How audiobooks save our sanity on the road…
It was, of course, a family obligation that took me to New Orleans one weekend a few years ago. I was the lone adult, with both kids in tow. Faced with an hours-long drive both to and from our weekend wedding festivities, I was beginning to dread the whole ordeal.
This was going to take something stronger than the standard road-trip entertainment ammunition. To combat the insanity of who-picks-what-movie, or who-used-my-headphones, or why-won’t-this-dvd-load, and my-battery-is-at-2-percent, we boldly sidelined all electronics and downloaded an audiobook. As we began our trip toward South Louisiana, we rolled onto the interstate to the beginnings of a magical journey. The brilliant voice of Jim Dale is a perfect match to narrate the origin of one chosen wizard named Harry Potter. Not only did it capture the kids’ attention all the way into Metairie that evening, we easily breezed through the weekend and were looking forward to finishing the book on the ride home.
As we look toward an upcoming 2019 holiday season that is sure to involve travel in some way, we wanted to suggest a handful of audiobook options that work well for people of all ages. Some are classics that parents will love to share with their children, and some are great contemporary reads that you’ll both get to discover together. The lineup on this page includes 5 stand-alone books for short drives, and then page 118 showcases 5 different series of books for those much longer road trips. May your holiday travels bring you joy rather than frustration.
Charlotte’s Web
written by E.B. White
narrated by E.B. White, George Plimpton
Wonder
Wonderwritten by J. Palacio
narrated by Diana Steele, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd
A Wrinkle in Time
written by Madeleine L’Engle
narrated by Hope Davis, Ava DuVernay, Madeleine L’Engle, Charlotte Jones Voiklis
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
written by Mark Twain
narrated by Nick Offerman
To Kill a Mockingbird
written by Harper Lee
narrated by Sissy Spacek
Little House on the Prairie Series
written by Laura Ingalls Wilder
narrated by Cherry Jones
The Box Car Children Series
written by Gertrude Chandler Warner
narrated by Aimee Lilly
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series
written by Jeff Kinney
narrated by Ramon De Ocampo
Harry Potter Series
written by J.K. Rowling
narrated by Jim Dale
Percy Jackson Series
written by Rick Riordan
narrated by Jesse Bernstein