AudioFile Magazine curated this audiobook list exclusively for The Children’s Book Review.
Best New Audiobooks for Teens
Jason Reynolds is a favorite for good reason—his stories always feel real and relatable. His latest is an audio-only production that features a stellar cast and a wonderful musical soundtrack, and it’s a special listen that showcases the best of what the audiobook format can do. We’re also recommending more Earphones Award-winning fiction audiobooks from favorite authors Brian Selznick, Ibi Zoboi, and Neal Shusterman, and haunting nonfiction from Candace Fleming.
A full cast gives a wonderfully vibrant performance of Jason Reynolds’s powerful story about found family and music. Nile Bullock heads up the ensemble as 18-year-old Stuyvesant (Stuy), an avid drummer. When he moves out because of his mom’s new boyfriend, he meets Dunks, a genius on the guitar, and then Alexis (bass) and Keith (trumpet), all of whom love music just as much as Stuy does. The uniformly excellent performances make the characters feel real, developed, and relatable. Review»
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Mark Sanderlin gives an outstanding performance of Selznick’s new audiobook about two teens who are finding first love. Telling the story in the first person, Danny is wandering alone in Rome while his mother translates old manuscripts. He soon meets Rome native Angelo. Sanderlin captures their initial shyness, then deftly conveys the wonder felt by naïve Danny and the joy felt by worldly Angelo as he details each site in the city. Danny’s angst is palpable as his impending departure approaches—though Angelo proposes they run away. Review»
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Myths come to life through Bahni Turpin and Robin Miles’s stellar narration of this young adult fantasy. Marisol and her mother left their home in the Caribbean to live in Brooklyn. Marisol hopes to leave their island traditions and her family’s magic behind. Genevieve grew up listening to her white father’s mythical stories from her unknown mother’s homeland. When the teens’ lives collide, both discover secrets that change their views of their worlds. Review»
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In a post-Covid world, Crown Royale, a new virus that is seen as life ending—whether or not the sick recover—is spreading rapidly. All those who do recover experience enlightenment, losing any negative feelings they held before they were infected. The dramatic change causes some people to see the recovered as zombies. Greg Tremblay and Neal Shusterman’s narrations clearly convey the multiple characters, making it easy to follow their varied points of view toward the new enlightenment. Review»
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Karen Murray’s balanced narration fits this nonfiction account of Jim Jones and the tragedy at the Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978. Murray’s tone reflects the author’s research on the early religious zeal that fueled the imaginations of Jones’s followers. This poignant audiobook, while never gratuitous, illuminates the tragic deaths of 909 Temple members. While it’s an uncomfortable listen, the story is remarkable and haunting. Review»
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The article “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, BlueSky @audiofilemagazine.bsky.social, Facebook @audiofilemagazine, and Instagram @AudioFileMagazine
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