Want to make road trips more exciting? Here are the best audiobooks for family road trips that kids and adults are sure to love.

Audiobooks for family road trips

Playing road games and having interesting conversations are great ways to make a long drive seem to pass quickly, but entertainment on the road may require even more thought. Listening to a great story that has something for every family member is an excellent way to enhance the family road trip experience. 

While some podcasts may offer something of value, audiobooks can do much more for grown-ups and kids. Besides, your favorite audiobooks can have an even more significant impact on kids. It can fuel their love for literature, improve literacy skills, and keep them engaged during an otherwise dull long drive.

Here’s a list of the best audiobooks for family road trips. Many of these audiobooks feature a full cast of narrators and are must-haves for your book lists, whether in traditional or audio format.

Best audiobooks for a family road trip

Peter and the Star Catchers

Written by Dave Barry, Peter and the Star Catchers is a retelling of the classic Peter Pan story. This time, Peter and a bunch of orphans are on a ship and do their best to protect a treasure from a pirate captain named Black Stache. It’s one of the best children’s books to enjoy on a car ride in an audio version.

The Penderwicks

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall tells the story of a father, his four daughters, and the family dog during their three-week summer vacation. If you enjoy the audiobook, the story is the first in a series of five. There’s enough material about the lovable characters for multiple road trips with the whole family.

The Cricket in Times Square

George Selden wrote one of the most entertaining stories for the whole family. You can follow the adventures of Chester the cricket and his diverse trio of friends as they explore New York City and achieve success.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

Written by Beverly Cleary, the book tells a story of a lovable and perfectly imperfect girl who does her best to get in and out of trouble. Anyone can relate to her adventures, especially in an audiobook format.

The Bartimaeus Sequence: The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye, Ptolemy’s Gate, Ring of Solomon

The Bartimaeus trilogy is fun, exciting, gripping, and magical. Author Jonathan Stroud crafted three books that can engage audiences of all ages. The books follow a young magician’s apprentice and their quest to get revenge.

Inventing Victoria

Inventing Victoria is a coming-of-age story by Tonya Bolden set in the 1800s. It’s an entertaining tale for young readers and gets even more engaging in an audiobook format.

Geronimo Stilton books

Geronimo Stilton's books make for a great audiobook collection to have when going on a long road trip. You can find unabridged audiobooks on Amazon and other platforms. The mystery stories take listeners to various locations all over the world.

Stuart Little

Everyone can enjoy animals who can talk; few animal characters are as relatable as Stuart Little. E.B. White wrote the family book, and you can find it as an audiobook on many services and apps. The first two unabridged audiobooks have narrations by Julie Harris.

The Harry Potter series

Almost everyone has read the Harry Potter books or has seen the movies. Starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, this magical book series, is one of the great stories ever told. Author J.K. Rowling created a timeless gem that translates well into friendly audiobooks. Narrated by Jim Dale or Stephen Fry, the audiobooks are great for long road trips.

Roald Dahl Books

Roald Dahl is one of the most masterful writers of children’s fiction. The author is responsible for titles like Matilda (narrated by Kate Winslet), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and many other stories. For many people, Roald Dahl was the author of the first book they picked up. But his great stories and fairy tales age amazingly well and can entertain the whole family.

There’s no shortage of Road Dahl audiobooks on Amazon, Audible, and most other audiobook services.

Percy Jackson books

If you want a great audio collection for the entire family, any of the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan make for excellent road trip entertainment material. The books tell the adventures of young demigods and Greek gods in a modern setting.

The Chronicles of Narnia series

A group of children accidentally discover the magical realm of Narnia. The seven-book storyline (beginning with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) tells tales of magic, talking animals, mythical creators, and the eternal struggle of good versus evil. The superb storytelling of C. S. Lewis can keep adults and young ones engaged during long trips.

Charlotte’s Web

Another E. B. White classic, Charlotte’s Web, is a wholesome book about friendship and love that can move young ones to tears. It makes for one of the best audiobooks for kids and parents to connect during long trips.

How to Train Your Dragon

Cressida Cowell wrote How to Train Your Dragon, now one of the most popular media franchises. But books and movies aside, actor David Tennant delivers a stellar narration for one of the most entertaining stories for the whole family.

Transform any text to speech with Speechify

If your children love audiobooks, they might love hearing other text turned into speech with Speechify.

Speechify is a text to speech reader available on mobile devices, web browsers, and desktop computers. It uses advanced machine learning and AI algorithms to take written words and turn them into speech. You can make e-learning fun for kids by using Speechify app,selecting your preferred voice and accent, and letting the app read aloud the text.

Try Speechify for free, and experience a new way of turning text into speech for every occasion and activity.

FAQ

What are the benefits of using audiobooks on a family road trip?

Audiobooks can help pass the time, let you catch up on great literature, and keep kids’ attention during a long drive.

Is there a book that is a good length for a family of two adults and two children?

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is one of the best books for a young girl, young boy, mother, and father. It has characters of all ages, mother figures, father figures, and lots of adventure.