Super Hero’s Top 10 Favorite Audiobooks
34 audiobooks! That’s how many audiobooks we’ve borrowed from the library over the last couple of years –give or take a few from elsewhere. Certainly, this number doesn’t account for all print books, CDs and DVDs we’ve checked out. With about 1200+ items on our account histories, rating those would be a nearly impossible task.
This list is completely Super Hero’s very own ratings. My ratings would have yielded somewhat different results, for example, Kira Kira, would not have gone near the end, but far from there; and Stuart Little would not have been up so high. Nevertheless, we have thoroughly enjoyed all books, and of course, Super Hero’s got his own favorites. He really has come to love listening to audiobooks during our car rides. –”Audio, please!”, are the first words out of his mouth, as soon as we settle in ready to go. I enjoy it very much too. Nothing like a good story to keep us entertained and engaged, especially during those long one-and-a-half-hour commutes to Miami Beach’s H.O.M.E., one of our homeschool coops.
So here they are in order of preference:
34. Little House on the Prairie
33. Kira-kira – Newbery Medal Book 2005
32. Half magic
31. Sarah, plain and tall Skylark; Caleb’s story – Newbery Medal Book 1986
29. Prince Caspian
(Free audio stream in Ancient Faith Radio)
28. The secrets of Droon, Books 1-3
2s The secrets of Droon, Books, Books 4-6
* See my note about The Secrets of Droon below.
27. The lion, the witch and the wardrobe
(Free audio stream in Ancient Faith Radio)
26 Charlie and the chocolate factory
25 Magic tree house collection. Books 1-8
24 Magic tree house. Books 17-24
23. Magic tree house collection. Books 9-16
22. Mary Poppins
20. Poppy
19. Henry and Beezus
17. Ramona Quimby, age 8 – Newbery Honor Book 1982
16. Ramona and her father – Newbery Honor Book 1978
15. Bud, not Buddy – Newbery Medal Book 2000
14. The mysterious Benedict Society and the perilous journey
13. 26 Fairmount Avenue – Newbery Honor Book 2000
12. Stuart Little
11. Rascal – Newbery Honor Book 1964
And Now, Drum Roll Please! Super Hero’s Top 10 Picks!
Play a reading/listening game this summer -or anytime! Download my “Book Traveler Passport & Reading Adventure” printables. Scroll down for link.
Aside from the library, Audible offers a handsome selection of audiobooks for all ages. Some of the most modern books, in particular, you won’t find at the library. Not yet anyway. Audible FREE for 1 month (up to 2 free audiobooks) [Aff. link. Thank you for your support!]
10. Around the world in 80 days
9. Charlotte’s web – Newbery Honor Book 1953
8. The cricket in Times Square – Newbery Honor Book 1961
7. Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets
6. Harry Potter and the deathly hallows
5. Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the half-blood prince
3. Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone
2. Harry Potter and the goblet of fire
1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Ta – Da!!! There you have them. An 8 year-old boy’s ratings from 2+ years’ worth of listening!
Needless to say, Super Hero’s such a Harry Potter fan. Jim Dale, Harry Potter’s narrator, is a British actor with many accolades under his belt, and it shows. I love how he brings the stories to life performing a dizzying number of character voices with remarkable pizzazz. And by the way, he also narrates Around the World in 80 Days, number 10 in this list. So, yes, he’s totally worth a listen.
And here’s my note about The Secrets of Droon: If your child is still young, say 8 or younger, then I’d listen to The Secrets of Droon first, before the Harry Potter books. These make a delightful break into the realm of magical wizards and fantasy, without being scary, as Harry Potter can be, at times, for young children. There are many more Secrets of Droon in the series, but we could only find the first 6 in audio form.
Audiobooks are just excellent. They will introduce a new story so vividly, which Super Hero will later want to read in print too (or have me read to him). We’ve done that for both, English and Spanish –we’ve been fortunate to find the Spanish version for most, of the most popular books, for me to read aloud too. And of course, let’s not forget about watching the movie, for a complete, well-rounded reading/listening/viewing experience. Our only rule: listen or read first, watch the movie last!
Speaking of Books … How About Playing a Reading/Listening Game this Summer?
If playing such a game piques your interest this summer –or any other time!– make sure you download my “Book Traveler Passport & Reading Adventure Game“. I hope it will make reading even more fun for you and your children!
And Lastly: What’s Your Favorite Audiobook?
What’s your all-time favorite audiobook? Just one, if you really had to pick!
