Core Collection Audiobooks for Family Car Trips: Call For Suggestions!

[rockinlibrarian]

Hi, librarian types (and anyone else with an opinion. Actually, maybe EVERYONE). I'm here posting a general brainstorming request to the world.

Often around the holidays and less-specific times during the summer, people come in to the library looking for a good audiobook for the WHOLE FAMILY to listen to on a long car trip. We've got loads of adult books on audio. We've got lots of childrens and YA books on Playaway. But the only books on CD (and though maybe YOU have the car/equipment to play a Playaway over your car speakers, that's not something you typically find among our patrons) we have that fit this description-- fun for the WHOLE FAMILY!-- are the Narnia books, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (and the latter is pushing it, whole-family-wise), and the Harry Potters (the Jim Dale ones, which were definitely a staple of MY family's road trips for awhile there. I HATED--HATED-- his Hermione voice, but otherwise, definitely good reads. Er, listens). Three series. All fantasy. All excellent, but not much of a selection.

SO, I'm opening it up to the floor. If I were to develop a CORE COLLECTION of THE most NECESSARY audiobooks for family car trips, what would you recommend? If you know of particular recordings/narrators that are awesome, name them-- maybe the book is okay but the performance is NOT TO BE MISSED, I'll go for that!-- but if you think of a book that fits the bill and you don't even KNOW if it's on audio? Name it anyway. I'll do the hard stuff. I'm just looking for general suggestions!

Comments

[riki-kiki-taco.livejournal.com]

Well I don't listen to many audiobooks, but here's some titles that I know would be great for the family. I'm pulling them from my library's audiobooks--since I don't order many, I tend to aim for the best reviews, so I'm hoping that will help :-)

--Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains. The sequel Forge works well as a standalone.

--Any of Rick Riordan's Olympian books. I know, more fantasy!

--Andrew Clements's school books, such as Frindle

--Jack Gantos's Joey Pigza books (super popular in my area!)

--Chris Grabenstein's The Crossroads. He writes great ghost stories that are tame enough for older elementary, but spooky enough to go through middle school and I think then some!

--Louis Sachar's Wayside School!!!

--Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks

--Donald Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown!

--Anything Joan Bauer. She's awesome and doesn't talk about s-e-x or other scary things!!

--Charlotte's Web and other classics

--Anything Richard Peck. I got my goddaughter hooked on him and couldn't be prouder.


I just kind of picked a few here, trying to think of a wide range of titles and a wide range of ages to be in the car.


~kiki

[riki-kiki-taco.livejournal.com]

Just saw this on my blogs and wanted to add it, since I kind of loved reading the book: The True Meaning of Smekday (http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AbbytheLibrarian/~3/lbBqOA-hbA4/audiobook-review-true-meaning-of.html)

~Kiki

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Ooo, a must if only for all the families who might be driving to Disney World!

Danke for the other suggestions, too!

[punterschlagen.livejournal.com]

I never heard of this book until now - Amy, would I like it?

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

It's very silly-weird, but considering you apparently like my Pipeweed Mafia stories, I think you can appreciate this as well.

Adam Rex (the author) is also famous in my head for being the theoretical illustrator I have chosen should I ever decide to rewrite the first book I ever wrote when I was seven. He also recently added this virtual high-five feature (http://www.adamrex.com/clicktohigh-5.html) to his website which for some reason made me really too happy for awhile.

[sophie brown (from livejournal.com)]

OK, first of all let's discuss Potter shall we? I listened to about five minutes of Jim Dale before shutting it off never to be heard again. What you need are the British Potter audiobooks as read by Stephen Fry. Find a sample and have a listen, you'll never look back.

As for books for the family, may I suggest The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy as read by Douglas himself? Perhaps The Graveyard Book read by Neil Gaiman (I haven't heard the audio version myself but loved the book).

And, here's a suggestion that may be a little odd as it is non-fiction, The Life & Times of The Thunderbolt Kid read by Bill Bryson. One of the funniest author's I have ever had the pleasure to read, pretty much the only one whose work I have had to put down simply because I was no longer able to breathe - I was laughing too much.

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Stephen Fry would be awesome. But seeing as I've got a really limited budget, I'm not going to be seeking out alternate versions of what we already have...

We totally DID Hitchhikers-read-by-Adams on the first long road trip my husband and I took together! And that was when I realized a shocking and sad limit to my husband's geekitude: his inability to appreciate British comedy. IT'S HORRIBLE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM. This was six or seven years ago, and it still saddens me. Well, I guess it still saddens me because I have no one with whom to SHARE my appreciation of British humor. Also I know he'll never move to England with me.

We have The Graveyard Book on Playaway, so I wonder how much of an argument I'd have to build for also getting it on CD (even when I mentioned wanting to do this to my director, her first reaction was "A lot of new cars are able to hook up with mp3 players like Playaways now." Which misses the point that people are ASKING me for CDs for the car!) It is a perfect suggestion, both type-of-book-wise AND the high quality of the performance (or so I've heard--I haven't actually listened to it, either, but other people seem to think it's wonderful!)