Audiobook Ideas For 10 Hour road trip

s1mp13m4n · 12-22-2013, 05:56 PM

Hello everyone. My wife, daughter, and myself will be in our car for a road trip of 5 hours down and 5 hours back for the Christmas season. I would like some ideas for audiobooks that are family friendly yet enjoyable for two adults and a 5 year old girl. I made the mistake last year of picking J. K Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. We were thinking a new book from the author of Harry Potter might be just fine. It wasn't.

The cussing and F bombs made us turn it off and pick something from a Cracker Barrel to rent for the trip. This year I want to be a head of the game and have the iPod loaded up for the trip. I love the Harry Potter series and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanocich. Ms. Plum again is not for children. Thanks for the ideas.

arjaybe · 12-22-2013, 06:52 PM

It might be a little long at 13.5 hours, but there's a recording of Green Comet on my site. (see sig) It's family friendly in that it's clean, with little violence. (Chapter 9 - Yellow Comet might be too harrowing for a five year old) Your little girl might not understand it all, but it won't hurt her.-)

It comes in 47 separate chapters (you can easily skip Ch 9) recorded in OGG Vorbis format.

It's CC-BY-SA, so think of it as a gift.

rjb

meeera · 12-22-2013, 06:52 PM

Percy Jackson?

s1mp13m4n · 12-22-2013, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arjaybe

It might be a little long at 13.5 hours, but there's a recording of Green Comet on my site. (see sig) It's family friendly in that it's clean, with little violence. (Chapter 9 - Yellow Comet might be too harrowing for a five year old) Your little girl might not understand it all, but it won't hurt her.-)

It comes in 47 separate chapters (you can easily skip Ch 9) recorded in OGG Vorbis format.

It's CC-BY-SA, so think of it as a gift.

rjb

Thank you very much.

This is very nice of you. I take it that you are a writer, that is really cool. I downloaded the book you mentioned from your website. Thank you for the great Christmas gift.

arjaybe · 12-22-2013, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s1mp13m4n

Thank you very much.

This is very nice of you. I take it that you are a writer, that is really cool. I downloaded the book you mentioned from your website. Thank you for the great Christmas gift.

You're very welcome. I hope you enjoy it.

rjb

Catlady · 12-22-2013, 08:31 PM

I think I'd stick to classics, like Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, Christmas Carol.

s1mp13m4n · 12-22-2013, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catlady

I think I'd stick to classics, like Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, Christmas Carol.

Funny you should say that, I started looking for free audiobooks of the classics. I found open domain Mark Twain classics...Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn. I like your idea of the classics.

Laurablue · 12-26-2013, 10:54 PM

A couple of middle grade audio books that adults can also enjoy - Skulduggery Pleasant, written by Derek Landy, and the Red Pyramid, Kane Chronicles #1, written by Rick Riordan. They both have female protagonists (Red Pyramid has a brother and sister who alternate narration).

Edited to add that those books are not age appropriate, they are rated for kids 10 and up. I misread your post and thought it said grade 5, not 5 years old.

crich70 · 12-27-2013, 01:40 AM

Why not look up some Old Time Radio programs and load them into your Mp3 player? There are some programs that are based on classic books and a lot of good comedy shows from the Golden Age of Radio.

SeaBookGuy · 12-29-2013, 11:29 PM

I loved the Librivox recording of "Through the Looking Glass" and I'm ancient. An intelligent five year old ought to appreciate it; her parents will be impressed with how well the reader did with the assignment.

Geralt · 12-30-2013, 04:49 AM

I suggest Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. Narrated By Simon Jones. It's marvelous. Have a quick listen: http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-A...ook/B002V8H22I

Quote:

Nathaniel is eleven-years-old and a magician's apprentice, learning the traditional art of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells far beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal Lovelace's greatest treasure, the Amulet of Samarkand, he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder and rebellion.
Set in a modern-day London spiced with magicians and mystery, The Amulet of Samarkand is an extraordinary, edge-of-your-seat thriller with many unexpected twists. Following Bartimaeus and Nathaniel in turn, the story introduces us to two wonderfully memorable characters destined to go through many adventures together and bound by a spell that is nearly impossible to break.

