a full cast, the audiobook takes the format of a series of interviews between Eve and the Child Welfare caseworker assigned to her after she’s caught shoplifting. As the interviews go on, Eve’s story unfolds through both conversations and flashbacks, drawing listeners into Eve’s life while raising complicated questions about humanity, artificial intelligence, and society.

In her award-winning debut novel, Lisa Fipps captures the toll of fat phobia on tweens through the eyes of her 11-year-old heroine. Ellie is bullied and belittled about her weight by kids at school and by her mother at home, To cope, she tries to live by Fat Girl Rules—"avoid eating in public," "don't move so fast that your body jiggles," and "don't make a splash." Ellie feels like a whale, except when she's in her swimming pool, where she feels weightless and free to stretch out like a starfish. But not everyone is cruel—along with the support of her dad and her therapist, Ellie has a new neighbor, Catalina, who loves her for who she is. Will she come to love herself? At turn heartbreaking and hopeful, Starfish speaks to tweens who've experienced body-shaming or any kind of bullying. Narrator Jenna Lamia captures Ellie's voice, her pain, and her journey to believing in her own worth.

Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal, Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon is an enchanting tale elevated by the gifted voice of Christina Moore, narrator of classics like Julie of the Wolves and The Beverly Cleary Audio Collection. It tells the story of Xan—the gentle witch who lives in the forest, rescuing the children that nearby townspeople mistakenly believe she requires as a sacrifice. When Xan accidentally gifts one of these children a powerful magic, she names her Luna and raises her herself. But when Luna begins to come of age and her powers emerge, it sets in motion a sequence of chaotic events that endanger everything this unusual family holds dear. A mix of scary, suspenseful, quirky, and heartwarming, this is a fairy tale made for tweens.

Fish in a Tree takes its name from a famous quote often attributed to Albert Einstein: "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." In Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s moving story, Ally is a young student branded as a troublemaker. But the real source of trouble is her frustration with her inability to read. Ally has a learning disability: dyslexia. When a new teacher sees the bright, creative girl underneath the disrupter, Ally realizes she just might be smart enough to believe in herself. Narrated with care by Kathleen McInerney, this powerful listen clocks in at under six hours, making it a perfect choice for tweens who know what it’s like to feel fundamentally different and misunderstood.

An engrossing fantasy listen, Andrew Peterson’s On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness weaves together all the elements of the perfect literary escape for tweens—three siblings with special gifts, a lineage that includes both royals and pirates, a lost legend that contains clues leading to a bounteous treasure, and, of course, an evil entity looming over the whole plot. What’s more, the saga is narrated by Peter Sandon, an expert in performing fantasies with enigmatic characters and magical worlds. His stand-out British humor is the secret ingredient that takes this story from great to pause-resistant.

Growing up in Black River Falls, Joey Barnes always followed the rules against breaking curfew (unless you want the monsters find you) and asking questions (especially when someone goes missing). That is, until her mother vanished. For two years, Joey's been secretly hunting for clues and uncovering suspicious things, from a hidden steel door to a hidden chest full of weapons. Then, her best friend, Emily, goes missing too. Fed up with her town's rules and the grown-ups who simply accept them, Joey sets out to get to the bottom of what plagues Black River Falls—and not even the monsters can stop her. Tweens will root for the plucky heroine at the heart of The Disappearance of Emily Downs, the debut listen in an exciting new sci-fi thriller series from C. J. Redwine.

Shot by the Taliban in her native Pakistan when she was just 15, Malala Yousafzai is a world-renowned educational activist and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in history. I Am Malala tells the story of her life in the Swat Valley before she was attacked and after, as she rose to global prominence and faced the opportunity and challenge of turning her painful experiences into a vehicle for change. It’s a story for all ages but holds a special potential for touching the hearts of tweens who see themselves in Malala and draw strength from everything she overcame. Given her advocacy for young learners, it should come as no surprise that Yousafzai released a Young Readers Edition of her story, aimed at listeners who, at the time the story takes place, would be her peers. Neela Vaswani’s narration, paired with Yousafzai’s own performance of the introduction, won the Grammy for Best Children’s Album in 2015.

You may be familiar with Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award-nominated film adaptation. But Diane Wynne Jones's original Howl’s Moving Castle is bursting with additional plot intricacies, character details, and humor, making this a thrilling listen for tweens. Narrator Jenny Sterlin is at her best when an audiobook brings together colorful characters and suspenseful twists under the aura of the supernatural, so she’s in her element bringing main character Sophie to life—both as a 17-year-old girl and the old crone she becomes when a witch curses her. Sophie runs away, in crone form, to work as a housekeeper for the arrogant young wizard Howl. While desperately looking for a way to return to her true self, she’s thrown into a fantastical journey full of magical challenges.

Speaking of magical ... In Peter and the Starcatchers, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson craft a completely unique and captivating story within the framework of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Add the brilliant voice acting of perhaps the best narrator in children’s fiction, Jim Dale—his performance of the Harry Potter series has become the stuff of legend—and you have a truly magical listening experience. The story begins with an orphaned Peter and his new friend, Molly, setting sail on a ship called Never Land for a high-seas adventure. Run-ins with pirates, the adoption of a gang of wayward young boys, and a faceoff with a notorious pirate ensue. While featuring familiar characters, Barry and Pearson flesh out the players and settings of their story with layers of detail to keep tweens riveted.