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Audiobooks For Young People Who Don't Like Reading

Photo of a child wearing school uniform and a hoodie sat leaning against a tree. They are looking at the camera and wearing earphones connected to a phone they are holding in their hands

Do you have a child or teenager in your life who just doesn’t “get” the joy of a good book?

 

Maybe they’ve tried various times to get into reading without success, or perhaps they’re so convinced that reading isn’t for them that they’ve yet to properly give it a go!

 

While of course literature isn’t for absolutely everyone, here at Listening Books we have seen time and time and again that audiobooks can make reading enjoyable for those who never would have considered themselves bookworms before trying audio. That’s why we know first-hand that sometimes all it takes to conquer an old issue is to approach it from a new angle!

 

With that in mind, we’ve compiled some lists of creative book ideas for kids who don’t like reading! Read on for buckets of brilliant titles that we’re sure will get the young folks in your life hooked on a good book.

 

The following book suggestions include both children’s and young adult titles. Please make sure that any book you recommend or give to a young person is appropriate for their age!

 

 

If you have a kid or teen in your life who enjoys films and TV shows, but is not so sure about reading, why not introduce them to books featuring stories they already know and love from the screen? The familiarity of the characters and plot is likely to pique their interest, while making them more comfortable with exploring stories through a different medium.

Books Related to Films or TV Shows

Nick and Charlie

Nick and Charlie

Author: Alice Oseman

Tales of Terror

Tales of Terror

Author: Various

War Horse

War Horse

Author: Michael Morpurgo

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places

Author: Jennifer Niven

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Author: Alan Dean Foster

The Sun Is Also A Star

The Sun Is Also A Star

Author: Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything

Everything, Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

Diary of A Wimpy Kid

Diary of A Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney

One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying

Author: Karen Mcmanus

The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give

Author: Angie Thomas

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

Author: P.L. Travers

Young minds are constantly hungry for knowledge, and some kids actually prefer to read non-fiction! If a young person in your life has a hobby or special interest, introduce them to a book that feeds them facts in a fun way - here are some of our favourite educational titles for young people.

Young people are much less likely to enjoy reading if books don’t reflect their lived experiences in some way. If you know a child or teen who belongs to a group that is frequently underrepresented in literature, introducing them to books featuring characters and experiences with which they can identify could open up a world of reading that had previously seemed closed off to them.

Books with Relatable Characters

Just Ask!

Just Ask!

Author: Sonia Sotomayor

Beyond the Gender Binary

Beyond the Gender Binary

Author: Alok Vaid-Menon

If It Makes You Happy

If It Makes You Happy

Author: Claire Kann

Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen

Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen

Author: Debbi Michiko Florence

Be Dazzled

Be Dazzled

Author: Ryan La Sala

Mixed Me!

Mixed Me!

Author: Taye Diggs

Thank You, Omu!

Thank You, Omu!

Author: Oge Mora

Where Three Oceans Meet

Where Three Oceans Meet

Author: Rajani LaRocca

Specs for Rex

Specs for Rex

Author: Yasmeen Ismail

Ravi's Roar

Ravi's Roar

Author: Tom Percival

An Emotion Of Great Delight

An Emotion Of Great Delight

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Blackout

Blackout

Author: Nicola Yoon, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nic Stone, Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson

Meet Cute Diary

Meet Cute Diary

Author: Emery Lee

Listen, Layla

Listen, Layla

Author: Yassmin Abdel-Magied

Loveless

Loveless

Author: Alice Oseman

When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi

Author: Sandhya Menon

Can I Tell You About Autism?

Can I Tell You About Autism?

Author: Jude Welton

Blind

Blind

Author: Rachel Dewoskin

Out of My Mind

Out of My Mind

Author: Sharon M. Draper

A bit of mindfulness is good for all of us! Modern life is incredibly stressful, and an increasing number of young people of all ages are experiencing high levels of anxiety. If a child or teen you know sees no point in enjoying books for fact or fiction, they may still find them to be a useful tool for de-stressing and learning healthy ways to process worries. Studies have shown that audio is especially helpful for this - being read to has a calming effect that children can find very soothing.

Books Exploring Wellbeing

My Heart Fills With Happiness

My Heart Fills With Happiness

Author: Monique Gray Smith

I Believe I Can

I Believe I Can

Author: Grace Byers

What If, Pig?

