Looking for some fun, adventurous, or exciting audiobooks for your tween to tune in to? So many different audiobooks are available that it can be hard to choose which ones your pre-teen might be interested in.
What we love about audiobooks is their accessibility to kids of all reading abilities; Our dyslexic tween can easily access books and try new authors that can be challenging with the written word alone.
Equally, my competent reader who gets car sick can still enjoy his favorite books while we’re on long road trips, while my youngest, just reaching his tweens, can confidentially take on more involved chapter books independently.
Tween audiobooks need to entertain and engage the imagination, introduce new vocabulary, and transport the reader to another time and place. Our selection here of audiobooks for tweens will do just that! Let’s see which may suit your tween best.
You may also want to check out our selection of fun and educational podcasts suitable for tweens, as well as our selection of the best books for tween girls and books for tween boys
Best Audiobooks for Tweens
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- Mossflower
- My Side of the Mountain
- Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
- Esperanza Rising
- The Angel Experiment
- The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
- The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
- Starfish
- Eragon
- City Spies
- Walking With Miss Millie
- Middle School: Escape to Australia
- I am Malala (Young Readers Edition)
- No Fixed Address
- Alida’s Song
- A Wrinkle in Time
- Among the Hidden
- Spy School
Mossflower
Listening time 11:47 hours
A classic to many, Mossflower follows some fun and unique characters on their journey as Tsarmina becomes ruler of the woods and is determined to govern the woodlanders. While many aren’t happy, the two do escape and are determined to end Tsarmina’s tyrannical rule.
Author and Narrator: Brian Jacques
My Side of the Mountain
Listening time 4:36 hours
Unhappy about living in New York City, Sam runs away to the Catskill Mountains so that he can live in the woods. This is a story about independence and survival as Sam faces some of the worst dangers in the wilderness. A great introduction to tween audiobooks for a 9-year-old.
Author: Jean Craighead George
Narrator: Michael Crouch
Don’t forget headphones! Whilst a family audiobook can be great in the car, if your tween wants to truly enjoy their audiobook, make sure they have earbuds or headphones suitable for tweens that they can tune into their favorite listening device
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Listening time 11 hours
Morrigan Crow was born on the unluckiest day and has now been cursed. She’s blamed for any bad or terrible thing that has happened and will soon need to face her fate. As she awaits her fate, a strange man visits and whisks her away to a secret magical city so that she’s safe. While there, she must compete in four trials to see if she will be allowed to stay.
Author: Jessica Townsend
Narrator: Gemma Whelan
Esperanza Rising
Listening time 4:42 hours
A touching story told from a tween girl’s perspective. Young Mexican girl Esperanza Ortega thought she had everything as heir to El Rancho de las Rosas, until the Great Depression. Her family is forced to flee to California and work alongside migrant farm workers to survive. How will she handle her abrupt change in class?
A poignant and thought-provoking listen, making a great audiobook for a 12-year-old.
Author: Trini Avardo
Narrator: Pam Muñoz Ryan
The Angel Experiment
Listening time 7:55 hours
Max isn’t like the other kids; she and her friends can fly and soar through the sky. While many might think this might be the best thing in the world, Max’s life can change from good to bad at any time.
This story follows Max through her adventures as she discovers that her real purpose is to save the world. An awesome audiobook for an 11-year-old.
Author: James Patterson
Narrator: Evan Rachel Wood
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
Listening time 9:24 hours
The girls of St. Etheldreda’s school keep a deep, dark secret that they can’t tell anyone about. Will they be able to convince their neighbors and everyone at school that nothing is wrong? A fabulous audiobook for tween girls.
Author: Julie Berry
Narrator: Jayne Entwistle
The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Listening time 10:02 hours
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school… again. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Is it really his fault, though? He can’t help it if he must protect himself from his teacher that turns into a monster or help protect his friends from the bully that terrorizes them.
Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Jesse Bernstein
Starfish
Listening time 3:28 hours
Fat-shamed and bullied, Middle-schooler Ellie finds her escape by floating in her swimming pool, where she can feel weightless in a fat-shaming world. Can she cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and learn to love herself?
