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    The Children's Book Review

    Five Audiobooks That Make For Great Poolside or Backyard Listening

    AudioFileBy AudioFile4 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Ages 9-12 Audiobooks Best Kids Stories
    Five Audiobooks That Make For Great Poolside or Backyard Listening
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    The Best New Audiobooks for Kids Selected by AudioFile Magazine for The Children’s Book Review.

    The Best New Audiobooks for Kids

    This month, AudioFile’s editors have five audiobooks that make for great poolside or backyard listening. Fans of graphic novels will love getting to hear Christina Soontornvat’s fantastic memoir, THE TRYOUT, complete with a full cast and sound effects. Find new thrilling listens perfect for fans of fantasy and adventure in our list below.

    FELICE AND THE WAILING WOMAN- Los Monstruos: Audiobook Cover

    Felice and the Wailing Woman: Los Monstruos

    Story by Diana López

    Read by Elena Rey

    Listening Library | 7.5 hrs. | Ages 8+ | AudioFile Earphones Award

    Listen to a Sample

    Elena Rey captivates listeners with her command of accents, which are intentionally comical or subtle, depending on the character she is portraying. Twelve-year-old Felice is an orphan living in Corpus Christi with her uncle; years ago, her mother died while crossing the river. Felice has heard that her mother became La Llorna, a wailing ghost who haunts the river, so she runs away to find her. Listeners will be delighted with Rey’s expressive narration, and her skill at the dialogue of young and old is impressive. Listeners will become immersed in the story. Review »

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    THE TRYOUT by Christina Soontornvat: Audiobook Cover

    The Tryout

    Story by Christina Soontornvat

    Read by Christina Soontornvat, Grace Li, Vaneh Assadourian, Marcha Kiatrungrit, Ashley Austin Morris, Brian Sounalath, and a Full Cast

    Scholastic Audiobooks | 2 hrs. | Ages 8+ | AudioFile Earphones Award

    Listen to a Sample

    Ringing school bells and squeaking sneakers augment a full cast as they dramatize the events of the author’s seventh-grade year in small-town Texas. It’s dominated by the cheer squad tryout, but typical middle-school concerns emerge. As Christina, Grace Li shines amid the stellar cast. She emits exasperated sighs at every mispronunciation of her surname and bursts into joyful giggles with her Iranian American best friend. For this adaptation of her graphic memoir, Soontornvat provided a gracefully expanded narrative that ensures an immersive stand-alone listening experience. Gimme a W . . . for WINNER! Review »

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    ELF DOG AND OWL HEAD: Audiobook Cover

    Elf Dog and Owl Head

    Story by M.T. Anderson

    Read by Pete Cross

    Dreamscape | 4.25 hrs. | Ages 8+ | AudioFile Earphones Award

    Listen to a Sample

    Narrator Pete Cross makes magic of his own in Anderson’s newest fantasy for middle grade listeners. Cross imbues a teen named Clay with youthful sincerity and awe as he adopts a stray elf-hound who shows him how to cross over into a magical world of dukes and ladies, owl men, and wyrms. Cross gives each character a unique voice and energy level ranging from the rapid-fire speech of know-it-all sister DiRossi to the calm, sincere tone of the owl boy, Amos, who saves Clay’s life and returns him home safely. Review »

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    FINALLY SEEN by Kelly Yang: Audiobook Cover

    Finally Seen

    Story by Kelly Yang

    Read by Cindy Kay and Kelly Yang [Note]

    Simon & Schuster Audio | 7.5 hrs. | Ages 8+ | AudioFile Earphones Award

    Listen to a Sample

    Cindy Kay shines in this heartfelt exploration of the immigrant experience. Ten-year-old Lina is ecstatic to reunite with her family in California after five years spent waiting in Beijing to come to America. However, the perfect life she pictured is not the reality of a family struggling in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Kay skillfully portrays Lina’s thoughts, a messy mixture of happiness at rejoining her family, sadness at having left her beloved grandmother, curiosity about her new home, and severe anxiety over her imperfect English. Review »

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    THE LABORS OF HERCULES BEAL: Audiobook Cover

    The Labors of Hercules Beal

    Story by Gary D. Schmidt

    Read by Fred Berman

    Harper Audio | 8.25 hrs. | Ages 8+ | AudioFile Earphones Award

    Fred Berman’s narration of this audiobook has a driving force—as do its action-packed plot and its hero, seventh grader Hercules Beal. Berman captures Hercules’s mix of determination and resentment when his teacher assigns him the task of performing the 12 labors of his mythical namesake. His performance is peppered with Hercules’s wit, sarcasm, and sense of wonder. Berman’s narration keeps a fine balance between the action of Hercules’s tasks and his moments of introspection and reflection.  Review »

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    This list of audiobooks 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 @AudioFileBehindTheMicPodcast.

    For more articles like Five Audiobooks That Make For Great Poolside or Backyard Listening, follow along with The Children’s Book Review’s content tagged with Audiobooks and AudioFile.

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

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    Ashley Austin Morris Audiobooks AudioFile AudioFile Earphones Award Brian Sounalath Christina Soontornvat Cindy Kay Diana López Dreamscape Elena Rey Fred Berman Full Cast Audiobooks Gary D. Schmidt Grace Li Harper Audio Kelly Yang Listening Library M.T. Anderson Marcha Kiatrungrit Middle Grade Books Middle Grade Read Aloud Books Pete Cross Scholastic Audiobooks Simon & Schuster Audio Summer reading Vaneh Assadourian
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    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, and Facebook @audiofilemagazine.

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