What If, Pig?

Author: Linzie Hunter

Sam Wu Book 3: Sam Wu is Not Afraid of the Dark

Sam Wu Book 3: Sam Wu is Not Afraid of the Dark

Author: Katie Tsang, Kevin Tsang

The Worries

The Worries

Author: Jion Sheibani

Social Media and You

Social Media and You

Author: Honor Head

Beating Stress and Anxiety

Beating Stress and Anxiety

Author: Honor Head

Scaredy Squirell

Scaredy Squirell

Author: Melanie Watt

My Anxiety Handbook

My Anxiety Handbook

Author: Phoebe Mcewen

Looking After Your Mental Health

Looking After Your Mental Health

Author: Alice James, Louie Stowell

Quiet Power

Quiet Power

Author: Susan Cain

Sitting Still Like A Frog

Sitting Still Like A Frog

Author: Eline Snel

Positively Teenage

Positively Teenage

Author: Nicola Morgan

The Confidence Code For Girls

The Confidence Code For Girls

Author: Claire Shipman

How To Like Yourself

How To Like Yourself

Author: Cheryl M. Bradshaw

Almost Adulting

Almost Adulting

Author: Arden Rose

You Are Enough

You Are Enough

Author: Jen Petro-Roy

For some young folks, reading or listening to stories is boring because the constant stream of words can get quite monotonous. That’s where audiobooks with music, sound effects and full casts come in! A more diverse soundscape brings a story to life, in a similar but more immersive way to books with lots of illustrations - children can experience a story unfolding around them as if they are in the room with the characters.

Books with Music and Sound Effects

Seal Surfer

Seal Surfer

Author: Michael Foreman

Robin Hood: Parent Hood

Robin Hood: Parent Hood

Author: Mandy Archer

Northern Lights

Northern Lights

Author: Philip Pullman

The Hobbit

The Hobbit

Author: J R R Tolkien

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables

Author: L M Montgomery

Willo the Wisp

Willo the Wisp

Author: BBC Audiobooks

The House At Pooh Corner

The House At Pooh Corner

Author: A A Milne

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Author: Lewis Carroll

Heidi (dramatisation)

Heidi (dramatisation)

Author: Johanna Spyri

Mr Popper's Penguins

Mr Popper's Penguins

Author: Richard and Florence Atwater

Echo

Echo

Author: Pam Munoz Ryan

The Velveteen Rabbit

The Velveteen Rabbit

Author: Margery Williams

You Make Me Happy

You Make Me Happy

Author: Smriti Prasadam-Halls

Ballet Shoes

Ballet Shoes

Author: Noel Streatfeild

The Wind In the Willows

The Wind In the Willows

Author: Kenneth Grahame

We would listen to an audiobook of an oven user manual if Stephen Fry were narrating it! By the same logic, we figured that kids and teens may be more interested in a book if it’s being read to them by a voice they know and love. Here’s a list of some of our favourite audiobooks with famous narrators.

Books with Famous Narrators

The Heart and the Bottle

The Heart and the Bottle

Author: Oliver Jeffers

I Don't Want to be Small

I Don't Want to be Small

Author: Laura Ellen Anderson

Into the Spotlight

Into the Spotlight

Author: Carrie Hope Fletcher

Serpentine

Serpentine

Author: Philip Pullman

The Danger Gang

The Danger Gang

Author: Tom Fletcher

The World's Worst Parents

The World's Worst Parents

Author: David Walliams

Future Friend

Future Friend

Author: David Baddiel

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Author: Ian Fleming

David Attenborough's New Life Stories

David Attenborough's New Life Stories

Author: David Attenborough

The Enormous Crocodile

The Enormous Crocodile

Author: Roald Dahl

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

Author: Charles Dickens

Rover

Rover

Author: Michael Rosen

Christmas Dreams

Christmas Dreams

Author: Giovanna Fletcher

Ready Player One

Ready Player One

Author: Ernest Cline

The Dancing Bear

The Dancing Bear

Author: Michael Morpurgo

Caspar Lee

Caspar Lee

Author: Caspar Lee, Emily Riordan Lee

The Snowman and the Snowdog

The Snowman and the Snowdog

Author: Raymond Briggs

Ask An Astronaut

Ask An Astronaut

Author: Tim Peake