audiobooks or podcasts for my 8 year old daughter
August 28, 2014 6:58 PM   Subscribe

As an incentive to get out the door and on the way to school, I'm trying to put together some fun audiobooks or podcasts that my 8 year old daughter would enjoy listening to as we drive together. She loves all things Star Wars, but I'd be open to other things as well. I've spent time perusing audiobook and podcast options, but I'm not having a lot of luck (and the audiobooks can be kind of pricey). Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
posted by SpacemanStix to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (19 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Your library probably has tons of free audios, both on CD and digitally, so be sure to check there before you plunk down cash! Has your daughter read The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda? It's about middle schoolers, so YMMV on how interested your little space kiddo is in it. I also really enjoyed the audiobook of the first book in the Ivy and Bean series - they're funny for kids and adults without calling into the obnoxious protagonist trap lots of juvenile fiction has fallen for lately.
posted by itsamermaid at 7:06 PM on August 28, 2014


Best answer: Harry Potter audiobooks?
posted by kdern at 7:23 PM on August 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: My children (7 and 10) loved The 39 Clues books. We borrowed several of the audiobooks (downloadable MP3) from the library. And there are like.... 6,234 books in the 3 series, so you should be good for a LOT of drive time. ;)
posted by pantarei70 at 7:32 PM on August 28, 2014


Best answer: Storynory has a variety of podcasts, stories, and audiobooks. My daughter particularly enjoyed the Katie the Witch stories (these are stand-alone short stories) and the Awaking Beauty stories (which was a serial of 20 or so chapters).
posted by gubenuj at 8:00 PM on August 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I'm digging You'll Like It Here, which is about aliens and evil overlords.
posted by spunweb at 8:12 PM on August 28, 2014


Best answer: Overdrive is the app most libraries use for their collection. I use Audible.com for reviews first, although I also have an Audible account.

We're listening to Wolf Brother (Michelle Paver) now which is exciting but a bit grim. Terry Pratchett's kids books are available as audiobooks too - next on our list.
posted by viggorlijah at 8:12 PM on August 28, 2014


Best answer: I listen to free audio books on librivox.org... especially the junior fiction section.
posted by goml at 9:28 PM on August 28, 2014


Best answer: Daniel Pinkwater! His audiobooks are all free on his website. Maybe start with Borgel.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:43 PM on August 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Check the library for Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men. And the Bromeliad trilogy, starting with Truckers. So fun!
posted by suelac at 10:27 PM on August 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: My kid, almost 9, loves Welcome to Nightvale and The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 12:59 AM on August 29, 2014


Best answer: That was about the age my dad started me on Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, one of the best parenting decisions you can make. If you go down this road, be advised that there are notoriously multifarious versions of the thing, there is some adult content alluded at but not spelled out in So long and thanks for all the fish", and any rumours of a sixth book by someone not Douglas Adams are merely the product of a deranged imagination.
posted by runincircles at 1:23 AM on August 29, 2014


Best answer: We've really enjoyed listening to the "All the Wrong Questions" series of Lemony Snicket books. They're available on Overdrive for free from our local library.

The best advice to using Overdrive is to just out a bunch of interesting looking titles on hold and borrow them as they come out. It's pretty easy to keep the queue full. We've also been working through a lot of Roald Dhal books.
posted by montag2k at 7:01 AM on August 29, 2014


Best answer: there is some adult content alluded at but not spelled out in So long and thanks for all the fish

I think we may have different definitions of "alluded to but not spelled out." There is some pretty clear spelling near the end of that one. ("Has he no spirit? has he no passion? Does he not, to put it in a nutshell, fuck?")

(The other books, I grant you, would fall under that heading, notwithstanding the references to Eccentrica Gallumbits.)

The BBC has some podcasts for children, and Scholastic has some suggestions as well.

Also, if she likes Star Wars, has she heard the NPR radio version of the original trilogy?
posted by Shmuel510 at 7:05 AM on August 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: For podcasts, my daughter is a couple years older but has enjoyed This Week in Science (occasional discussions about animal sexuality discussed in a way that sometimes makes reference to human sexuality, which have been good conversation starters for the most part) and Radiolab (occasional discussions of adult topics like war, but again, have mostly been good conversation starters). She is also crazy about Good Job Brain!.
posted by latkes at 7:54 AM on August 29, 2014


Best answer: One of the very best audio books out there is this version of The Hobbit. Free with a 30 day trial membership.
posted by bearwife at 9:35 AM on August 29, 2014


Response by poster: Awesome, thanks for the advice everyone. These are great suggestions.

A follow-up question regarding Audible. Have you been happy with the service? I'm not as crazy about the proprietary software needed to play the file, versus having access to the audio file, like Amazon does their music purchases. I could be appeased, though, if there's a way to just "play and go" through my car's bluetooth connection. Is it correct that online access or an ongoing subscription to the service is not required to play the book?
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:12 PM on August 29, 2014


Best answer: Great books read by the author: Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet of the Swan. These are usually available through our library on CD or download.
posted by RoadScholar at 4:21 PM on August 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: It's downloaded so you don't need a connection to play the files once they're on your phone - the app distinguishes between cloud and device. I went on a six month break in my subscription because of the cost, and they were super nice about it. Still had full access to my books and actually bought some on sale books during the break, and then it deactivated with my monthly credits. When you cancel or end, the books are still yours on the phone or computer, attached to the account you bought hem in, they just can't be transferred to another person like a physical cd.

They also have a not publicized exchange which I have used with a book I got and hated after the first hour. Swapped it for the credit and got a new book, no hassle or questions past could you tell us why you didn't like that book feedback.
posted by viggorlijah at 8:19 PM on August 29, 2014


Best answer: I have however bought a non-drm audiobook on purpose from another retailer because I knew I wanted to give it to a friend after I'd heard/read it. So it depends on what you plan to do with the books. My husband and I share audible on our phones through the app, but there's a limit on how many devices you can authorize.
posted by viggorlijah at 8:21 PM on August 29, 2014


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