# Two 10+ hour roadtrips with my 8 year old. Audio book recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2018, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728 "2018-05-24T13:48:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/21 "2018-05-24T15:42:19Z")
One of the BEST audiobooks I listened to for a long road trip was the true story “Shadow Divers” by Robert Kurson. I think being a scuba diver added to being riveted, but I think the story is gripping enough to keep you occupied. Another good true story is “The Emerald Mile” by Kevin Fedarko. Along with telling the story of this amazing “speed run” through the Grand Canyon, the book also gives this great background to the entire history of the exploration of the Grand Canyon and surrounding area, and of the Glen Canyon dam. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/22 "2018-05-24T15:44:24Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > It occurred to me that one of Pratchett’s books for young readers might be a good choice. For Discworld, that’d be _The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents_ or _The Wee Free Men_ as a starting point. Wee Free Men is incredible. I don’t remember if we listened to the audiobook, but the book itself is so, so good. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/23 "2018-05-24T15:59:51Z")
The Cheshire Cheese Cat, a Dickens of a Tale. I listened to the audio book on a drive, and was both entertained and charmed. Excellent voices. Listen to it as a break from the more action-oriented sf works. It’ll make reading Dickens easier once he reaches that age, too. > **[The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale: Deedy, Carmen Agra, Wright,...](https://www.amazon.com/Cheshire-Cheese-Cat-Dickens-Tale/dp/1561458104)** > > The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale \[Deedy, Carmen Agra, Wright, Randall, Moser, Barry\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/24 "2018-05-24T16:24:20Z")
no harry potter? and redwall is extremely cute too…we have them all even the cookbooks… ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/25 "2018-05-24T16:27:21Z")
The audiobook for **The Android’s Dream** by John Scalzi is also read by Wil Wheaton. It starts with the sentences: “Dirk Moeller didn’t know if he could fart his way into a major diplomatic incident. But he was ready to find out.” It’s intergalactic adventure and intrigue, with many alien species and callbacks to a recent war. One of the main characters died in the war, and there is an ongoing body count (a dozen or so, unless you count the sheep). But most adventure stories have a body count. In **Redshirts** , also by Scalzi, the body count is more cartoonish and easier to ignore. It’s also Wil Wheaton’s first audiobook. This one is a Star Trek send-up. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/26 "2018-05-24T16:29:24Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > And this just hit me — Maybe it’s time to introduce him to Hitchhikers. Do those translate well to audio or better to wait to read them? Harumph! Hitchhikers BEGAN as a radio series, and is available in that most pure format. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/27 "2018-05-24T16:54:32Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > If the OP is staying away from Narnia because “maybe I should keep to one Epic Fantasy at a time,” that objection would also apply to Prydain; but otherwise, that’s a great suggestion. > > The Jungle Books, maybe? IMHO the only objection to _Prydain_ would be that it’s _too good_ and you’re saving it for a more special occasion. If he’s reading Tolkien and appreciating it, _Prydain_ is much less complicated. And Alexander manages to evoke the druidic wildness of ancient Britain hauntingly. But the characters are wonderful and will stay with him forever, and it’s SO good at exploring the moral questions a young person faces growing up. The hero is orphaned but not in any tragic way that might be triggering; its main effect on the character is in causing him to feel slightly out of place and search for himself. Additionally, it features strong women. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/28 "2018-05-24T17:07:55Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Harumph! Hitchhikers BEGAN as a radio series, and is available in that most pure format. 😃 first “book” free: [https://archive.org/details/HitchHikersGuide06](https://archive.org/details/HitchHikersGuide06) ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/29 "2018-05-24T17:30:30Z")