Please share in the comments below. Your suggestions will surely give us all more hours of enjoyment 🙂
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Image credits: books & headphones
Thanks for the recommendations. I’ve been meaning to start doing some audiobooks for the kids and this is a great starting list.
Hi Jamie, Thanks for your comment. I’m glad this list will help you get started. We’re such fans of audiobooks, I hope you and your children will enjoy them too 🙂
There are definitely some great books there. Most of them my oldest has already read, but there are a couple that she hasn’t. 🙂 And, my 7 year old is not reading fluently yet, and it never occurred to me that she could “read” the same books as her big sis if she had the audio version. I really need to utilize audio books more often!
Hi Laurie, Yes I agree, your younger child can definitely join in by listening. Or both can listen to an “advanced” book together. Kids will listen to things much more advanced than what they can actually read yet. Provided, of course, the material is suitable/adequate. And this can only help them get better at reading later on. 🙂
Great list! We like audiobooks, too. It would be impossible to choose just one favorite, but the Boxcar Children mysteries have been fun. We’ve listened to at least ten of them. Anne of Green Gables audiobook is really good, too.
Stopping by from List It Tuesday.
Hi Sara, I just left you a comment on your blog too. And thanks for your suggestions, I’ll make sure to get the Boxcar Children and Anne of Green Gables. My son has already read the condensed, children’s version of Anne, but it’d be fun now to listen to it. 🙂
Love this list – I would add Anne of Green Gables and Wonder to it!
I’m glad you liked the list. And thanks for the recommendations, we’ll make sure to add those to our to-listen pile 🙂
Great list – this is perfect for summer road trips – love the recs! Will save this – stopping by via Kid Lit Blog Hop
Hi Brittany, I’m glad you liked the recommendations, and yes, these are perfect for car rides and road trips! Thanks for stopping by.
Wonderful list! We are huge audiobook fans too – we buy 24 Audible credits at a time so they work out really reasonable. My 9 yr old son would probably put Harry Potter at the top, too. And he loves Charlotte’s Web and the Narnia series.
In the last year he’s added Rick Riordan to his list of favourite audiobook authors – especially Percy Jackson and the 39 Clues. I love how audiobooks allow kids to listen to books above their reading level. My two listen to their favourites over and over – they learn lots like that too.
Hi Lucinda, I didn’t know one can purchase audible credits, only knew about their subscription packages, which are in my wish list. Thanks for the tip, and also for the additional audiobook recommendations. I’ll make sure to add them to our to-listen pile too. And yes, my son also has listened to some of these books over and over and over!
What a fabulous list. We are not surprised that Harry Potter topped it. And you know what, we are going on a 13 hour car trip soon, and you have just given me the inspiration to get the Harry Potter books on audio. I only have one audio book in my possession so we had better rectify that. Its great to know what books come across well as audio. Thanks so much for joining us on the Kid Lit Blog Hop
Hi Julie, thank you for hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop, I found many great contributions there. Have fun listening to Harry Potter during your car trip. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
My son has been showing an interest in audiobooks. This is a great list to get him started.
http://jdaniel4smom.com/2014/06/kids-activities-gold-coin-vowel-sound-drop.html#comment-73486
Hi Jill, so good to know this list can get you started. It’s kid approved 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Absolutely one of the following two: Appelt’s, “The Underneath,” it is a painful book early on, but weaves beautiful Native American tradition, humanity, and animal tales all into one! Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh,” but only the one narrated by Dench and the other English actor Steven Fry – not Peter Dennis. My son had a hard time understanding the English references – despite my English birth LOL. This made it much easier. We read it later and he had a solid scaffold. Ok – and THIRD – the entire Sister’s Grimm series. My kids 12 to 5 LOVED this and were SILENT the entire time it played – and there are 9 ish books. Now they are reading the books years later on their own – self-selected. They seem to like that they differ when read and when they are heard.
Thanks for your great list! I’m not surprised to see so many Harry Potter books coming from an 8 year old boy! Thanks for joining us in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. I’m a new follower. 🙂
Thank you Renee for hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop. And thanks for the follow, I follow you too!
What a great idea. Love dome if your choices too. We find audiobooks great for long car journeys. Thx for joining in the parenting pin it party this week. xx
Thanks for the list. My daughter asked me for suggestions. The 11 year old daughter is reading and listening to the Wings of Fire books by Sutherland. The 10 year son enjoys listening. Since they will be with me this summer, I needed some suggestions that would appeal to both.
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Mary Pope Osborne’s The Odessey …we all enjoyed it thoroughly!
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