Yapyap · 12-30-2013, 06:59 AM

The Amulet of Samarkand is a brilliant book (although I actually even liked the two follow-ups a little better), but if Rick Riordan's books and Skulduggery Pleasant might be a bit too much for a five-year-old, I think the same applies to Bartimaeus - not because of anything potentially objectionable in the book, but the political side of the plot might be a bit heavy-going for someone so young.

But it very much depends on the child, of course! And it is a very good book.

(If some violence isn't an issue, I'd say that the above-mentioned Skulduggery Pleasant and Riordan's series, either Percy Jackson or the Kane Chronicles, would be good, exciting choices.)

12-26-2013, 10:54 PM	#8
Laurablue Connoisseur Posts: 70 Karma: 910220 Join Date: Jun 2013 Device: Kobo Glo, Kobo Arc, Sansa Clip Zip, Sansa Fuze+	A couple of middle grade audio books that adults can also enjoy - Skulduggery Pleasant, written by Derek Landy, and the Red Pyramid, Kane Chronicles #1, written by Rick Riordan. They both have female protagonists (Red Pyramid has a brother and sister who alternate narration). Edited to add that those books are not age appropriate, they are rated for kids 10 and up. I misread your post and thought it said grade 5, not 5 years old. Last edited by Laurablue; 12-26-2013 at 11:11 PM. Reason: misread original post

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12-22-2013, 05:56 PM	#1
s1mp13m4n Zealot Posts: 127 Karma: 1278 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Kindle Oasis	Audiobook Ideas For 10 Hour road trip Hello everyone. My wife, daughter, and myself will be in our car for a road trip of 5 hours down and 5 hours back for the Christmas season. I would like some ideas for audiobooks that are family friendly yet enjoyable for two adults and a 5 year old girl. I made the mistake last year of picking J. K Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. We were thinking a new book from the author of Harry Potter might be just fine. It wasn't. The cussing and F bombs made us turn it off and pick something from a Cracker Barrel to rent for the trip. This year I want to be a head of the game and have the iPod loaded up for the trip. I love the Harry Potter series and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanocich. Ms. Plum again is not for children. Thanks for the ideas.

12-22-2013, 06:52 PM	#2
arjaybe Wizard Posts: 1,000 Karma: 12012526 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Canada Device: Sony PRS-650	It might be a little long at 13.5 hours, but there's a recording of Green Comet on my site. (see sig) It's family friendly in that it's clean, with little violence. (Chapter 9 - Yellow Comet might be too harrowing for a five year old) Your little girl might not understand it all, but it won't hurt her.-) It comes in 47 separate chapters (you can easily skip Ch 9) recorded in OGG Vorbis format. It's CC-BY-SA, so think of it as a gift. rjb

12-22-2013, 06:52 PM	#3
meeera Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,659 Karma: 66420972 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Libra 2, iPadMini4, iPad4, MBP; support other Kobo/Kindles	Percy Jackson?

12-22-2013, 08:31 PM	#6
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,345 Karma: 52398889 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I think I'd stick to classics, like Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, Christmas Carol.

12-27-2013, 01:40 AM	#9
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,305 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Why not look up some Old Time Radio programs and load them into your Mp3 player? There are some programs that are based on classic books and a lot of good comedy shows from the Golden Age of Radio.

12-29-2013, 11:29 PM	#10
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,015 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I loved the Librivox recording of "Through the Looking Glass" and I'm ancient. An intelligent five year old ought to appreciate it; her parents will be impressed with how well the reader did with the assignment.

12-30-2013, 06:59 AM	#12
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	The Amulet of Samarkand is a brilliant book (although I actually even liked the two follow-ups a little better), but if Rick Riordan's books and Skulduggery Pleasant might be a bit too much for a five-year-old, I think the same applies to Bartimaeus - not because of anything potentially objectionable in the book, but the political side of the plot might be a bit heavy-going for someone so young. But it very much depends on the child, of course! And it is a very good book. (If some violence isn't an issue, I'd say that the above-mentioned Skulduggery Pleasant and Riordan's series, either Percy Jackson or the Kane Chronicles, would be good, exciting choices.)

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