A 2022 Michael J.Printz Honor Book, this is a must-listen for any tweens feeling the stigma of bullying – there are laugh-out-loud moments, but bring tissues!
Author: Lisa Fipps
Narrator: Jenna Lamia
Eragon
Listening time 16:22 hours
Eragon, a 15-year-old boy, has believed he was just a poor farm boy his whole life until one day, his real destiny comes to life. Gifted with an ancient sword and a loyal dragon, Eragon discovers that destiny is so much more than he thought.
It’s quite a long listen, but one of the best audiobooks for a 12-year-old who loves fantasy literature.
Author: Christopher Paolini
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
City Spies
Listening time 6:50 hours
Sara is a hacker, and she recently broke into the foster care system to expose her foster parents. She thought she would be considered a hero when she shows everyone that her foster parents were nothing but criminals.
Unfortunately, she finds herself in a lot of trouble and must try to get herself out. A great audiobook for a 10-year-old.
Author: James Ponti
Narrator: Lisa Flanagan
Walking With Miss Millie
Listening time 4:39 hours
While Alice is upset about moving to a new boring place, she gets put in charge of walking her neighbor’s (Miss Millie) dog, Clarence. He doesn’t seem to want to budge without Miss Mille, so she and Alice walk together and come across some unique characters and stories along the way.
Author: Tamara Bundy
Narrator: Catherine Taber
Middle School: Escape to Australia
Listening time 3:12 hours
Rafe isn’t exactly a hero, or a winner, at the Hills Village Middle School, but that is about to change. He’s won an art competition that is about to set him up with a trip to Australia and make everyone jealous of him. He soon finds out that Australia isn’t the easiest place to live and that his host family isn’t very welcoming. A good introductory tween audiobook.
Authors: James Patterson, Martin Chatterton
Narrator: Michael Crouch
I am Malala (Young Readers Edition)
Listening time 4:53 hours
If it’s an inspirational read your pre-teen needs this summer, we highly recommend they try the audio version of I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education and Changed the World.
Her now infamous story made into an easy-to-access young reader’s edition will touch and inspire tween listeners.
Authors: Malala Yousafzai
Narrator: Neela Vaswani
No Fixed Address
Listening time 5:34 hours
No Fixed Address is a heartwarming story about family and friendship as it follows the story of 12-year-old Felix Knuttson. On the brink of his family losing everything, their struggles make Felix more determined to win a competition to help the family.
Author: Susin Nielsen
Narrator: Nissae Isen
Alida’s Song
Listening time 1:23 hours
A 14-year-old boy goes to visit his grandmother to escape his harsh and painful family life. While he is visiting, he learns that good food, hard work, and peaceful evenings give him strength and faith in himself.
Author: Gary Paulsen
Narrator: Luke Daniels
A Wrinkle in Time
Listening time 6:27 hours
The classic story that has been read and is loved by millions, A Wrinkle in Time, follows a brother and sister who find that there is such a thing as time travel. This “wrinkle” has sent away their father, and they search space, trying to outwit the evil they come across so that they can find him and bring him back home.
Author: Madeleine L’Engle
Narrators: Madeleine L’Engle, Hope Davis, Ava DuVernay, Charlotte Jones Voiklis
Among the Hidden
Listening time 3:56 hours
The government has outlawed families with more than two children, so Luke, the third child, has spent his entire life hiding. One day, he meets another third child, begins questioning the government’s policies, and wants to change the law.
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Narrator: Steven Boyer
Spy School
Listening time 6:01 hours
Even though Ripley is in middle school, he still knows that his dream job is working as a spy for the CIA. Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite meet the characteristics of a spy, but when he finds that his life is in danger, he needs to learn how to become one of the best agents there is.
Author: Stuart Gibbs
Narrator: Gibson Frazier
We hope you’ve found an audiobook from this selection that will pique your tween’s interest.
A subscription to Audible Premium Plus can be the perfect gift to buy for a tween if you’re unsure of their favorite author or genre; let them explore the extensive online catalog and give a gift they can continue to enjoy throughout the year.
Don’t miss this excellent guest post detailing the best chapter books for 5th Graders, as chosen by a Middle School teacher!
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