Best new audiobooks for kids

Best new audiobooks for kids

Before we made books, we told stories orally, and that's how we've kept stories in our traditions over thousands of years! Yet only in the past few years we've seen a massive uptick in children's love for audiobooks. Let's talk about it!

If you're on the hunt to listen to the audiobooks of some family favourites and classics, do check out our 10 Essential Children's Audiobooks. But if you've made your way through them already or are on the hunt for new books to listen to, we've carefully selected recently released audiobooks that have hit the top of the charts and that we also are sure children will LOVE! 

From the much-loved Julia Donaldson and Jacqueline Wilson all the way to new voices like Sangu Mandanna and J.T. Williams, you will love each and every one of these brilliant books!

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2023-01-12
Best new audiobooks for kids
Book pages Sugarlump and the Unicorn and Other Stories

Sugarlump and the Unicorn and Other Stories

Packed full of magic and adventure, this collection of seven fantastic stories from the creators of the bestselling What the Ladybird Heard series, is perfect for listening to at home, in the car, at bedtime or any time at all!

Join in the adventure with Sugarlump the rocking horse when a unicorn grants his every wish, help the Singing Mermaid escape the circus and return to her seaside home, join Josephine and her extraordinary new shoes for an action-packed adventure, and much more! This magical collection features seven much-loved stories from the bestselling picture-book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, creators of What the Ladybird Heard .

With lively performances from Julian Clary, Noma Dumezweni, Lauren Laverne, Joanna Page, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant and Sophie Thompson, and including the Sugarlump and the Unicorn Song , music and sound effects, Sugarlump and the Unicorn and Other Stories is a must-have audio collection, perfect for listening to together.

This fantastic collection includes seven bestselling stories: Sugarlump and the Unicorn, The Singing Mermaid, Sharing a Shell, The Rhyming Rabbit, The Princess and the Wizard, The Girl the Bear and the Magic Shoes and Princess Mirror-Belle and the Dragon Pox .

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Book pages The Primrose Railway Children

The Primrose Railway Children

Brought to you by Penguin.

From multi-million bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson and inspired by E. Nesbit's timeless classic, The Primrose Railway Children is a gorgeous, heartwarming story of family secrets and new adventures.

Sit back and enjoy the journey!

Phoebe Robinson loves making up stories - just like her wonderful, imaginative Dad.

When he mysteriously disappears, Phoebe, Perry, Becks and their mum must leave everything behind and move to a small cottage in the middle of nowhere.

Struggling to feel at home and missing her Dad terribly, Phoebe's only distraction is her guinea pig Daisy. Until the family discover the thrilling steam trains at the railway station and suddenly, every day is filled with adventure.

But Phoebe still can't help wondering, what is Mum hiding and more worryingly is Dad okay?

'An unbelievable talent' - David Walliams

(c) Jacqueline Wilson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

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Book pages The Great Dream Robbery

The Great Dream Robbery

Brought to you by Puffin.

A brand-new adventure beyond your wildest dreams, from the bestselling authors of KID NORMAL .

Unlike most 12 year-olds, Maya Clayton is desperate to go to bed early. Falling asleep is the only chance she has to save her dad - the brilliant but slightly odd Professor Dexter.

The Professor invented a device that allows you to visit other people's dreams. But the devious Lilith Delamere has trapped him inside a nightmare and Maya and the mysterious Dream Bandits must find a way to rescue him before it's too late!

Maya will face a dangerous journey and some difficult choices. But sometimes all you need is a dream . . . and a bit of courage.

Featuring a hospital heist, some banana-loving llamas and a talking cat called Bin Bag, this is one mind-bending adventure you won't want to wake up from.

(c) Greg James, Chris Smith 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

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Book pages The Danger Gang

The Danger Gang

Brought to you by Puffin.

The
electrifying new adventure from bestselling author of The Christmasaurus and The Creakers , Tom Fletcher!

Franky can't wait to move to his new town - although he wishes he didn't have to leave his best friend Dani behind.

But everything changes after the storm, when strange green lightning and powerful thunder crash down on the town. From that night on, the kids who live on Franky's street start to change. One by one, they become a little odd . A little unusual . A little... magical .

Franky's always wanted to be part of an amazing gang - just like his hero, super-spy Zack Danger! And soon, he realises that there's real danger in store for himself and his new friends.

And so the Danger Gang is born...

(c) Tom Fletcher 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

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Book pages Kiki Kallira Conquers a Curse: Book 2

Kiki Kallira Conquers a Curse: Book 2

Kiki Kallira can bring her drawings to life...but when a mysterious curse threatens her newly-created kingdom and friends, how can she use her powers to save them? A fantasy adventure inspired by Hindu legends about anxiety, creativity and finding your own strengths. For 8+ fans of Abi Elphistone and The Land of Roar.

