AudioFile Magazine curated this audiobook list exclusively for The Children’s Book Review.
The Best New Audiobooks for Teens
Engaging, tuned-in performances are what will keep teens listening to these five Earphones Award-winning selections. Fiction and nonfiction alike shine a light on history and reflect real-life issues that teens are grappling with. Plus, we highlight two wonderful 2025 Odyssey Honor audiobooks.
Dear Manny: Dear Martin, Book 3
Written by Nic Stone
Read by James Fouhey, Nic Stone
AudioFile Earphones Award
Listening Library | 4.5 hrs. | Ages 14+
Stone’s final entry in the Dear Martin trilogy is made more powerful with this compelling performance by James Fouhey. Jared’s plan to run for junior class president hits a bump when a Black transfer student named Dylan adds her name to the slate. Fouhey captures Jared’s conflict over his white privilege, which lingers after the death of his best friend, Manny. It shows up in letters written to Manny and in Jared’s growing affection for Dylan. Review»
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Under the Same Stars
Written by Libba Bray
Read by January LaVoy, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Major Curda
AudioFile Earphones Award
Macmillan Audio | 16.5 hrs. | Ages 12-18
January LaVoy, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, and Major Curda portray teens from different eras and settings: Hanna and Sophie, two Polish teens, in 1939; Jenny and Lena in 1980 West Berlin; and Brooklynite Miles, who solves the mysterious disappearances of two girls sixty years earlier. All three narrators heighten their performances as the story’s tension increases and connections between all of the characters become clear. Review»
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King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)
Written by Jonathan Eig, Yohuru Williams, Michael G. Long [Adapt.]
Read by Dion Graham
AudioFile Earphones Award
Macmillan Audio | 4.5 hrs. | Ages 12-18
Listeners are given a well-rounded portrait of the leading figure in the Civil Rights movement, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King—fleshed out by fascinating and coherent accounts of the events of the day and the people around him. Dion Graham masterfully portrays the voices and emotions of Dr. King’s orations; Coretta King’s softer, lighter speech; and the racist attitudes of people in crowds and those that conspired against him. Review»
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Black Girl You Are Atlas
Written by Renée Watson
Read by Renée Watson
AudioFile Earphones Award
Listening Library | 1 hrs. | Ages 12+
Renée Watson narrates her semiautobiographical collection of free-verse and short-form poems, which introduce listeners to the lyricism of her writing. Her delivery features repeated rhythmic patterns, haunting repetitions, and startling imagery. Race, class, and gender are eloquently rendered in poems on possibility, resilience, celebration, and the power of womanhood. Watson’s voice is as deep and rich as her material. Review»
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Girls Like Her
Written by Melanie Sumrow
Read by January LaVoy, Melanie Sumrow
AudioFile Earphones Award
Harper Audio | 9 hrs. | Ages 12+
Golden Voice January LaVoy clearly differentiates the many characters in this story and smoothly transitions among them. She gives the deepest portrayals of the two main characters and their developing relationship: sullen, angry 14-year-old Ruby, who is accused of murder and is facing being moved to an adult women’s prison, and compassionate Cadence Ware, the calm social worker who persuades Ruby to tell her story. Review»
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The article The Best New Audiobooks for Teens was curated by AudioFile. AudioFile is an independent source of audiobook reviews and recommendations with a clear focus on the performance and listening experience. AudioFile Earphones Awards are given to exceptional audiobooks. To learn more, visit audiofilemagazine.com, Twitter @AudioFileMag, Facebook @audiofilemagazine, and Instagram @AudioFileMagazine
