If you’ve been around here for a minute, you would know that I love audiobooks. My favorite kinds of audiobooks are full-cast audiobooks. Technically, a full-cast audiobook is one where each narrating character’s perspective is read by a different narrator. Full-cast audiobooks are perfect for books with multiple narrators or perspectives. They’re also commonly used for graphic novel narrations (which can be a lot of fun). For this list, I’ve curated the best full-cast audiobooks for kids (of all ages) and adults. If you’re new to audiobooks, these are great to start with because they’re fun — almost like an audio drama!
Books for 6 Year Olds
Good books for 6-year-olds fall into two major categories: books you read aloud to them and books most 6 year olds can read on their own. This list is the latter. When you read to kids or play audiobooks, they can often read and enjoy more advanced texts like those on this list for 7 year olds and this list for 8 year olds. Independent readaloud books are a little more limited and some of them can be super boring. For this list, I’ve included actually fun(ny) stories that your 6 year old can read on their own. You’ll find a few picture books, heavily illustrated chapter books, and several graphic novels.
Review | Miracle by Karen Chow
After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Amie’s Ba-ba (with whom she had a close relationship) dies, leaving her with the mother she feels disconnected from. After his death, Amie can’t seem to find her way back to playing the violin — something that connected her with her dad. The book chronicles her path through grief and finding her way back to music, and building a new connection with her mom.
100+ Best Asian Middle-Grade Books
I’m a huge fan of books by authors of Asian descent — Asian middle-grade books are no exception. For this list, I’ve curated a wide range of stories written and about people of Asian descent — including South Asia and the Middle East. I have so many favorites on this list and try to update it yearly with new books!
Review | Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun
Ten-year-old Zara has been crowned Queen of the Neighborhood by a loving neighbor. Zara makes fair rules for all the games she and her brother Zayd play with the other kids and Zara likes things just like that. But when her neighbor, Mr. Chapman moves out, a new family moves in. Their daughter Naomi has other ideas for playing and the other kids seem to like many of her ideas too. To win back her crown, Zara decides she’ll try to break a World Guiness Record. But as time goes on, she realizes that it may just be better to share her crown instead.
Middle Grade Books with Incarcerated Parents
Since I started reading middle grade books five years ago, I’ve been seeing more and more middle grade books with incarcerated parents, and I’m glad the kids who need them will have them. Having a parent in prison is tough, regardless of whether the parent was a positive or negative influence in a child’s life. It also comes with a fair bit of stigma and can be challenging for the entire family for various reasons. This list features a variety middle grade books with parents in prison. If you’ve been looking for more books on the subject, this is for you.