Fresh from the exciting discovery that the beautiful kingdom and band of rebel kids she drew in her sketchbook exists in another world, Kiki Kallira has an unexpected visitor. One of the rebels has come into the real world to ask for her help - the river Kaveri that is Mysore's only source of water has suddenly vanished! With no water to drink or grow food, Kiki's kingdom is doomed.

When drawing a new river doesn't work, Kiki returns to Mysore and stumbles upon the origin of the Kaveri: a princess from long ago who was transformed into water by a terrible curse! It's up to Kiki and her friends to restore the river without sacrificing the princess again. With her mounting anxiety, enemies seeking to stop her and a city growing weaker by the minute, Kiki's confidence falters.

Will she be able to unravel the curse and save her kingdom before it's too late?

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Book pages Kay's Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body

Kay's Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body

Explore each organ of the body in this immersive, 3D audiobook edition of Kay's Anatomy , read by Adam Kay with a full cast of voices, including Mark Gatiss, Sandi Toksvig, Andy Nyman and Lolly Adefope.

Do you ever think about your body and how it all works? Like really properly think about it?

The human body is extraordinary and fascinating and, well... pretty weird. Yours is weird, mine is weird, your maths teacher's is even weirder.

This book is going to tell you what's actually going on in there, and answer the really important questions, like:

Are bogeys safe to eat? Look, if your nose is going to all that effort of creating a snack, the least we can do is check out its nutritional value. (Yes, they're safe. Chew away!)

And . . .

How much of your life will you spend on the toilet? About a year - so bring a good book. (I recommend this one.)

So sit back, relax, put on some rubber gloves, and let a doctor take you on a poo- and puke-filled tour of your insides. Welcome to Kay's Anatomy*.

*a fancy word for your body. See, you're learning already.

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Book pages Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest

Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest

Set in the snowy northern forests of an imagined prehistoric world, Fireborn is the middle-grade debut of the decade. At turns exciting, funny and heart wrenchingly sad, it marks the introduction of an unstoppable new voice in children's storytelling.

Twelve has spoken the Pledge and now she is a Huntling. She has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters and keeping the peace, and she won't get to choose a new one until she has earned it.

But when the Lodge's walls are breached for the first time, and a little girl is taken, Twelve is the only one interested in going after a child . . .

Teaming up with Dog, the Stone Guardian of the Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name - and her entire world.

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Book pages The Whisperling

The Whisperling

1897.
Twelve-year-old Peggy Devona is a Whisperling: someone who can speak with the dead. It's a rare skill that she tries to keep secret from the rest of her quiet village, who fear anyone different.

But when her best friend is accused of murder and thrown in prison, Peggy realises she must use her abilities to save Sally - and solve the case.

Travelling to her uncle's psychic emporium, she finds herself surrounded by new friends, new enemies . . . and new spirits.

Time is running out, and each day Peggy draws nearer to the truth also brings Sally one step closer to the gallows . . .

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Book pages The Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson: Just a Touch of Utter Chaos

The Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson: Just a Touch of Utter Chaos

A charming family comedy for readers of 8+, with a dash of magic, and the occasional moment of mayhem! These are the third memoirs Holly Hopkinson, aged ten - except without any of the rubbish adults usually put in, thank you very much.

Welcome to volume III of my memoirs - with me, Holly Hopkinson, still in the middle of flipping nowhere, and still on the brink of MULTIPLE CATASTROPHES, like my parents announcing that we might be moving STATESIDE. Good thing my sister is still into organising protests, thank you very much.

PLUS Mum is about to lose what little money we have left on a vegetable shop, there's been a biscuit-fight fiasco in the village and a family secret I uncovered means my suitcase is packed, my goodbyes are prepared - life is cruel at ten.

But fear not because with the help of my Magic Pocket Watch I might get an ACTUAL FACTUAL ROCK STAR to play with my brother's band! Oh yes. The middle of nowhere, AKA Lower Goring, could be about to hit the news headlines again . . .

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Book pages The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger

The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger

A thrilling middle grade mystery series, perfect for fans of Robin Steven's Murder Most Unladylike . Set in eighteenth-century London, with all the fun and zest of Hamilton and inspired by real Black British historical figures.

Twelve-year-olds Lizzie Sancho and Dido Belle are from different worlds - Lizzie lives in Westminster in her dad's tea shop, while Belle is an heiress being brought up by her aunt and uncle at grand Kenwood House - but they both share a love of solving mysteries.

And when their eyes meet in the audience of the Drury Lane theatre one night, both girls are sure they've seen something suspicious on stage.

Lizzie and Belle soon find themselves on the trail of a mystery - and becoming best friends. But can they work out what's going on in time to prevent a murder?

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Book pages Unravel Me

Unravel Me

X-Men meets The Handmaid's Tale in the second instalment in an epic and romantic YA fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Victoria Aveyard's The Red Queen, Netflix's Stranger Things and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows.

They want to find me. I will find them first.

Juliette has escaped. She has found the headquarters of the rebel resistance - and people like her. People with gifts. She is free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam.

But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch. Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this heart-racing sequel to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heartand the life of those she loves.

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