Looking for your next listen? Check out some of the hottest audiobooks for adults and kids and add them to your playlist.


Must-Listens for Adults:

Becoming by Michelle Obama; Read by the Author

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States and the 2020 GRAMMY Award® Winner for Best Spoken Word Album.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.

Available in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Discussion Guide.


Doctor Aphra (Star Wars) by Sarah Kuhn; Read by Emily Woo Zeller, Jonathan Davis, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Sean Kenin, Nicole Lewis, Carol Monda, Euan Morton, Catherine Taber, and Marc Thompson

Dr. Aphra teams up with Darth Vader himself in this audiobook original—an expanded adaptation of the critically acclaimed Marvel comics series, performed by a full cast.

Dr. Chelli Lona Aphra, rogue archaeologist, is in trouble again.

A pioneer in the field of criminal xenoarchaeology, Aphra recognizes no law, has no fear, and possesses no impulse control. To her, the true worth of the galactic relics she discovers isn’t found in a museum, but in an arsenal. This viewpoint has led to a lot of misunderstandings. After her latest plan goes horribly wrong, her roguish ways are on the verge of catching up to her, when suddenly Darth Vader, terror of the galaxy, swoops in with his lightsaber ignited, and . . . saves her life?

Don’t get her wrong—it’s not like she’s ungrateful. Sure, her new boss is a lord of the Sith. And OK, she may have just become a pawn in a deadly game being played by him and HIS boss, who happens to be the Galactic Emperor. And yes, the life expectancy of anyone who disappoints Vader can be measured in seconds.

But she’s back doing what she does best. She’s got a ship to fly, a heist to pull, and two unorthodox but effective metal buddies: Triple-Zero, a protocol droid specializing in etiquette, customs, translation, and torture; and BT-1, an astromech loaded with enough firepower to take down a battlecruiser. Together, they might just find a way to get the job done and avoid the deadly performance review that waits at its conclusion.

Just kidding. She’s doomed.

Available in Audio.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


Ready Player One by Ernest Cline; Read by Wil Wheaton

A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.

When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.

Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.

Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Mass Market, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.

Also Available in Spanish Language: Ready player one.

Coming soon: Ready Player Two—also read by Wil Wheaton!

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Click for a Discussion Guide.

Click for a Teacher’s Guide.


The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante; Read by Marisa Tomei

A powerful listen set in a divided Naples by Elena Ferrante, the New York Times bestselling author of My Brilliant Friend and The Lost Daughter. Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award.

Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, looks more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Is she turning into Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise? Surely there is a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is.

Giovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: a Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and a Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves between both in search of the truth, but neither city seems to offer answers or escape.

In The Lying Life of Adults, listeners will discover another gripping, highly addictive, and totally unforgettable Neapolitan story.

Available in Audio.


Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks; Read by Judy Greer, Max Brooks, Jeff Daniels, Nathan Fillion, Mira Furlan, Terry Gross, Kimberly Guerrero, Kate Mulgrew, Kai Ryssdal, and Steven Weber

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of World War Z is back with “the Bigfoot thriller you didn’t know you needed in your life, and one of the greatest horror novels I’ve ever read” (Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and Recursion).

As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier’s eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined . . . until now. The journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten. In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it. Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and, inevitably, of savagery and death.

Yet it is also far more than that.

Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Available in Hardcover, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Click to Read an Excerpt.


Must-Listens for Kids:

Late Lunch with Llamas (Magic Tree House) by Mary Pope Osborne; Read by the Author

The #1 bestselling Magic Tree House series is ready to whisk listeners away through time with Jack and Annie–this time to South America!

When the magic tree house whisks Jack and Annie to a mountainside, they are surprised to find farmers nearby. Then they learn that the farmer’s baby llama has been stolen, and Jack and Annie vow to bring the little animal back to its owners. But the journey is treacherous–they must climb to the peak of Machu Picchu and climb back down in order to complete this mission. Jack and Annie have been on many dangerous travels, but can they survive this one?

Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Click to Read an Excerpt.

Listen to an Interview with Mary Pope Osborne About Narrating Her Series for Audio.

Check Out the Magic Tree House Amazing Activity Book.


Mindfulness Moments for Kids: Three Calming Activities by Kira Willey; Read by the Author

Written and read by Kira Willey, winner of three Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, kids can use these three mindfulness activities to manage their bodies, breath, and emotions.

With Breathe Like a Bear, kids will learn to breathe deeply and soothe themselves slowly to sleep, just like a bear in hibernation.

With Bunny Breaths, kids learn how to replenish their energy with quick, focused breaths—no matter how blah they feel.

With Listen Like an Elephant, kids learn to slow down, listen to the world around them, and focus their minds—no matter how messy life becomes.

These exercises for calm and focus can be done anywhere: in the backseat of a car, at home, or at a child’s desk at school.

Available in Audio.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


This Is My America by Kim Johnson, Read by Bahni Turpin

The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.

Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time–her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present?

Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Click to Read an Excerpt.


Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia; Read by Frankie Corzo

Bestselling author Rick Riordan presents author Tehlor Kay Mejia and her thrilling fantasy adventure based on the Mexican legend of La Llorona (the Crying Woman).

Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It’s all they’ve heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.

Hating her mother’s humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it’s the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right . . .

Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

Available in Audio.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.

Learn More About All Rick Riordan Presents Titles on Audio.


When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed; Read by Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdi, Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed, Robin Miles, Ifrah Mansour, Bahni Turpin, Hakeemshady Mohamed, Sadeeq Ali, Dominic Hoffman, Christine Avila, JD Jackson, & more

Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel on audio about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.


Check out last week’s special Audiobook edition of our Penguin Random House Library Marketing Morning Book Buzz where we discussed all things audiobooks with award-winning Penguin Random House Audio producers!


One comment

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  1. Vitaliy Lahno

    Thank you for the list. My wife read Becoming by Michelle Obama and she was so psyched about the audiobook. So I am going to put trust in your list and take you upon your suggestion about “Ready Player One” for myself and “Mindfulness moments for kids” for my kiddo.
    Kind regards

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