After Lord of the Rings, you need to get The Silmarillion. It’s a challenge to read, as it comes across like an Elvish phonebook/Old Testament, but listening to the audiobook makes it more like oral folklore and much easier to take in. If you are fresh off of Lord of the Rings, it enriches it, as it goes into more detail on some of the stories mentioned by the characters. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/30 "2018-05-24T17:40:10Z")
all six HHGttG radio dramas in the trilogy 😉 are available (I got the “big box”) (when he’s ready , the BBC LOTR radio drama is very good, except some of the singing) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/31 "2018-05-24T20:49:58Z")
Sadly, neither of my kids are into classic literature. But from my own experience, Alice In Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and Swiss Family Robinson come to mind. In my opinion Ready Player One is not appropriate for an 8-year-old but a similar book aimed at younger readers is Click Here to Start and is pretty good. I love the Artemis Fowl books (so does one of the kids, haven’t gotten the other to read them yet) and the audiobook version is terrific. In the first book Artemis’s mother is ill but she is healed at the end of book 1. I love Redwall but I think some of the violence is a bit graphic for young elementary ages. Narnia is always a good choice. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/32 "2018-05-24T20:53:45Z")
I strongly recommend _Castle Hangnail_, by Ursula Vernon. It’s a lot of fun, with no dead parents or pets, and the audio version is 7 1/2 hours long. I also suggest _The Rolling Stones_ by Robert Heinlein. Again, fun and no dead parents or pets. It’s also available in an audiobook format, but I can’t find the length. Shouldn’t be longer than Castle Hangnail, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/33 "2018-05-24T22:56:50Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > I strongly recommend _Castle Hangnail_, by Ursula Vernon. It’s a lot of fun, with no dead parents or pets, and the audio version is 7 1/2 hours long. > > I also suggest _The Rolling Stones_ by Robert Heinlein. Again, fun and no dead parents or pets. It’s also available in an audiobook format, but I can’t find the length. Shouldn’t be longer than Castle Hangnail, though. Here are the links by the way [https://www.amazon.com/Castle-Hangnail/dp/B00WAFPIVY](https://www.amazon.com/Castle-Hangnail/dp/B00WAFPIVY) and [https://www.amazon.com/The-Rolling-Stones/dp/B00K5YYT6W/](https://www.amazon.com/The-Rolling-Stones/dp/B00K5YYT6W/) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/34 "2018-05-24T23:01:41Z")
_The Martian._ It’s kind of geeky, but very entertaining, and pretty long. We listened to it almost the entire way up and back to Yellowstone. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/35 "2018-05-24T23:14:31Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > I strongly recommend _Castle Hangnail_, by Ursula Vernon. It’s a lot of fun, with no dead parents or pets, and the audio version is 7 1/2 hours long. . . . . I do not need to buy EVERYTHING that Ursula Vernon writes - - I do not need to buy EVERYTHING that Ursula Vernon writes - - I do not need to buy EVERYTHING that Ursula Vernon writes - - Dammit - not working. I’m betting it was written under T. Kingfisher, or I’d already have it. ---
**Author:** ![Trisha\_Gaurav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Trisha\_Gaurav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trisha_Gaurav)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/36 "2018-05-24T23:46:24Z")
Harry Potter ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/37 "2018-05-24T23:58:17Z")
Harry Potter read by Stephen Fry. Kill two birds with one stone. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/38 "2018-05-25T00:11:45Z")
Here are too long books; my kids liked them when they were younger: The Neddiad, by Daniel Pinkwater. Quirky ghost story. Summerland, by Michael Chabon. I don’t normally like fantasy, but I liked this one. It helped that it was also about baseball. I’m a school librarian, so I known what I’m talking about.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/39 "2018-05-25T00:23:11Z")
[LibriVox](https://librivox.org/search) Librivox has tons of public domain audiobooks, including Golden Age SF. ETA: Those guys were paid a penny a word. You’d think they’d renew their copyrights. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728/40 "2018-05-25T00:31:54Z")
M family quite enjoyed _Peter and the Starcatchers_ by Dave Barry. [https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Starcatchers-Book-1/dp/B0018ZF0OC](https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Starcatchers-Book-1/dp/B0018ZF0OC) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-10-hour-roadtrips-with-my-8-year-old-audio-book-recommendations/814728.md?page=3)