Some of the most popular juvenile literature of all time, the Harry Potter series, are also available as audiobooks. Let's explore how to get them.
Over the years, not many books had the same effect on young people as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Aside from being fun and imaginative for first-time readers, they also ask serious questions that make them attractive to older people as well. And with hit movie adaptations from the ‘00s, there’s no doubt they’ll remain a necessary read and watch for generations to come.
But we’re not concerned about Daniel Radcliff, and why the first movie is called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone instead of Philosopher’s. We’re also not here to talk about Ron Weasley’s cute freckles. We’re here for the Harry Potter writings. They are some of the best-selling of all time. Besides the bible and a couple of more titles, they top the all-time charts with ease.
Where to find Harry Potter audiobooks
The audiobook medium is well and truly up and running in the last couple of years. But not because of the recent COVID-19 lockdowns. More and more titles are getting their read-aloud versions, and people are jumping at the opportunity to get them. This is for a myriad of reasons and benefits.
For one, they allow blind people to enjoy books just like all others. Additionally, audiobooks are a great choice for those with reading difficulties like dyslexia and ADHD. And thirdly, listening instead of reading allows for multitasking like driving and working out.
When it comes to the Harry Potter books, they also have their audio versions. In fact, you can get two different interpretations. The U.S. edition is narrated by Jim Dale, while the U.K. one has a voice-over from none other than Stephen Fry.
Both of these have their pros and cons, but it generally comes down to your personal preference. Do you want Dale or Fry to voice your Dursleys, Dumbledores, Hermiones, and Voldemorts? Nevertheless, where can you find one of these? Who sells them?
Other sites and publishers that include the Harry Potter series and its prequel Fantastic Beasts as audiobooks include Amazon, Audiobooks.com, as well as Scribd.
How to read books online
There are a couple of ways to enjoy online reading. You can enjoy e-books via your iPhone, Android device, tablet, PC or laptop, or—most appropriately—Kindle. Besides having one of these electronic gadgets, you’ll need an internet connection to download a PDF file of the title you’re looking to read. The same goes for audiobooks.
Next up, you’ll need to decide where you’ll get the book of your choice. Luckily, there are practically tons of websites and libraries for you to choose from. So, let’s check some that we consider offering the most to their users, shall we?
- Amazon’s Lending Library — If you have a Kindle on you, your best choice is to acquire a subscription service from an Amazon Prime membership. With it, you can borrow literally hundreds of thousands of e-books. And the best part is that there is no return date, unlike in your local library.
- Google Play — It’s no secret that Google has a ton of services. One of them is Google Play Books, which offers numerous e-books for Android users. Sure enough, you need to pay for most titles. But the good side of this option is that it offers you chapter-long samples, so you can check the book before spending money.
- Libby — Libby is the newest Overdrive app for e-books. It offers a fast way to search and read all your favorite titles such as the Harry Potter series, including The Goblet of Fire, The Prisoner of Azkaban, and all others.
- Open Library — You know how Wikipedia is for everyone? Well, Open Library is the same, just for devoted bookworms and Potterheads. It offers around 20 million free books, meaning that you’re bound to find something that suits you.
- Goodreads — Lastly, we should mention Goodreads. Besides having a rich library of all sorts of books, it has a great algorithm that suggests what to read next. It synthesizes your taste and picks appropriate recommendations, just like Spotify does with music and podcasts.
Alternatives to Harry Potter audiobooks — Speechify
If for whatever reason you can’t afford to get an audiobook, we have good news for Harry Potter fans. There’s always a way. Nope! We’re not proposing pirating or anything like that. What we’re on about is using the Speechify text-to-speech tool to create your very own audiobook and enjoy the wizarding world at Hogwarts.
Speechify is the number-one-rated TTS app on the internet. It’s a high-end piece of software that utilizes optical character recognition, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to turn digital text into audio. It’s available across all platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS) and allows numerous reading voices, speeds, and fully adjustable settings.
All you have to do is paste the text from your digital copy of Harry Potter into the app, and Speechify will do its magic. In practically no time, you’ll get an audiobook for your or your kid’s enjoyment. But why stop there? Speechify can transcribe all kinds of documents into audio, including emails, personal notes, and even photos of handwritten text.
Speechify is primarily an assistive tool for those with reading and learning difficulties. It improves your reading, material comprehension, and allows for multitasking. Namely, if you don’t have the time or you want something to listen to while driving or walking your dog, Speechify can keep you company all the way through.
FAQs
Can you get the Harry Potter audiobooks for free?
Use your library card to borrow one. One of the best locations to seek a free Harry Potter audiobook is your local neighborhood library.
Did Spotify remove Harry Potter audiobooks?
Sadly, it appears the content has been taken down from the Spotify Platform. There is more information on the Spotify Support site about the various causes of this.
Where can I listen to Harry Potter audio?
Visit stories.audible.com
We sincerely appreciate our colleagues at Audible for providing everyone a chance to listen to the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, during the next few weeks. This is one of the several great books that stories.audible.com, the newest platform from Audible, will offer.
